Bill grinned. "You can't send a bloke up on th' say so of a Missin' Link," he said. "You can't put a monkey in the witness box t' swear a man's character away."
"I don't know," said the Professor. "That's a delicate point of law, but we may as well have a word with the constable about it."
The shearers didn't stay to take part in the consultation with the constable—Professor Thunder had not expected them to. "They lit out in a great hurry," he explained to the Missing Link at lunch time. "With a bit of engineering I might have shaken a few pounds out of them in the way of compensation. I was too hasty. Now, we'll have to leave their punishment in the hands of heaven, and there is no money in that."
"Heaven has punished them already, Professor," said the Missing Link, with a wide, simian smile.
"How that?"
Nickie's smile deepened. "There was eleven pounds in the pocket of the trousers I borrowed to come home in," he said.
CHAPTER XVII.
A NARROW ESCAPE.
THUNDER'S Museum of Marvels was showing at Wildbee, and doing only moderately, much to the Professor's disgust.
Nickie the Kid was hurt, too, at the scant attendance.