He turned around, but could see nobody, and at that instant the sounds ceased.
"Somebody is following me," he thought. "Can it be the same party
I spotted before?"
An instant later he found himself confronted by two men and a boy, each with a bit of cloth tied over his face, into which two holes had been cut for eyes.
"Is dat him?" asked one of the men.
"Yes," answered the boy, in a strangely unnatural voice. "Give it to him."
All three of the party carried sticks, and they at once fell upon
Tom, hitting him over the shoulders and the head.
He did his best to defend himself, and hit Baxter in the arm with the stone, inflicting a wound that made the bully shriek with pain.
"So it is you, Baxter!" cried Tom, recognizing the voice. "What do you mean by this?"
"Knock him down," yelled the bully. "Don't let him get away from you!"
Thus urged, the two tramps closed in, and while one caught Tom by the arm, the second tried to pull his feet from under him.