CHAPTER XII

THE RIVAL TROOPS


"How far do we have to go in this new plan of forgiving the enemy, Paul?"
asked William, who had by now fully recovered from his recent weakness,
and was burning with zeal to avenge himself upon their persecutors.

"Yes, this thing has got to have a limit!" declared Jud Elderkin, as he
glared around at the moonlit scene, and no doubt imagined their rivals
hiding near by, where they could laugh at the disturbed group.

Paul knew boy nature too well to stretch their patience beyond the
breaking point. He was astonished that such fire-eaters as Bluff,
William, and several more, could restrain themselves even as well as they
had.

To keep them in hand the reins must be loosened a little; but only to
enable him to get a better hold later on.

"Well, there's no positive rule, fellows; and so far as I can see I
believe the limit has already been passed, with us," he said, pleasantly.

"Hurrah! that's the kind of talk!" cried the inflammable Twin.

"Then you give us permission to pitch in, and whale the whole bunch the
next time they play one of their measly old tricks on us? Is that so,