“Of course they have taken our game—–­more than once,” came from Ham Spink.  “And if they don’t shoot our game they scare it off, so that we don’t have a chance to bring it down.”

“What you say, Ham Spink, is absolutely untrue, and you know it,” put in Shep, brushing through the crowd.  “We have never in our lives touched any game that was coming to you or your crowd.  We-----”

“Say, do you want to fight?” cried Ham Spink, working himself up into a quick passion; and he doubled up his fists as he spoke.

“No; but I can defend myself,” answered the doctor’s son just as quickly.  “I am not afraid of you.”

“And we are not afraid of ghosts, either,” was Snap’s sarcastic comment.

These last words made Ham Spink and one or two of his cronies furious.  They had been up to the distant lake where the “ghost” had held forth, and had been so badly frightened that they had come home, “on the run,” as Whopper expressed it now that the matter had been fully explained, Ham and his followers felt decidedly sheepish over it consequently, to mention the affair was as bad as to wave a red rag in front of a bull.

“You shut up about ghosts!” cried Ham, shaking his fist in Snap’s face.

“Say, Ham, let us give ’em a dressing down before we leave,” whispered Carl Dudder.  He looked around the dock.  “Nobody here but ourselves.”

“That’s the talk,” put in another of the Spink crowd.  “They deserve it for trying to crow over us.”

Shep and Snap heard the talk and looked at each other.  They endeavored to back away in the direction of the street, but before they could accomplish this the entire Spink crowd threw down their guns, rods and bundles and advanced upon them.

“Keep back!” cried the doctor’s son.

“If you hit us you’ll take the consequences!” added Snap.

An instant later Ham Spink and his cohorts closed in.  Snap and Shep were caught, front and back, and several blows were quickly exchanged.  It was an uneven contest, and the doctor’s son and his chum might have fared badly had not a sudden cry rang out: 

“Look at that, Giant!  They are trying to maul Snap and Shep!” The cry came from Whopper.

“Let up there!” added Will Caslette.  And then, as small as he was, he ran out on the dock and toward the center of the melee.  Frank came with him, and each caught one of the Spink faction by the arm and swung him backward.

“Good!  Here are the others!” panted Shep.  “Give it to ’em, fellows; they started it!”

The arrival of the pair somewhat disconcerted the Spink crowd, and they stopped fighting.  They were still six to four, but to handle four was only half as easy as to handle two.  The others looked inquiringly at their leader.

“Give it to ’em!” muttered Ham; but even as he spoke he edged to the upper end of the dock, past Giant and Whopper.

“Give it to ’em yourself,” murmured a follower who had received a blow in the eye.  “I guess I won’t fight any more to-day.”