Page:Castlemon--Joe Wayring at Home.djvu/373

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A BATTLE IN THE DARK.
363

"Did I? Well, in my camp he took a Lefever hammerless that cost the owner three hundred dollars; and from a gentleman who had Bob Martin for a guide, he stole a Winchester worth fifty dollars. Not satisfied with that, he took every thing in the shape of grub that he could lay his hands on, and me and my employer had to live on trout while we were making a journey of more than a hundred and fifty miles. Trout's good enough once in a while; but I swan to man, if I want it for a steady diet. Bob Martin said he eat so much of that kind of food that he wanted to snap at every fly that came near him."

"Matt and his family are always on the lookout for grub, and I should think that the sharp edge would be taken off their appetites after a while," Arthur remarked. "Did you try to follow his trail?"

"Bless you, no. There ain't a country in Ameriky that is so well provided with water courses as this Indian Lake country is, and what's the use of trying to follow the trail of a boat? You might as well think of tracking a bird through the air."