off at another
time, when we can do so without danger."

Richard listened to this prudent advice, and concluded to adopt it,
though he was impatient to be revenged upon the farmer. He was not
satisfied with Sandy. He had not been sustained in his resistance to
the barbarous conduct of their captor. He thought his companion had
been tame and mean-spirited, he had submitted so quietly to his
punishment; and when they had got out of the hearing of Mr. Batterman,
he roundly reproached him for his pusillanimous demeanor.

"I don't want to call you any hard names, Dick, but in my humble
opinion, you were a downright fool," replied Sandy. "It's no sort of
use to pound a stone wall with your naked fist. You don't hurt the wall
any."

"I like to see a fellow show some spirit," growled Richard. "I thought
you had some spunk; but you caved in, and took your flogging as meekly
as though you had been one of the saints in Fox's Book of Martyrs."

"I don't know any thing about your martyrs, but I hadn't any notion of
getting a double licking, as you did. You got four times as much as I
did, just because you were fool enough to resist. If there had been any
use in fighting, I would have fought as big as you did."

"I like to see a fellow stand by another when he gets into a scrape,"
whined Richard.

"Do you mean to say I didn't stand by you? Did I run away from you?"
demanded Sandy, indignantly.

"You couldn't run away. The man held you fast, or you would have done
so."

"It's very easy for you to talk. I did all I could to make you act like
a reasonable fellow; but you were bound to be a fool, and you got all
you bargained for."

Richard made no reply to his companion's taunts, for his philosophy was
beginning to commend itself to his common sense, as he thought of the
difference in the two floggings, and realized that it was all owing to
his own stupidity. They walked along in silence, till they reached the
Greyhound, but still with "thoughts too big for utterance."

"A pretty condition I am in to go home," said Richard, as he took his
place at the helm.

"You will be all right in a day or two," replied Sandy, consolingly.

"What will my father say?"

"If you are fool enough to let him know about it, I don't care what he
says."

"How can I help it? The blood is running down my legs now. My skin is
all cut up."

"Wash off the blood, and don't let any body see your legs."

"I could kill Old Batterbones," added Ri