piteous appeals for mercy; but Right strengthened the
hands of Marcus, and he was gaining a complete triumph, and calculating
where he should secure his two prisoners until either his father or
Serge came back, the latter probably from his tramp through the forest
to see after the young acorn-eating pigs.

But the prisoners' shouts reached and added wings to their flying
friends' heels for the moment, then checked them, and a feeling of
comradeship prevailed. The young rascals stopped short after going some
distance; then one looked back, and his example was followed by another
and another, till all four were hesitating as to what they should do.

They were on the balance when a more pitiful yell than ever from their
trapped companions sent the scale down in the latter's favour. They
looked at one another questioningly and then began to steal back to see
what was happening, all the while fully on the alert to dash again
through the trees which shaded their approach to the garden.

In this way, with their fellows' bellowing ringing in their ears, they
at last stole up to the palisading through which they had at first
broken, and then, dropping on hands and knees, they crept cautiously up
to the edge of the little vineyard and, sheltering themselves well,
peered in.

The first and boldest got a good glimpse at once, and beckoned and made
way for the others to see what was happening.

There was not much to see, only Marcus half kneeling half sitting upon
the ragged back of one of his prisoners, and reaching over to grind the
nose of the other a little more closely into the earth every time he
squealed.

But that was enough for the return party, which clustered together on
all fours with their faces approaching and eyes questioning, like so
many quadrupeds.

They looked the more animal-like from their silence during the next few
minutes, when the two prisoners made a concerted effort to get free--an
effort which only resulted in making their position worse, for, as he
mastered them, reducing them to obedience again, the boy jammed his
knees fiercely into the ribs of the one upon whom he squatted, and
lifted up and banged down again the head of the other.

The result was a piteous burst of shrieks which were too much for their
friends and supplied them with the courage in which they were wanting,
making them with one consent spring forward to their comrades' help,
influenced, however, by the feeling that they were