Alf! Oh, you Alf Drew!" But the cigarette fiend was not in evidence If he heard, he did not answer.
"We might as well pay that imitation boy for his time and let him go," muttered Harry.
"Oh, I hardly think so," dissented Reade.

"It's worth some time and expense to see if we can't make something more nearly resembling a man out of him." The fire was soon crackling merrily.

Tom led the way to a thicket an eighth of a mile from camp.

Here he produced from hiding three repeating rifles and several boxes of ammunition.
"We'll hold on to these," Hazelton said.
"For what reason ?" "They'll come in handy to steer off that other crowd." "I wouldn't be bothered with keeping the rifles about camp," Tom retorted, as they started backward.
"But say! Gage's man that went to Dugout will soon be back.
Do you forget that he carries a rifle ?" "Jim Ferrers will be back at about the same time," Tom rejoined.
"They'll have rifles until the camp will look like an outdoor arsenal.

We don't want these added rifles around camp.