ck and ride her home. Come on, let us have another try!"

"We haven't got a halter, that's the worst of it."

[Illustration: "'Now then, you rascals, what are you doing to my
donkey?'"]

But Dudley plucked up courage, and in another half hour they were
successful; Roy seated on the donkey's back, and Dudley holding firmly
to her tail.

"Now then--away with you--hip--hip--hurray!"

Away they tore, both donkey and boys in best of spirits now: but before
long they were brought to a standstill. A man brandishing a huge stick
sprang out in front of them.

"Now then, you rascals, what are you doing to my donkey? Get off it this
instant!"

"It isn't your donkey, it's old Roger's, and we're taking it home to
him. Don't you cheek us! You're a rascal yourself!"

Dudley spoke angrily, but as he noticed the donkey stop instantly, and
begin to sidle up toward the man an awful fear smote him, and Roy added
quietly,

"You see you may be a thief or any one, for all we know, and it isn't
likely we're going to let you have the chance of stealing old Roger's
donkey. You go away and leave us alone. We're going home now--Gee-up.
Come on, Dudley."

Not an inch would the donkey stir; and the man with a laugh, slipped a
halter out of his pocket and in another minute Roy was rolling on the
grass, and the donkey was being led off in the opposite direction.

"You may think yourselves lucky to escape the thrashing ye desarves!"
shouted out the man; "ye've given me a nice chase after my beast for the
last hour, and ye needn't add a pack of lies to your wicked pranks!"

The boys sat down on the grass to consider their position.

"Well, I call it beastly rot," grumbled Dudley, thoroughly cross; "if
that's his donkey I don't believe old Roger's is on the hills at all. It
must have been this one that somebody saw, and now I come to think of it
Roger's has a black stripe down her back, and this one hadn't!"

"I'm so awfully tired," said Roy, disconsolately; "we've done no good as
usual. I don't believe we ever shall do any one any good!"

When Roy's spirits sank it was a bad case, and for some minutes there
was silence between them. Then feeling they must make the best of it
they scrambled to their feet and plodded slowly on in the direction of
home. A heavy mist was falling by this time, and dusk was setting in.
Roy began to cough, and at last in despair Dudley cried out, "I do
believe we're lost; I don't know where the path is, and I