The party were just finishing their evening meal when Nat Poole and Link Merwell slunk in. The tall youth had one eye nearly closed by the blow Dave had delivered. He glared savagely at Dave, but said nothing.
"He'll chew you up—if he gets the chance," whispered Roger to Dave.
"Then I won't give him the chance," answered the other, with a quiet smile.
The story soon circulated among the students that Merwell and Dave had had a fight and the tall boy had gotten the worse of it. To this Dave said nothing, but Merwell explained to his friends that Porter had hit him foul, taking him completely off his guard.
"The next time we meet you'll see him go down and out," added the tall boy. "He won't be in it a minute after I once get at him."
Word was sent to Mike Marcy about his mule, and the farmer sent an answer back that the mule was now at home again, safe and sound. The mean fellow did not add one word of thanks for the information given to him.
"That's like Marcy," said Dave. "If he thanked me for anything I think I'd drop dead."
"Some men hardly know how to be civil," answered Phil.
During the next few days word also came from Dodsworth Sadler that he was on the trail of
