he would keep silent about the matter.

"The boathouse wasn't worth anything," explained Ham. "We only knocked
it down to play a trick on some other boys we don't like."

"Some other boys?"

"Yes, some fellows who came up this way to go camping. They had their
traps stored in that boathouse."

"Did those boys come to a camp up here?" asked the tramp, with
interest.

"Yes."

"What were their names?"

"Snap Dodge, Shep Reed, a fellow called Whopper Dawson and a little
chap named Caslette."

"Humph! the very same crowd," muttered Kiddy Leech. "So you played the
trick on them, eh? I am glad of it."

"Say, what are you chaps gassing about anyway?" demanded Barney Hedge,
who was growing tired of waiting for his cronies.

"Say, Barney, excuse us for awhile, will you," called out Ham, skating
towards his friend. "We want to find out something from this tramp. He
knows something about the Dodge crowd I am sure."