' shouted the company.

Those bell-toppers had disguised that snooting, snouting scoundrel, the
Possum, and his snoozing, boozing friend the Wombat! There was an
immense uproar over this discovery, Bill and Sam flapping and
snout-bending away at the puddin'-thieves, the puddin'-thieves roaring
for mercy. Ben denounced them as bag snatchers, and Bunyip Bluegum
expressed his indignation in a fine burst of oratory, beginning:

'Base, indeed, must be those scoundrels, who, lost to all sense of
decency and honour, boldly assume the outward semblance of worthy
citizens, and, by the pretentious nature of their appearance, not only
seek the better to impose upon the noble credulity of Puddin'-owners,
but, with dastardly cunning, strike a blow at Society's most sacred
emblem--the pot-hat.'

The uproar brought the Mayor of Tooraloo hastening to the scene,
followed by the local constable. The Mayor was a little, fat,
breathless, beetle-shaped man, who hastened with difficulty owing to his
robe of office being trodden on by the Constable, who ran close behind
him in order to finish eating a banana in secret. He had some more
bananas in a paper bag, and his face was one of those feeble faces that
make one think of eggs and carrots and feathers, if you take my meaning.

'How now, how now!' shouted the Mayor. 'A riot going on here, a
disturbance in the town of Tooraloo. Constable, arrest these rioters and
disturbers.'

'Before going to extremes,' said the Constable, in a tremulous voice,
'my advice to you is, read the Riot Act, and so have all the honour and
glory of stopping the riot yourself.'

[Illustration]

'Unfortunately,' said the Mayor, 'in the haste of departure, I forgot to
bring the Riot Act, so there's nothing else for it; you must have all
the honour and glory of quelling it.'

'The trouble is,' said the Constable, 'that there are far too many
rioters. One would have been quite sufficient. If there had been only
one small undersized rioter, I should have quelled him with the utmost
severity.'

'Constable,' said the Mayor, sternly, 'in the name of His Majesty the
King, I call on you to arrest these rioters without delay.'

'Look here,' said Bill, 'you're labourin' under an error. This ain't a
riot at all. This is merely two puddin'-thieves gettin' a hidin' for
tryin' to steal our Puddin'.'

'Puddin'-thieves!' exclaimed the Mayor. 'Don't tell me that
puddin'-thieves have come to Tooraloo.'

'It staggers me