sensible men?" remarked Step Hen.

"Oh! well, that was my way of putting it," Thad went on to say; "I meant
that as near as I could guess they seem to be Canadian half-breeds, for
some of their talk was in a French patois I couldn't just understand.
And I've always heard that those kind of men are mighty hard to handle,
because, like Italians they get furiously excited, and let their
imaginations run away with them, like some other fellows I happen to
know."

"Did you say there, were only three of this bad crowd, Thad?" Giraffe
asked.

"I wouldn't like to say for sure," came the reply, "but as near as I
could make out that would cover the bill."

"Huh! and we count six, all told," continued the tall scout,
indifferently, although Thad imagined he was not feeling so comfortable
as he pretended to be.

"Yes, six boys," the scout-master reminded him.

"But husky boys in the bargain, and accustomed to taking care of
themselves in tight places," Giraffe went on to remark, proudly.
"Besides, ain't we got a gun that shoots twice? That ought to account
for a couple of the rascals; and then what would one poor fish poacher
be against a half dozen lively fellows, tell me that?"

Allan laughed at hearing the boast.