llow, mockingly, as he tightened his
grasp to a painful extent, when _spank_! Aleck's left fist flew out,
striking the man full on the right cheek, not a heavy blow, but as hard
as the boy could deliver, hampered as he was, being dragged close to his
assailant's breast.

"Why, you--" roared the man. He did not say what, but flung the arm he
had at liberty round the boy's waist and lifted him, kicking and
struggling, from the ground, perfectly helpless, with the great muscular
arm acting like a band of iron, to do more than try to deliver some
ineffective blows, which his assailant easily avoided.

"Ah! Would you?" he growled, fiercely. "You're a nice young game cock
chick, you are. Hold still!" he roared, taking a step forward, to stand
on the very edge of the shelf. "Keep that hand quiet, or I'll hurl you
down among the rocks. You'll look worse then than you do now."

"Do, if you dare," cried the lad, defiantly.

"You tell me what I asked," growled the man; "is what you said true?"

"I won't tell you while you grip my wrist."

"You'd better speak," cried the man. "D'yer see, you're like a feather
to me. I could pitch you right out so as you'd go to the bottom
yonder."

"You could, but you daren't?" cried Aleck, grinding his teeth and
striving hard to bear the pain he suffered.

"Oh, I dare--I could if I liked! Nobody would see out here. It would
kill yer, and nobody would know how it happened; but they'd say when
they found you that you'd slipped and fell when you was egging. They
would, wouldn't they? That's true, arn't it?"

"I suppose so," said the boy, huskily.

"And that's what I'm going to do for hitting me, unless you tell me
whether that was true what you said. Now, then, beg me not to hurl yer
down."

"I--shan't," ground out the boy through his set teeth, and a grim smile
crossed the man's dark face, making it look for the moment open and
manly--a smile caused by something akin to admiration.

"Well, you're a nice-tempered sort of a young fellow," growled the man.

"Let go of my wrist."

"Will yer promise not to hit?"

Aleck nodded.

"Nor yet kick?"

The boy nodded again.

"There," said the man, loosening the prisoned wrist. "Now, tell me, is
it true?"

"Of course it is," said the boy, haughtily.

"I'll believe yer," growled the man. "There," he continued, dropping
the boy to his feet. "Then you won't look for where the stuff's
stowed?"

Aleck burst into a hoarse l