could rise, Gwyn was
upon him trying to hold him down.

The boy was strong for his years, and, gripping his adversary by the
collar with both hands, he drove his knees into the man's ribs, and held
on. For some moments the advantage of position was on his side, but it
was like trying to ride a mad bull. For the man heaved and twisted, and
Gwyn had hard work to maintain his place as long as he did. This was
till the man gave a tremendous writhe, sending his rider over sidewise,
and then dashing after Joe, who was running as hard as he could go,
trailing the line after him.

Joe had a good start, and the advantage of being light and accustomed to
make his way among the heath and stones; but he soon found that the
weight at the end of the line kept on catching in the rough growth; and
as he tore on, he saw that the fierce-looking fellow was in full
pursuit. If he had dropped the line, he could easily have got away, but
Gwyn had thrown that reel to him, and told him to run with it; and
setting his teeth he ran on, jerking the weight free again and again,
till all at once in one of the bounds it made after a heavy drag, it
struck against a small post-like piece of granite which stuck up out of
the ground, swung round and clasped it, as the bolas of a South-American
Indian twine round the legs of a running animal, and the sudden jerk
threw the boy down.

He was up again directly, and turned to run and untwist the line, but it
was only to rush into the man's arms, and be thrown, when with a foot
upon his chest the fellow began to try and tear the line from his hands.

But Joe's blood was up now, and he held on with all his might, turning
himself over so as to get the reel beneath his chest.

"Gwyn! Gwyn! Help!" he shouted.

"All right!" came from behind him, and his comrade, who had been in
pursuit, pitched heavily on to the man's back, when a trio in struggling
commenced, the boys holding on with stubborn determination, and their
enemy beginning to strike out savagely with fist and elbow.

It was only a question of minutes, and then the boys would have been
completely mastered. In fact, it had reached the pitch when the man had
them both at his mercy and was kneeling between them, holding each by
the throat, and forcing them back on the heather, when there was a loud
whistle, the sound of a heavy blow, and the fellow uttered a savage yell
as he sprang up and turned upon a fresh adversary. But _whish! crash_!
t