ing all
around, and making desperate 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 muscle, Frank, boy though he might be, was
not very much, if at all, his inferior. As he struggled, and stared,
and rolled about, the boys looked on; and Frank watched him carefully,
ready to spring at him at the first sign 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."

"We'd better hunt up a policeman," said Clive.

"No," said Frank, "let's get Uncle Moses here first. You go, Bob;
and be quick, or else those other beggars'll be back here and
release him."

Upon this Bob set out, and the others guarded the prisoner. Bob
was not gone long, however, but soon returned in company with Uncle
Moses. Bob had found him at the inn, and in a breathless way had
told him all, but he had scarcely understood it; and as he now came
upon the scene, he looked around in wonder, and seemed utterly
bewildered. Had he found his beloved boys captured by bandits, he
would have been shocked, but not very much surprised--for that was
the one terror of his life; but to find the tables turned, and a
bandit captured by his boys, was a thing which was so completely
opposed to all his ordinary thoughts, that he stood for a moment
fairly stupefied. Nor was it until David had told the whole story,
and thus given him a second and Davidian edition of it, that he
began to master the situation.

"Dear! dear! dear!" he cried, looking slowly at each of the boys
in succession, and then at their silent and sulky captive, "and so
you railly and truly were attacked and made prisoners by bandits.
Dear! dear! dear!"

He looked inexpressibly shocked, and for some time stood in silence
amid the loud clatter of the boys.

"Well, Uncle Moses," said Frank, at last, "what are we to do with
him?"

To this Uncle Moses made no reply. It was certainly a somewhat
puzzling inquiry; and his own life had been so peaceful and
uneventful, that the question of the best way of dealing with a
captured bandit