e placed his foot on the rest than Baldy, who was now
close at hand, caught him by the ankle and gave a sudden jerk, which
brought Matt down on his chest and face, scratching his left cheek in
two places, and giving him a severe shaking up.

"Hold the horse, Jake!" cried Baldy. "Hold the horse, and I'll hold
the boy."

"Let me get at him!" cried Crabs, in a rage. "Just let me get at him,
and I'll teach him to strike me between the eyes!"

As he spoke he rushed past his companion, and was on the point of
kicking Matt in the side when Baldy stopped him with a side dig of his
ragged elbow.

"Don't strike him if it ain't necessary," he said. "I'll hold him
all right enough. Come, be still now," he went on to the young
auctioneer.

Matt was on his face on the ground and Baldy was sitting on top of
him, but, nevertheless, the boy did not intend to give up the
struggle.

He squirmed and twisted this way and that until finally free, and
then, before the tramp could catch him again, he sprang to his feet
and leaped upon the foot-rest of the wagon.

"Stand back there, all of you!" he cried determinedly, and the next
instant had the whip and was flourishing it over the heads of those
below him.

"See that! he's got away from you!" cried Crabs to Baldy, in tones of
deep disgust. "Now don't you wish you had let me tend to him?"

"Stick to the horse, Jake!" cried Baldy, ignoring the last remark.
"I'll soon have the young fellow on the ground again."

"Let go of that horse!" commanded Matt. "Let go, or I'll lash you
right and left!"

The tramp called Jake looked up into the young auctioneer's face at
these words. Evidently he did not like the looks of the set lines
about Matt's mouth, for without delay he obeyed the order, and stepped
back. Lie had hardly done so before Matt struck Billy a light blow,
and off went the horse at quite a respectable gait, leaving the three
would-be plunderers standing staring after the turn-out in wonder and
disgust!

"Phew! but that was a narrow escape!" gasped Matt, to himself, as he
caught up the lines and gave Billy another tap. "I suppose I ought to
be thankful that I was not robbed of everything in my keeping. Those
fellows looked wicked enough to do almost anything."

After he had gone on some little distance he leaned out of the wagon
to see if he was being pursued. But the tramps had deemed it unwise to
follow him, and once more the young auctioneer had the road to
himself.