yment of taxes had so angered him that, as Patem declared, "he
seemed moved to avenge himself upon the town's children."

This being the state of affairs, Dominie Curtius's mood this day was
not a pleasant one, and the school exercises had more to do with the
whipping horse and the birch twigs than with the horn book and the
Latin conjugations.

The boys, I regret to say, were hardened to this, because of much
practice, but when the dominie, enraged at some fresh breach of rigid
discipline, glared savagely over his big spectacles and then swooped
down upon pretty little Antje Adrianse who had done nothing whatever,
the whole school broke into open rebellion. Horn books, and every
possible missile that the boys had at hand, went flying at the
master's head, and the young rebels, led on by Patem and Teuny,
charged down upon the unprepared dominie, rescued trembling little
Antje from his clutch, and then one and all rushed pell-mell from the
school with shouts of triumph and derision.

But when the first flush of their victory was over, the boys realized
that they had done a very daring and risky thing. It was no small
matter in those days of stern authority and strict home government for
girls and boys to resist the commands of their elders; and to run away
from school was one of the greatest of crimes. So they all looked at
Patem in much anxiety.

"Well," cried several of the boys almost in a breath, "and now what
shall we do, Patem? You have us in a pretty fix."

Patem waved his hand like a young Napoleon.

"_Ach_! ye are all cowards," he cried shrilly. "What will we _do_?
Why, then we will but do as if we were burgomasters and schepens--as
we will be some day. We will to the Heer Governor straight, and lay
our demands before him."

Well, well; this _was_ bold talk! The Heer Governor! Not a boy in all
New Amsterdam but would sooner face a gray wolf in the Sapokanican
woods than the Heer Governor Stuyvesant.

"So then, Patem Onderdonk," they cried, "you may do it yourself, for,
good faith, we will not."

"Why," said Jan Hooglant, "why, Patem, the Heer Governor will have us
rated soundly over the ears for daring such a thing; and we will all
catch more of it when we get home. Demand of the Heer Governor indeed!
Why, boy, you must be crazy!"

But Patem was not crazy. He was simply determined; and at last, by
threats and arguments and coaxing words, he gradually won over a
half-dozen of the boldest spirits to h