t must be at a certain distance. If the blow fall when the object is
beyond or within that distance, its efficacy is very much diminished.

Now as Pete struck at Tom, the latter was for a time at exactly the
right distance, but as the boy rushed at him, or rather leaped at him at
last, he was not in the aforesaid position long enough, and the blow did
not fall till he was right upon Pete, getting a smart rap, but having
the satisfaction of seeing the young scoundrel go down as if shot, and
roll over and over at the foot of the tree.

Tom went down too, for he could not check himself; but he was up first,
and ready enough to avoid another vicious blow from the cudgel, and
catch Pete right in the mouth a most unscientific blow delivered with
his right fist. All the same though it did its work, and Pete went down
again.

Once more he sprang up, and tried to strike with the stick, but Tom's
blood was up, and he closed with him, getting right in beyond his guard,
and for the next few minutes there was a fierce struggle, ending in both
going down together, Tom unfortunately undermost, and by the time he
gained his feet his adversary was off again, running as hard as he could
go.

"A coward!" muttered Tom, after running a few yards and then giving up,
to stand panting and exhausted. "Ugh! how my side hurts!" he said, as
he clapped his hand upon his ribs where the blow from the stick had
fallen. "I don't care though; I won, and he has gone."

He stood trying to catch sight of Pete again, but could not see him, for
the simple reason that the lad had dropped down behind a clump of
bracken growing silver-leaved in the sunshine in an opening in the wood,
and here he crept on, watching as, after hesitating, Tom began to retire
hastily, so as to return to his uncle in the chair.

Tom did not go far though without stopping, for he had aimed to reach
the pit into which he had fallen, and here he stood gazing down,
evidently puzzled, for there was something particular about the place
which attracted him; while, to increase his interest, all at once there
was a rustling noise, and Pete Warboys' long lean dog thrust out its
head from the side hole beneath the fir-tree roots, which hung out quite
bare, looked up, saw who was gazing down, turned, and thrust out its
long bony tail instead. This, however, was only seen for a moment and
then gone.

"That's strange," thought Tom, as he walked on back pretty fast now, for
it suddenl