e was thrown in.

"Now for it," thought Tom, and he involuntarily stretched out his hand
to seize the stick close to the bed, but clenched his fist instead, and
stood there in his confined stooping position ready to defend himself,
but sorry that he had not boldly gone out at once.

Suddenly there was a fresh darkening of the light, and Tom did seize the
stout stick and hold it lance fashion, for the dog had leaped down into
the hole, and now stood at the little entrance to the cave growling
savagely.

"Let 'em alone," cried Pete, "d'yer hear? Let 'em alone."

But the dog paid no heed. It stood there with its eyes glaring, showing
its teeth, and threatening unheard-of worryings of the interloper.

Still Pete did not grasp the situation. The dog in his estimation was
disobeying him by attempting to worry dead rabbits; and, leaping down
into the hole, he kicked savagely at it, making it yelp loudly and bound
out of the hole, Pete, whose legs up to the waist had now been visible
to Tom, scrambling after the animal, abusing it with every epithet he
could think of, and driving it before him through the wood.

"My chance," thought Tom, and he sprang out, and making a circuit,
struck out for home without seeing either Pete or his dog again.

But Tom did not feel satisfied, for it seemed to him that he was
behaving in a cowardly way; and as he tramped along the lane, he wished
that he had walked out boldly and confronted his enemy instead of
remaining in hiding. Taken altogether, he felt thoroughly grumpy as he
approached the cottage, and it did not occur to him that his sensation
of depression had a very simple origin. In fact it was this. He had
risen before the sun, and had a very long walk, going through a good
deal of exertion without having broken his fast. When breakfast was
half over he felt in the highest spirits, for his uncle had made no
allusion to the adventure in the garden over-night.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

Tom saw very little of Pete Warboys during the next fortnight or so.
The fruit kept on ripening, and twice over raids were made upon the
garden, but whoever stole the fruit left no clue but a few footmarks
behind, and these were always made by bare feet.

"It's that there Pete," said David; "but foots is foots, and I don't see
how we can swear as they marks is hisn."

Meanwhile the telescope progressed, and busy work was in progress in the
mill, where a large tube was being constructed