"Get ready!" called Bobby, steadily. "Don't throw so wild. They are getting too near for comfort."
"They'll just give us fits when they get up here," murmured the shaking Max.
"I never did see such a lump of uselessness," grumbled Mouser. "Did you, Bobby?"
"Come on!" shouted the young leader of the defenders. "Give them as good as they send—and take what they send us laughing."
The Rockledge boys popped up again. Their last volley had stopped the Belden boys. Some of the youngsters had run away with the ammunition. Hi Letterblair had halted his party to make new snowballs.
"Give it to them!" shouted Bobby, and down upon the attacking party hurtled another well-aimed volley.
They drove the besiegers back several yards, but now Hi Letterblair saw that there was but a small garrison on the island. He saw only boys from the Rockledge Lower School, and it was evident that Captain Gray was not present.
He called a council of war, and soon the Belden party began to spread out and quickly surrounded the island. Bobby and his crowd were completely hemmed in.
"What did I tell you?" whined Max Bender. "Now we can't get away at all."
"You had your chance to go," Bobby said, with scorn. "We can beat the whole crowd off—for awhile, at least. We have plenty of snowballs."