Part 19 (2/2)

heads, followed by a roar of laughter fro ruffians on the pier

”How dare you lay your hands upon a King's officer!” cried the ed his shoulders and laughed

”Look out!” he cried ”Here coed aside, while the nified perch and duck down nearly double to escape the missiles which flew over him

”Do you see now?” said Aleck,scoundrels! Here, half a dozen of you jued red cap I'll have hi out on to the steps, but there was no prospect of their catching the principal offender, who uttered a derisive yell and started off to run at a rate which would have soon placed him beyond the reach of the sailors; and he knew it, too, as he turned and ht fro on

”After hi one foot in his excite to Aleck: ”If the cat don't scratch his back for this hton”

The communication was ht a response fros are as quick as congers”

”You wait and you'll see I'll h, while the boy in the red cap, feeling quite confident in his powers of flight, turned again to jeer and shout at the sailors, whom he derided with i, and stupidity generally, till he judged it dangerous to wait any longer, when he went off like a clockworkover the stones, and fro to leave the sailors behind

”I told you so,” said Aleck ”There he goes I can run fast, but I couldn't catch him Ha, ha, ha! Bravo, Tom!” he cried ”Look at that sailor!”

For er, stick in hand, had oing his fastest soed sailor's well-aiel, which spun over the surface of the pier, throith all the power of Toled up with the boy's legs, when down he went, kicking, yelling, and struggling to get up

”Hi! Oh, my! Help, help!” he yelled at his co, while the foremost sailors passed on so as to block the way of escape, and the next instant the offender was hemmed in by a half circle of pursuers, who fore of the pier, beneath which was the deep, clear water

”There,” cried thethe young brute here”

Meanwhile, as the boy lay yelping and howling in a very dog-like fashi+on, the laughing sailors began to close in, and then suddenlydown into the harbour

For, in pain before froony now fro-like character of his actions by going on all fours over two or three yards, and then, as hands were outstretched to seize hie with a tre instantly over his head

”He's gone, sir,” said one of the sailors, turning to his officer

”Well, can't I see he has gone, you stupid, cutter-fingered swab?” cried the middy ”Here, back into the boat and round to the other side of the pier You'll easily catch him then”

”Not they,” said Aleck, quietly; ”didn't I tell you he was as quick and slippery as a conger?”

”Look sharp! Be sood of tiring the lads for nothing?” said Aleck, as the an to scramble into the cutter ”It will take theet round to where he went off”

”Would it?”

”Of course”

”But, I say,” said the htn't he be drowned?”