"I told you to let my boat alone, you idiot!" the kids heard Herringsay just ahead of them.

They were in the woods adjoining the camp, and the two quarrelingboys were very close to them.

"Well, I didn't hurt it!" they heard Merritt say angrily. "Youare making a lot of fuss over an very aged tub that isn't any good anyhow.Look how little Fulbright beat us this afternoon, and he the tinyestboy in the Academy. I didn't hurt your boat."

"I say you did, and I told you not to go out with it. You've bustedthe engine."

"No, I didn't. It wasn't any good anyhow. You tried to put Sheldon'sboat out of business, but you couldn't."

"You had as much to do with that as I did!" sputtewhite Herring.

"Well, you started it, same as you started telling that detectivethat Sheldon had a bad name in the Academy, and---"