m!--here he is!" which cries were answered by
the exultant voices of his comrades below.

An attempt was now made by one of them to gain the roof; but he immediately
received a blow from Mr. Ellis that knocked him senseless into the arms of
his companions. Another attempted the same feat, and met a similar fate.

This caused a parley as to the best mode of proceeding, which resulted in
the simultaneous appearance of three of the rioters at the opening. Nothing
daunted, Mr. Ellis attacked them with such fierceness and energy that they
were forced to descend, muttering the direst curses. In a few moments
another head appeared, at which Mr. Ellis aimed a blow of great force; and
the club descended upon a hat placed upon a stick. Not meeting the
resistance expected, it flew from his hand, and he was thrown forward,
nearly falling down the doorway.

With a shout of triumph, they seized his arm, and held him firmly, until
one or two of them mounted the roof.

"Throw him over! throw him over!" exclaimed some of the fiercest of the
crowd. One or two of the more merciful endeavoured to interfere against
killing him outright; but the frenzy of the majority triumphed, and they
determined to cast him into the street below.

Mr. Ellis clung to the chimney, shrieking,--"Save me! save me!--Help! help!
Will no one save me!" His cries were unheeded by the ruffians, and the
people at the surrounding windows were unable to afford him any assistance,
even if they were disposed to do so.

Despite his cries and resistance, they forced him to the edge of the roof;
he clinging to them the while, and shrieking in agonized terror. Forcing
off his hold, they thrust him forward and got him partially over the edge,
where he clung calling frantically for aid. One of the villains, to make
him loose his hold, struck on his fingers with the handle of a hatchet
found on the roof; not succeeding in breaking his hold by these means,
with, an oath he struck with the blade, severing two of the fingers from
one hand and deeply mangling the other.

With a yell of agony, Mr. Ellis let go his hold, and fell upon a pile of
rubbish below, whilst a cry of triumphant malignity went up from the crowd
on the roof.

A gentleman and some of his friends kindly carried the insensible man into
his house. "Poor fellow!" said he, "he is killed, I believe. What a gang of
wretches. These things are dreadful; that such a thing can be permitted in
a Christian city is pe