as old Shuffle, the three-
card chap."

"We must do something, Joe," said Walcot.

"I wish it were any other chap; but come on, we're in for it now," said
Joe.

And with that these two broad-shouldered, tall fellows dashed into the
thick of the fray.

Tom's bearers were now at the bridge, which was a low one, and were
turning down towards the water's edge, when a new cry arrested them.

"Now, Randlebury! Put it on, Randlebury! Who backs up Randlebury?"

It was the old familiar cry of the football field, and at the sound of
the well-known voices, Charlie's heart leapt for joy.

"I do!" he shouted, with all his might. "Here you are, Randlebury!"

And Jim's gruff voice took up the cry too.

A panic set in among the blackguards. To them it seemed that the school
was come in force to rescue their comrade, for on either side the cry
rose, and fighting towards them they could, see at any rate two stalwart
figures, who, they concluded, were but the leaders of following force.
One of the men was hardy enough to turn at bay at the moment Walcot had
cleared his way at last up to the front. Big bully though he was, he
was no match for the well-conditioned, active athlete who faced him, and
Walcot punished him in a manner that made him glad enough to take to his
heels as fast as he could.

This exploit turned the day. Dropping Tom--how and where they did not
stay to consider--they followed their retreating companion with all the
speed they were capable of, and left the enemy without another blow
masters of the situation.

But if, as a victory, this charge of the Randlebury boys had been
successful, as a rescue it had failed; for Tom Drift, being literally
dropped from the shoulders of his executioners, had fallen first on to
the parapet of the bridge, and then with a heavy shock into the stony
stream beneath. When Walcot, Joe, Charlie, and Jim among them, went to
pull him out, he was senseless. At first they thought him merely
stunned by the fall (the stream was only a few inches deep), but
presently when they began to lift him, they found that his right arm, on
which he had fallen, was broken.

Bandaging the limb as well as they could, and bathing his forehead with
water, they succeeded in restoring Tom to consciousness, and then,
between them, carried him as gently as possible to the nearest house,
when they managed, with some difficulty, to get a vehicle to convey them
the rest of their journey. It was a s