"What"s that light?" he said roughly. "Police! What do you want?"
"What are you doing here?" said Uncle Jack in his deep voice.
"Doing, p"liceman! Keeping wetch. Set o" Lonnoners trying to get howd o" wucks, and me and my mates wean"t hev "em. Just keeping wetch.
Good-night!"
He sat up, staring harder at the light, and then tried to see behind it.
"Well," he cried, "why don"t you go, mate? Shut door efter you."
"Hold the dog, Cob," said Uncle Jack. "Bob, you take the lantern and open the door and the gate. Lay hold of one side, d.i.c.k, I"ll take the other, and we"ll put him out."
But the man was wide-awake now; and as I darted at Piter and got my hands in his collar and held him back, the fellow made a dash at something lying on the lathe, and as the lantern was changed from hand to hand I caught sight of the barrel of an old horse-pistol.
"Take care!" I shouted, as I dragged Piter back. "Pistol."
"Yes, pistol, do yer hear?" roared the fellow starting up. "Pistol!
And I"ll shute the first as comes anigh me."
There was a click here, and all was in darkness, for Uncle Bob turned the shade of the lantern and hid it within his coat.
"Put that pistol down, my man, and no harm shall come to you; but you must get out of this place directly."
"What! Get out! Yes, out you go, whoever you are," roared the fellow.
"I can see you, and I"ll bring down the first as stirs. This here"s a good owd pistol, and she hits hard. Now then open that light and let"s see you go down. This here"s my place and my mates", and we don"t want none else here. Now then."
I was struggling in the dark with Piter, and only held him back, there was such strength in his small body, by lifting him by his collar and holding him against me standing on his hind-legs.
But, engaged as I was, I had an excited ear for what was going on, and I trembled, as I expected to see the flash of the pistol and feel its bullet strike me or the dog.
As the man uttered his threats I heard a sharp whispering and a quick movement or two in the dark, and then all at once I saw the light open, and after a flash here and there shine full upon the fellow, who immediately turned the pistol on the holder of the lantern.
"Now then," he cried, "yer give in, don"t yer? Yes or no "fore I fires.
Yah!"
He turned sharply round in my direction as I struggled with Piter, whom the sight of the black-looking ruffian had made furious.
But the man had not turned upon me.
He had caught sight of Uncle Jack springing at him, the light showing him as he advanced.
There was a flash, a loud report, and almost preceding it, if not quite, the sound of a sharp rap given with a stick upon flesh and bone.
The next instant there was a hoa.r.s.e yell and the noise made by the pistol falling upon the floor.
"Hurt, Jack?" cried Uncle d.i.c.k, as my heart seemed to stand still.
"Scratched, that"s all," was the reply. "Here, come and tie this wild beast"s hands. I think I can hold him now."
It almost sounded like a rash a.s.sertion, as the light played upon the desperate struggle that was going on. I could see Uncle Jack and the man, now down, now up, and at last, after wrestling here and there, the man, in spite of Uncle Jack"s great strength, seeming to have the mastery. There was a loud panting and a crushing fall, both going down, and Uncle Jack rising up to kneel upon his adversary"s chest.
"Like fighting a bull," panted Uncle Jack. "What arms the fellow has!
Got the rope?"
"Yes," said Uncle d.i.c.k, rattling the things in the bag. "Can you turn him over?"
No sooner said than done. The man heard the order, and prepared to resist being turned on one side. Uncle Jack noted this and attacked the other side so quickly that the man was over upon his face before he could change his tactics.
"Keep that dog back, Cob, or he"ll eat him," said Uncle Bob, making the lantern play on the prostrate man, whose arms were dexterously dragged behind him and tightly tied.
"There," said Uncle Jack. "Now you can get up and go. Ah, would you, coward!"
This was in answer to a furious kick the fellow tried to deliver as soon as he had regained his feet.
"If he attempts to kick again, loose the dog at him, Cob," cried Uncle d.i.c.k sharply.
Then in an undertone to me:
"No: don"t! But let him think you will."
"You"ll hev it for this," cried the man furiously.
"Right," said Uncle Jack. "Now, then, have you anything here belonging to you? No! Down you come then."
He collared his prisoner, who turned to kick at him; but a savage snarl from Piter, as I half let him go, checked the fellow, and he suffered himself to be marched to the door, where he stopped.
"Ma beer," he growled, looking back at the stone bottle.
"Beer! No, you"ve had enough of that," said Uncle d.i.c.k. "Go on down."
The man walked quietly down the stairs; but when he found that he was to be thrust out into the lane he began to struggle again, and shout, but a fierce hand at his throat stopped that and he was led down to the gate in the wall, where it became my task now to hold the lantern while Uncles d.i.c.k and Bob grasped our prisoner"s arms and left Uncle Jack free to untie the cord.
"Be ready to unlock the gate, Cob," whispered Uncle Jack, as he held his prisoner by one twist of the rope round his arms like a leash. "Now, then, ready! Back, dog, back!"
Piter shrank away, and then at a concerted moment the gate was thrown open, the three brothers loosed their hold of the prisoner at the same moment, and just as he was turning to try and re-enter, a sharp thrust of the foot sent him flying forward, the gate was banged to, and locked, and we were congratulating ourselves upon having ridded ourselves of an ugly customer, when the gate shook from the effect of a tremendous blow that sounded as if it had been dealt with a paving-stone.
CHAPTER SEVEN.
A USEFUL ALLY.
"Take no notice," said Uncle d.i.c.k.
We listened, and I laughed as I heard the rattling noise made by a key as if our friend was trying to get in, after which he seemed to realise what had been done, and went away grumbling fiercely.
"Now for a quiet look round upstairs," said Uncle d.i.c.k; and all being quiet and we in possession we turned in at the dark door to inspect our fort.