“Only eating us out of house and home,” snapped Dave.

“And delaying the time when we must wash up the tent after you,” added Danny Grin.

But the tramps played on, smoked on.

“Did you fellows ever hear of that famous man, Mr. A. Quick Expediter?” Tom asked the tramps.

“No,” growled one of them.

“Expediter was a truly great man,” Tom continued.  “He had a motto.  It was a short one.  One word, and that word was—–­’git’!”

“We are famed for our courtesy,” remarked Darry.  “We’d hate to lose even a shred of our reputation in that line.  But in these present years of our young lives we are football players by training, and high school boys merely for pleasure.  We know some of the dandiest tackles you ever saw.  Shall we show you a few of them?  If you object to observing our tackles—–­and sharing in the effects—–­then signify your wishes by placing yourselves at a safe distance from such enthusiastic football wranglers as we are.”

Greg, Danny Grin and Harry were already crouching as though for a spring.  Dave took his place in an imaginary football line-up, leaning slightly forward.  Tom Reade sighed, then advanced to the line.  All were waiting for the battle signal from Dick Prescott.

By this time the most talkative of the three tramps noted the signs of a gathering squall.

“Come on, mates,” he urged, with a sulky growl, “let’s get out of here.  These young fellows want their place all to themselves.  They’re just like all of the capitalistic class that are ruining the country to-day!  Things in this country are coming to a pass where there’s nothing for the fellow who-----”

“Who won’t work hard enough to get the place in the world that he wants,” Tom Reade finished for the tramp, as he ushered the three of them through the doorway.

CHAPTER XVIII

DICK PRESCOTT, KNIGHT ERRANT

That day of enforced tie-up was followed by three days of hard hiking.  The Gridley High School boys showed the fine effects of their two vigorous, strenuous outings.  Each had taken on weight slightly, though there was no superfluous flesh on any of the six.  They were bronzed, comparatively lean-looking, trim and hard.  Their muscles were at the finest degree of excellence.

“We set out to get ourselves as hard as nails,” remarked Dave, as the boys bathed in a secluded bit of woodland through which a creek flowed.  It was, the morning of their fourth day of renewed hiking.  After the swim and breakfast that was to follow, there were twenty miles of rural roads to be covered before the evening camp was pitched.

“I guess we’ve won all we set out to get, haven’t we?” inquired Reade, squaring his broad shoulders with an air of pride.  “I feel equal to anything that a fellow of my size and years could do.”

“I think, without boasting, we may consider ourselves the six most valuable candidates for Gridley High School football this year,” Prescott declared.  “We ought to be the best men for the team; we’ve worked hard to get ourselves in the pink of physical condition.”