In Camp on the Big Sunflower | Page 9

this discussion.
Upon being directly appealed to, however, he was not at all backward
about replying.
"I've been doing a heap of thinking since Owen and myself examined
that pile of shells," he started in to say, "and if you care to hear the
conclusion I've come to, all right."
"You b-b-better b-b-believe we do, Max," was Toby's immediate
explosion.
"Don't hold back a thing," observed Steve; "because we're all
dyed-in-the- wool chums; and what concerns one concerns all."
"Cough it up, Max. We're holding our breath, you understand, wanting
to know. And none of us come from Missouri, either," Bandy-legs
observed, eagerly.
Max smiled at the expressive way his comrades had of urging him on.
Nor could he fail to be deeply touched by their confidence in his ability
to fathom the puzzle.

"I took occasion to examine some of those empty shells by the light of
other matches," he continued; "and on many of them I was surprised to
find plain marks of small teeth!"
"Wow! I'm g-g-getting on to what you're going to spring on us!"
exclaimed Toby, whose wits were not slow, if his speech had that
affliction.
"I don't believe any of those mussels had been opened by human
hands," Max went on to boldly declare. "Whoever is up here must be
collecting them just for the sake of the mother of pearl. You know, I
suppose, that these shells are used for making pearl buttons and such
things?"
"Yes, they are worth so much a hundred pounds," remarked Owen.
"The price is high enough to pay some men for collecting them when
they can be found in any decent quantities."
"Then, Max, you don't think these parties are onto the pearl racket--is
that it?" asked Steve.
"Honest Injun, boys, that's the conclusion I've reached after studying it
out. They are just collecting the empty shells, and never dreaming how
one little pearl like this would be worth perhaps a full ton of shells."
And Max took the prize from Steve, who seemed a bit reluctant to let it
go.
Max had apparently made up his mind as to what would be a safe
hiding place for the little beauty.
All of them watched him wrap the pearl in a wad of pink cotton,
deposit this in a small cardboard box about two inches long by one
wide, and half as thick; which, in turn, was carefully thrust into a
haversack hanging from the center pole of the tent.
That same haversack was used as a "ditty" bag. All sorts of small
articles, likely to prove useful in camp, were deposited in its capacious
depths. And when anything was wanted, the boys usually searched in

this leather pocket before proceeding to any trouble.
"A snug nest for our first prize, eh?" Bandy-legs took occasion to
remark, as he watched how carefully Max pushed the little packet down
into the depths of this depository.
"It sure ought to be safe there," Steve declared, with a sigh as of
genuine relief.
"Nothing could happen to it, with five fellows sleeping around. And
Max is so ready to wake up that he'd even hear a cat moving," Owen
remarked, with a laugh.
"Do you expect we'll have any trouble with these pearl-shell gatherers,
Max?" Steve demanded.
"I hope not," was the ready reply. "We don't expect to interfere with
their business at all. Fact is, we'd just as lief turn over what shells we
gather to these parties to pay for trespassing on their preserves."
"But not the pearls we find--if so be we're lucky enough to run across
more?" flashed Steve.
"Surely not," Max answered, sturdily. "They don't own this country;
and I'm sure they've got no lease on the waters of the Big Sunflower.
So we have just as much right up here as they do. But we're a peaceable
crowd, you know; that's one of the leading rules in the constitution of
the Ranger Boys' Club."
"Yes," chuckled Bandy-legs, "we're set on having peace even if we
have to fight for it."
"Well," put in Toby, aggressively, "all I c-c-can s-s-say is, they'd
b-b-better think twice before t-t-trying to bother our crowd. We're only
b-boys, but we've got rights."
"Hear! hear!" broke out Bandy-legs, clapping his hands as if to
encourage the speaker.

"And we know how to s-s-stand up f-for 'em," wound up Toby, shutting
his teeth hard on the last word, and looking very determined.
"You bet we will," remarked Steve. "I'd just like to see anybody have
the nerve to try and steal that bully little gem we've captured first pop.
My stars! don't I hope we'll have the mate to it in short order."
Presently the talk drifted to other things connected with their home life
in Carson. The names of several boys were