ss, bridling
indignantly.

"At any rate let us go in advance," advised Roy; "we don't know just
what we may run up against."

This appeared reasonable even to Bess, and with the boys slightly in
advance the little group pressed rapidly forward. After traveling about
two hundred yards they found themselves in a small clearing where a most
unusual sight presented itself; a sight that brought a quick flash of
indignation to the face of every one of them.

Cowering under the blows of a tall, swarthy woman was a small girl, so
fragile as to appear almost elfin. The woman wore the garb of a gipsy,
and the presence of some squalid tents and tethered horses showed our
young friends at once that it was a gipsy encampment upon which they
had happened.

The woman was so intent on belaboring the shrieking child that at first
she did not see the newcomers. It was not till Roy stepped up to her,
in fact, that she became aware of their presence.

"What are you doing to this child?" demanded Roy indignantly.

"That's none of your business," was the retort, as the woman for an
instant released her hold on the child.

Instantly the little creature darted to the sheltering arms of Peggy,
sobbing piteously.

"Oh! Save me from her, she will kill me," the child cried, in a broken
voice.

"There! there!" soothed Peggy tenderly, "don't cry. We won't let her
harm you any more."

But like a fury the woman flew at the girls. Before she could lay hands
on them, however, Roy and Jimsy had seized her arms and held them. At
this the crone set up a hideous shriek and, as if it had been a signal,
two swarthy men, with dark skins and big earrings in their ears, came
running from behind the tents.

"What's the trouble?" they cried, as they ran up, regarding the boys
malevolently.

"It's the Wren; they're trying to steal the Wren!" shrilled out the
woman.

At this the men rushed at the boys, one of them waving a thick cudgel
he carried.

"Let go of that woman," they shouted furiously.

Another instant and the boys would have been in a bad position, for both
the gipsies were powerful fellows, and appeared determined to commit
violence. But Roy, releasing his hold of the struggling gipsy woman,
put up his fists in such a scientific manner that, for an instant, the
attack paused. This gave Jimsy time to rush to his side. The instant
she was released the woman darted to the side of the men.

"Beat them! Kill them!" she cried frantically