ened to be left in his mouth just then, and began to swear. It was
then that Oswald and Dicky rushed upon the scene.

The man was shaking his fist in H. O.'s face, and H. O. was still
holding on to the bottle we had brought out the methylated spirit in for
the lamp, in case of anyone wanting tea, which they hadn't. 'If I was
Jim,' said the second ruffian, for such indeed they were, when he had
snatched the bottle from H. O. and smelt it, 'I'd chuck the whole show
over the hedge, so I would, and you young gutter-snipes after it, so I
wouldn't.'

Oswald saw in a moment that in point of strength, if not numbers, he and
his party were out-matched, and the unfriendly boys were drawing gladly
near. It is no shame to signal for help when in distress--the best ships
do it every day. Oswald shouted 'Help, help!' Before the words were out
of his brave yet trembling lips our own tramp leapt like an antelope
from the ditch and said--

'Now then, what's up?'

The biggest of the three men immediately knocked him down. He lay still.

The biggest then said, 'Come on--any more of you? Come on!'

Oswald was so enraged at this cowardly attack that he actually hit out
at the big man--and he really got one in just above the belt. Then he
shut his eyes, because he felt that now all was indeed up. There was
a shout and a scuffle, and Oswald opened his eyes in astonishment at
finding himself still whole and unimpaired. Our own tramp had artfully
simulated insensibleness, to get the men off their guard, and then had
suddenly got his arms round a leg each of two of the men, and pulled
them to the ground, helped by Dicky, who saw his game and rushed in at
the same time, exactly like Oswald would have done if he had not had his
eyes shut ready to meet his doom.

The unpleasant boys shouted, and the third man tried to help his
unrespectable friends, now on their backs involved in a desperate
struggle with our own tramp, who was on top of them, accompanied by
Dicky. It all happened in a minute, and it was all mixed up. The dogs
were growling and barking--Martha had one of the men by the trouser
leg and Pincher had another; the girls were screaming like mad and the
strange boys shouted and laughed (little beasts!), and then suddenly our
Pig-man came round the corner, and two friends of his with him. He
had gone and fetched them to take care of us if anything unpleasant
occurred. It was a very thoughtful, and just like him.

'Fetch the police