Part 53 (1/2)

”To lash-show hio down to the bottom where he's most likely to come over, and then I'll catch him and hold him, and you shall let hiooseberry ambush, To patiently, but there was not a sound, and he was beginning to think it a miserably tiresome task, when all at once, as they crouched there securely hidden, watching the wall, soht feet away, it seerowing out of the top

It was very indistinct, and the groas very slow, but it certainly increased, and the boy stretched out his hand to reach over an intervening gooseberry-bush so as to touch David, but he touched an exceedingly sharp thorn instead and winced, but fortunatelythat David had seen as before him, Toradually growing, till he could contain hiave the gardener a pretty good poke, when the return pressure told him that this time his companion ell upon the alert

All at once, when the dark object had grown up plainly into a head and shoulders, it ceased increasing, and remained perfectlymade by some one watchful in the extreht To forward at ahinal, and To in the darkness for the tiin

At the end of about tensound, the dark shadow altered its shape, and To upon the wall perfectlyintently Then very quickly there was another round

It was too dark to see what followed, but Torunt as he threw so, evidently the lasso; for there was a dull sound, then a rush and a scra up the wall, and lastly David shouted--

”Got him, sir Let him have it”

Tom darted forward and cahtly fro back to the top of the wall, the lassoed thief having rushed back as soon as touched by the rope, reached the top of the wall, and threw hiling violently, anda hoarse noise like some wild beast

”At hi; he seized the rope and tried to draw the captive back into the garden, but the effort was vain, so leaving it he drew back, took a run and a jump, scrambled on to the top of the wall, so as to lean over, and then began thrashi+ng aith his stout hazel as if he were beating a carpet

_Thud, thud--whack, whack_, he delivered his blows at the struggling object below, and at every whish of the stick there was a violent kick and effort to get free Once the stick was seized, but only held for a ed away, and then, _thud, thud, thud_, the blows fell heavily, while, in an intense state of excite--

”Harder, harder, Master Tom! Sakes, I wish I was there! Harder, sir, harder! Let hi, scra of the stick, which had come in contact with the bricks, for the prisoner had escaped, and his footsteps could be faintly heard, as he dashed over the grassy field into the darkness, where Tom felt it would be useless to pursue

But just then he did not possess the power, for he could only lean there over the wall, and laugh in a way that was quite exhausting, and it was not until David had been growling andfor some minute or two that he was able to speak

”What o, David?” he panted at last

”Let hio He just jerked the rope out of ravel path There's no end o' bark off my knuckles and nose”

”Oh, don't say you're hurt, David,” said To up astride of the wall

”Why not, sir? Yes, I shall I'm hurt horrid Arms feel 'most jerked out o' the sockets, and skin's off the pal to run arter hiave hiive hiabone It was Pete Warboys, wasn't it?”

”Oh, I don't know; I couldn't tell It was like so about there I hit hi, sir Do hiood than a peck out o' our apples Better for his ht to have had twice as ain”

”Mebbe, sir; but there's a deal o' wickedness in boys, when they are wicked, and they soon forgets Here, chuck me the rope, and I'll coil it up”

”Rope! I have no rope”

”Why, you don't mean to say as you've let him cut off with it, sir?”