"There, that will do, boys. I'll just lie still awhile, and see how I feel;" and the poor fellow lay groaning under a horrible sickness, while his anxious friends stood grouped about his bed in silent sympathy. Presently there was a violent retching and vomiting which really alarmed his friends for fear some injury would come from it; and, after a while, silence and exhaustion. After repeated violent vomitings, poor, victimized Ed fell into a profound slumber, and the three conspirators retired to rest, almost ashamed to laugh at the success of their joke, satisfactory as that had been.
At an unusually early hour of the morning, the whole party was awakened by a noise as of some one coming in.
"Is that you, Doc? "yawned Squire, who occupied a bed with Flag.
"No," said Doc, "I guess it's Ed; he's not in the bed at any rate."
"What are you up so early for, Ed? Do you feel worse again?"
"Worse! I guess you would feel worse if you had half a pint of oil and as much more lard griping in your vitals."
A roar of laughter burst from the occupants of the beds, which caused some grumbling on Ed's part.
"It's very easy for you to laugh, no doubt; but if either of you had come as near being poisoned to death, and had to suffer the way I have, there wouldn't be so much fun in it, I reckon."
"That's a fact," put in Squire, sympathizingly. "You'll be all right again, and it is mean for the fellows to laugh when you have been in such danger."
"Well, we weren't laughing at your accident, you know," added Flag, "but just at the funny parts of the treatment. But I think, after all, Ed, we ought to make you pay for the wolf-skins, 'cause we'd surely have trapped three or four, it was such a pretty night for them to be out."
"More likely that I ought to sue you all for damages," groaned the victim, rocking himself to and fro in the darkness in a frantic manner.
"Don't be wrathy, Ed; of course, it was all a mistake. Doc shall do double duty now, and be cook for two days longer, as a punishment for his carelessness."
This promise somewhat molified Ed's resentment, and he soon subsided into a doze.
An early breakfast was prepared, in order to give all a good start in the business of the day. It was pretty well understood that Newcome intended to remove some of the stakes which bounded a claim belonging to Squire and Doc, and the young men resolved to be on the ground in time to intercept such irregular proceedings.
Flag had business with a party of surveyors, which would take him several miles from home, and keep him out until nightfall. Ed declared his intention to go hunting, if, after eating some breakfast, he felt able to carry his gun.
