“That’s one for you!” snapped Dick, as he delivered a blow with all his might, that hurled the leading figure back several paces.
“Oh!” this fellow was heard to exclaim, as he hastily put his hand up to his face, perhaps to ascertain whether his nose had started to bleeding.
Meanwhile, the other two had closed in, and there began a swift exchange of blows in which Dick and Leslie seemed able to hold their own, though one of the assailants, undoubtedly Nat, loomed up almost a head above either of them, and had an extra long reach.
He was so clumsy in his fighting, however, that he could not duck fast enough to avoid severe punishment, and every time Dick landed a blow he could hear Nat give a grunt, as of mingled surprise and pain.
Of course, the two who were acting on the defensive did not come off unscathed in such a gruelling contest. They stopped numerous uppercuts with their bodies, but through their knowledge of boxing managed to avoid the worst of the punishment.
For a full minute it was a pretty lively affair all around. The first fellow had come out of his daze, after receiving that severe jolt; and, burning with a desire to retaliate, was trying to work around so as to attack the enemy in the rear, while his comrades held their attention in front.
Things might have gone somewhat hard with Dick and his chum, for the conflict was uneven, the odds in favor of the foe. Neither of them dreamed of shouting out at the top of their lungs, calling for help. Indeed, no doubt they would much rather have taken a beating than to exhibit such weakness.
It was just at this stage of the struggle, when things were looking a little gloomy for the chums, that Leslie happened to strike his foot against something lying on the ground.
He could not see what it was, but some intuition told him he would be well paid if he could find a chance to suddenly stoop, and groping with his hand, investigate.
When his eager fingers closed upon quite a stout paling that must have been knocked from the weather-beaten fence near by, he felt like giving a whoop of sheer delight.