He had got as far as the spoon when the astonished Jack said: "Drop it!" as if he were speaking to a dog.
The man turned with a snarl, and made to cuff him. Jack seized his wrist and twisted it cruelly, making him drop the spoon and shout with pain. The other swaggy at once ran on Jack from the rear, and fell over him. Tom rushed on the second swaggy and fell too. Over they all went in a heap. Jack laughed aloud in the scrimmage, as he gripped the swaggy's wrist with one hand and with the other emptied out the contents of the pocket again. He brought out two knives, one of which didn't belong to him. Dropping the lot for safety, he got to his feet. Tom and the second swaggy were rolling and unlocking. That villain spied the open knife, seized it and sprang to his feet, snarling and brandishing.
"Come on, ye pair of——"
Jack gave another twist to the wrist of the prisoner, who howled, and then he kicked him three yards away. But his heart smote him, for the kick was so bony, the tramp was thin and frail. Then, full of the black joy of scattering such wastrels, he sprang unexpectedly on the other tramp. The swaggy gave a yell, and fled. For a minute or two the couple of ragged, wretched, despicable figures could be seen bolting like running vermin down the trail. Then they were out of sight.
Tom and Jack sat by the fire and roared with laughter, roared and roared till the bush was startled.
They were just packing up when someone else came down the road. It was a young woman in a very wide skirt on a very small pony, riding as if she were used to it. This was not the figure they expected to see.
"Why!" cried Tom, staring. "I do believe it's Ma's niece grown up."
It was. She was quite pleasant, but her hands were stub-fingered and work-hardened, and her voice was common.
"Y' didn't come along yesterday, as Ma expected," she explained, "so I just took Tubby to see if y' was coming today. How's the twins? How's Monica and Grace? I do wish they'd come."
"They're all right," said Tom.