The Dozen from Lakerim

down the stairs, the biggest one of the Crows carrying little History under his arm. History was waving his arms and legs about as

a cry that would have brought a professor to his rescue and scattered his persecutors like sparrows; but his boyish idea of honor

History twisted his mouth from under the hand of his captor

let me go-I'll

k over his head and drew it down about his neck. Then they started once more on the march, History scratching and kicking in all directions and doing very little harm, while Tug, with his hands tied behind him and his head first in a noose, used his only weapons, his shou

d their way. Tug soon decided that the best thing for him to do was to reserve his strength; so he ceased to resist, and followed meekly where they led. They whirled him round on his heel several times to confuse him as to the direction they took, then they hur

s by the fact that they were bundled and b

the way the ancient Romans used to treat such captives as were brought back in triumph by their g

s a starter, but found no ground in front of him. He felt about cautiously with his toe, and discovered that he was standing at the brink of a ledge. How deep the ravine in front of him was, he could only imagine, and in spite of his courage he shivered at the thought of what he might have done had he followed his first impulse and made a dash. There are pl

n, shove

ht break his neck, and it's su

it? He nearly

ome one rushing toward him; he felt a sharp blow and a shove from behind, and was launched over

self for having been taken in by the old hazing joke, and a greater rage at the men who had brought on him what was to him the greatest disgrace of all-a feeling of fear. He had just time to make up his mind to take this joke out of the hides of some of his tormentors, if it took him all winter, when he heard above him the sound of a short, sha

g and History to their feet. Then they took up the march again,

s of others. The sack over Tug's head was unbound and snatched away, and he looked about him to see a dozen more black Crows, with two other haples

remained of History's conducting himself with dignity. When he and Tug were led in, there was such an hilarious celebration

should be given the position of honor-and tortured last. Then they went, enthusia

or every one inch he climbed (like the frog and the well in the mathematical problem). He finally gained a point above their reach, however, and seated himself in the branches, looking about as happy as a lone wayfarer treed by

im to return to earth and rest up for the second. So he came sli

lf on a small inverted saucer and row for dear life with a pair of toothpicks. The Crows howled with glee over the ludicrous antics of the fellow, and set him such a pace that he was soon a p

sement, but when he saw the hazers coming for him h

, and said in his deepest chest-tones: "These Lakerim cattl

f over History's eyes, and gro

were drawn from the fire. He had seen before that they were red-hot, and now they were brandished before his very nose, so

the wretch, your Honor

ory

d the first Crow answer gruffly: "Thrust the branding-iron right down the back of

f his neck, a pain that ran like fire down along his spine,

ry's nose, they had quickly substituted a very cold rod to thrust down his back. The effect on the nerves of t

r he was more disgusted and enraged at the actual pain the Crows had given their captives or at the ridiculous plights they had put them in, but he did know that

some of that water on the boy's face and bring him to," and while they

y twenty to one! But I'll pay you back for this some day, and don't you forget it! And if you'll untie my hand

ff to strike him in the face. But Tug only stared back into

other, for I'll remember the cut of that jaw and the mole on your cheek in spite of

dy for any violence, but the head Crow interposed and pushe

me condition for the grand final torture

le for them to the end of their short wits. They were afraid to try any more exp

vigilance. He had been silently working at the cords with which his hands were tied behind his back, and by m

the cords one last fierce jerk that wrung his right hand loose, though it left not a little of the skin on the cords; and the first Crow to lay a ha

e Don Quixote's windmill for a few minutes, until two of the two dozen Crows li

eemed as if he had, as it were, sat down suddenly upon the spur of the moment. He rolled over swiftly, caught up the two pokers which had been restored to the fire after they

d it gently about and described a bright circle in the air over his he

ry majestically. Then they faced about and stood back to back, asking the Crows why they

, for a few moments. But dismay replaced their

tes until they chill, anyway, so all that we have to do is to wait here a little while, and then go back

until the last possible moment. He told History to put his poker back

h he saw that the fire was going out and would not heat the pokers much longer, he decided not to wa

outrun any one in the crowd, or outfight any one who might overtake him; but he would sooner have died than leav

e said; "perhaps the fellows have missed us and ar

urled forth into the air the old Lakerim y

r

r

r

¨?y-krim! L`¨?y

r

ah

of the two Lakerimmers. Then the first Crow, wh

ling for help. Well, now, we'll just drown o

dozen of the Crows broke forth into a horrible hullabaloo of shrieks and howls that drowned out Tug

oyotes, the Crows began to close in on the Lakerim stronghold, and stone

Now, you hang on to me and I'll hang on to you, and don't mind how your lu

p toward the circle of Crows just as a heavy stone ligh

and had cut a path through the ring by merely brandishing their in

f them ran every which way and lost the crowd entire

ger, and a pack of about a dozen Crows soon discovered that they could follow the runaways by the

re just rushing down a little glade that would lead them into the open, when t

ug knew that History would be useless in a scrimmage, so, in a low tone, he bade him drop under a deep bush they were just passing. History was too exhausted to object even to being left

¨?y-krim! L`¨?y