And thus the night wore
slowly away. Each got a few "cat naps," but that was all.
About three o'clock the storm went down and by sunrise the rain
and the wind were a thing of the past. The boys were around early,
and they gave Jeff Thompson such a breakfast as they thought he
needed. The negro begged for his liberty, and when he could not
get it began to grow abusive.
"Here, none of that!" said Snap, decidedly. "You keep quiet, or
I'll place a gag in your mouth."
"I ain't gwine ter let no foah boys do me up!" cried the negro.
"Let us gag him!" cried Whopper, and began to make a gag of a
tree root. But then Jeff Thompson cooled down and said no more.
The young hunters hardly knew what to do, and after a consultation
it was decided to look for their own rowboat and then take a message
to Ham Spink's crowd. The boat was easily located in the daylight,
and Whopper rowed across the lake and told his story to the rival
campers.
"Humph! that negro ought to be locked up!" said Ham Spink. "He took
the very best of our stores!"
"Well, you will have to help take him to town," said Whopper.
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