e, little thinking that
the worst was to come.

The lads halted to listen whether there was any sound of pursuit, and
the men filed slowly by till they were fifty yards ahead, when all at
once voices were heard in altercation, angry words were bandied from
side to side; and spurred by the same feeling of dread, the two leaders
dashed forward again.

Too late! The smouldering fires of years of hatred had been blown up by
a few gusty words of bitter reproach. Nick Garth had in his pain and
disappointment shouted out that if the party had been all Darleys the
adventure would have succeeded.

Dan Rugg had yelled back that it was the Darleys who played coward and
hung back; and the next moment, with a shout of rage, the two little
parties were at one another, getting rid of their rage and
disappointment upon those they looked upon as the real enemies of their
race.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

RALPH PLEADS GUILTY.

It was a savage fight, and before Mark and Ralph, who rushed desperately
into the _melee_, not to lead their men, but to separate them, could
succeed in beating down the menacing pikes, several more were wounded;
and at last they drew off, with their burdens greatly increased by
having on either side to carry a couple of wounded men.

"We must put it down to Purlrose," said Mark bitterly, as he ran back
for a moment to speak to Ralph. "But what do you say--oughtn't we to
have our duel now?"

"If you like," said Ralph listlessly; "Perhaps we'd better, and then I
may be half killed. My father may be a little merciful to me then."

Mark leaned forward a little, so as to try and make out whether his ally
was speaking in jest or earnest; and there was enough feeble light in
the east to enable him to read pretty plainly that the lad was in deadly
earnest.

"No," he said sharply; "I don't think we'll have it out now. My head's
too queer, and my eyes keep going misty, so that I can't see straight.
You'd get the best of it. I don't want to meet my father, but I'd
rather do that than be half killed. The poke from that pike was quite
enough to last me for a bit."

He turned and trotted off after his men, while Ralph joined his, to hear
them grumbling and muttering together, he being the burden of their
complaint.

Nick Garth and Ram Jennings seemed to be the most bitter against him,
the latter commencing boldly at once.

"Oh, Master Ralph," he cried, "if your father had been here, we should
ha' paid th