"So you young smarties managed to free yourselves, did you?
And you thought you'd find a way to put a trick over on us?
You'll have to take to getting up earlier in the day, if you expect to get the better of any crowd that I'm leading." Ripley's crew were now all of them in the shack, crowding the little place.
"What is it that you're scheming to do, anyway ?" leered Fred, enjoying the looks of dismay on the faces of Dick & Co.

"See here, don't you little boys think that it's about time for you all to line up and start a footrace out of these woods ?" "No; we don't," Dick retorted defiantly.

"We think it's high time, though, for your crowd to start just such a race." "Hold your tongue, freshie!" ordered Fred roughly.
"Not for you!" Dick snapped, his temper going up as the mercury climbs on a hot day.
"Then I'll make you!" offered young Ripley, making a spring at Dick.
But Dick & Co.

were now all together, standing in a firm fighting line.
Fred received punches from the fists belonging to three different school boys, and fell back, red and panting.
"Sail in, everybody!" ordered Fred.

"These simpletons haven't sense enough to stand a good joke on themselves." It was an unmanly thing to do.