fore hers; he withdrew his eyes, and cast them on my little horse,
which was feeding amongst the trees. "What's this?" said he, rushing
forward and seizing the animal. "Why, as I am alive, this is the horse
of that mumping villain Slingsby."

"It's his no longer; I bought it and paid for it."

"It's mine now," said the fellow; "I swore I would seize it the next time
I found it on my beat--ay, and beat the master too."

"I am not Slingsby."

"All's one for that."

"You don't say you will beat me?"

"Afraid was the word."

"I'm sick and feeble."

"Hold up your fists."

"Won't the horse satisfy you?"

"Horse nor bellows either."

"No mercy, then."

"Here's at you."

"Mind your eyes, Jack. There, you've got it. I thought so," shouted the
girl, as the fellow staggered back from a sharp blow in the eye. "I
thought he was chaffing at you all along."

"Never mind, Anselo. You know what to do--go in," said the vulgar woman,
who had hitherto not spoken a word, but who now came forward with all the
look of a fury; "go in, apopli; {87} you'll smash ten like he."

The Flaming Tinman took her advice, and came in bent on smashing, but
stopped short on receiving a left-handed blow on the nose.

"You'll never beat the Flaming Tinman in that way," said the girl,
looking at me doubtfully.

And so I began to think myself, when, in the twinkling of an eye, the
Flaming Tinman disengaged himself of his frock-coat, and, dashing off his
red nightcap, came rushing in more desperately than ever. To a flush hit
which he received in the mouth he paid as little attention as a wild bull
would have done; in a moment his arms were around me, and in another, he
had hurled me down, falling heavily upon me. The fellow's strength
appeared to be tremendous.

"Pay him off now," said the vulgar woman. The Flaming Tinman made no
reply, but planting his knee on my breast, seized my throat with two huge
horny hands. I gave myself up for dead, and probably should have been so
in another minute but for the tall girl, who caught hold of the
handkerchief which the fellow wore round his neck with a grasp nearly as
powerful as that with which he pressed my throat.

"Do you call that fair play?" said she.

"Hands off, Belle," said the other woman; "do you call it fair play to
interfere? hands off, or I'll be down upon you myself."

But Belle paid no heed to the injunction, and tugged so hard at the
handkerchief, that the Flaming Ti