Part 3 (1/2)

”_Sialeam in his eyes, which neither of the boys liked

”Coo back Dinner o

But as they turned, Number Five and Number Six placed themselves in the way

”_Date qualche cosa_,” they whined; and each of them seized a boy by the arm The boys tried to jerk their aro,” cried David, ”or it will be the worse for you”

The two beggars now talked in Italian without relaxing their hold

Then they tried to pull the boys away; but the boys resisted bravely, and began to shout for help At this the other beggars caly, and Number Five and Number Six put their arms round the boys, and their hands over their mouths Neither David nor Clive could now utter a cry They could scarcely breathe They were at the mercy of these miscreants!

It was, in truth, a perilous position in which David and Clive found thears, were as reed They had the boys at their mercy

The place was sufficiently far froh the road was near, yet there were no people living in the vicinity It was, therefore, sufficiently solitary to per done with iave themselves up for lost With a last frantic effort, David tore his head loose, dashed his fist into the face of beggar Nu him, and tried to escape

”_Scelerate!_” cried Nuround, and held hih thus overpowered, David still struggled, and it ith so brute who held him was able to keep him under

Suddenly, at this moment, when all hope seeures upon the scene; and the next instant Number Six was torn away, and rolled over on his back

A firrasp was fixed on his throat, and a tremendous blow descended on his head from a stout stick, which ielded by the youthful but sinewy arm of Frank Wilmot At the same instant, also, Bob Clark had bounded at Nu him about the head

The attack had been so sudden, and so utterly unexpected, that it carried all before it Aith a wild cry of terror, fled the four decrepit beggars, leaving Number Five and Number Six on the field to theroaned with pain, and struggled furiously He wrenched hiot the upper hand, and held on firrappled with, and it went hard with his assailants

Meanwhile Clive, relieved by Bob, had beco up a stone, he dashed it full in the face of Nuered back and fell, and Bob narrowly escaped falling under hi up instantly, and before Bob or Clive could close with hi to help Nuars did not think of the size of their assailants; their fears ht of safety in a panic flight But Number Six was there yet, with Frank Wilmot's sinewy arms about hile This addition to the attacking force turned the scale cole that now folloasthe e and strong for his years; he was possessed of bull-dog tenacity and high-strung courage, and was strenuously assisted by the other three; so that the union of all their forces for to which one man was scarcely equal In a very short time, therefore, after the arrival of Bob and Clive, the would-be robber was lying on his face, held firmly down by the four boys

”Boys,” said Frank, as sitting on his shoulders, ”fold his arms over his back”

As they did this, he twisted his handkerchief tightly, and then bound it around the man's hands as firmly as if it had been a rope

Bob and Clive held his, while David sat on his neck Frank now asked for their hand, kerchiefs, twisted theether, and then directed Bob to fasten the man's feet This was Bob's task, and he did it as neatly as though he had been brought up to that particular business exclusively

The man was now bound hard and fast, and lay on his face without a word, and only an occasional struggle The weight of the boys was so disposed that it was not possible for hiet rid of theilantly, that every effort was baffled at the outset Frank also watched Bob as he tied the knots, and then, seeing that the ell done, he started up

”Coive the rascal a chance to breathe”

At this the boys all got up, and the Italian, relieved froht, rolled over on his back, and then on his side, staring all around, anddesperate efforts to free himself He was like the immortal Gulliver when bound by the Lilliputians, except that one of his assailants, at least, was no Lilliputian, for in brawn, and sinew, and solid ht be, was not very led, and stared, and rolled about, the boys looked on; and Frank watched hin of the bonds giving way

But the knots had been too carefully tied, and this the Italian soon found out He therefore ceased his useless efforts, and sat up; then, drawing up his feet, he leaned his chin on his knees, and stared sulkily at the ground

”And now,” said David, ”what are we to do?”

”I don't know,” said Frank

”Let's go for Uncle Moses,” said Bob, ”or Michael Angelo”