A strong hand grabbed him by the collar, and a strong voice remarked, with vengeful satisfaction:
“I’ve ketched ye, ye varmint.”
Tom dropped the birds and endeavoured to wriggle out of his captor’s clutch.
“Lemme go,” he whined; “I ain’t done nothink to you.”
“Ain’t you,” cried the enraged farmer; “ain’t done nothink, eh?”
“No,” replied Tom, endeavouring to kick the captor’s shins. “I wuz just comin’ up to the house to ask you about somethink.”
“An’ you thought you’d wring a couple of my fowls’ necks an’ bring ’em with ye, to make you welcome.”
“I never wrung ’em,” replied the Pirate Captain.
“Well, I’m struck!” exclaimed the farmer; “after I ketched ye with a fowl in each hand.”