CHAPTER XXIV

A WAR OF WORDS

The knowledge that Professor Lemm, Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell were approaching the cabins on the upper end of Snowshoe Island filled the Rover boys with wonder.

"Professor Lemm must have come to see Uncle Barney about those deeds,"

remarked Randy.

"I wonder if that is Slugger's father with him?" broke in Fred.

"Maybe," answered Jack. "Those men were the only two who were interested in getting possession of this island."

"I'll tell you what I think we ought to do!" exclaimed Andy.

"What?" came from the others quickly.

"I think we ought to go back to our own cabin and arm ourselves."

"That might not be such a bad idea, Andy," returned Jack. "Those men, backed up by Slugger and Nappy, may want to carry things with a high hand."

Acting on Andy's suggestion, the four boys retreated to the cabin which they had just left, and each took possession of his weapon.

"I don't think they'll try much rough-house work when they see how we are armed," remarked Randy grimly.

"Of course, we don't want to do any shooting," cautioned Jack. "We only want to scare them, in case they go too far."

"Jack, you had better be the spokesman for the crowd," remarked Randy.

"You go ahead and talk to them, and we'll stand back with our guns."

Still holding his rifle, Jack went forward again, and in a moment more found himself confronted by Asa Lemm and the man who was with him.

"Rover! Is it possible!" exclaimed the former teacher of Colby Hall in astonishment. "What are you doing here?"

"I and my cousins are here to hunt."

"Humph! I didn't know old Stevenson allowed anybody to do hunting around here."

"Maybe they are hunting here without the old man's permission,"

suggested the other man. "Where is Barney Stevenson?" he demanded of Jack.

"Mr. Stevenson has gone over to Rockville on an errand," was the reply.

By this time Slugger and Nappy had come up, and they stared at Jack and his cousins as if they could not believe the evidences of their senses.

"Well, what do you know about this!" burst out the former bully of Colby Hall.

"All of those Rovers up here, and armed!" came from Nappy.

"Who gave you the right to come to this island?" went on the bully, glaring at Jack.

"Do you know these boys?" queried the man who was with Professor Lemm.

"Sure, Dad, I know them! They are the Rover boys I told you about--the fellows who helped to have me and Nappy sent away from school."

"Oh, so that's it!" cried Slogwell Brown. "Did you have any idea they might be up here?" he questioned quickly.

"Not the least, Dad. I thought they were down in New York. Nappy said he had seen them on the ice in Central Park."

"I did see them, too," answered the lad mentioned.

"Well, we didn't come here to see you Rovers," broke in Asa Lemm stiffly. "Not but what I have an account to settle with you," he continued significantly.

"We want nothing more to do with you, Professor Lemm," answered Jack boldly.

"But I'm going to have something to do with you, young man!" stormed the former teacher of the Hall, beginning to show his usual ill humor.

"Never mind these boys now, Lemm," interposed Slogwell Brown. "We want to fix up our business with old Stevenson first."

"If you have anything to say to Mr. Stevenson, you'll have to come when he is here," answered Jack.

"When do you expect him back?"

"I don't know exactly when he will come--probably before nightfall."

"Then, all we can do is to wait for him," grumbled Slogwell Brown.

"If we have to wait, we might as well go inside his cabin and do it,"

suggested Nappy. "It's too cold to stay out here."

"Yes, and I'm all tired out from wading through those snowdrifts," added Slugger. He looked past Jack at the other Rover boys. "Had any luck hunting?"

For the moment there was no reply. Then Randy stepped forward.

"I don't know as that is any of your business, Slugger," he replied coldly.

"Oh, say! you needn't get on your high-horse," growled the bully. "What Nappy and I ought to do is to pitch into you for having us fired out of the Hall."

"You stay right where you are!" cried Fred.

"Humph! you think you've got the best of us with those guns, don't you?"

came from Nappy, who had ranged up beside Slugger.

"Never mind what we think," answered Andy. "If you know when you're well off, you'll keep your distance."

"See here! you boys needn't get too fresh," came harshly from Slogwell Brown. "I've heard all about your doings at Colby Hall, and how you got the professor, here, and my son and his chum into trouble. Some day I intend to make you suffer for that. But just now we are here on a different errand."

"We're going to put old Stevenson off this island and take possession!"

cried Nappy triumphantly. "And then, when he goes, you can go, too!"