“I don’t know, and I don’t care, but I mean to have him as sure as he’s there. Now if master hadn’t been so precious ’tickler about a gun, I could ha’ brought him down like a bird.”
“Lookye there,” cried Peter. “See that?”
“Oh yes, I see him,” said Dan’l, as the figure ran easily along the top of the twelve-foot wall on all-fours. “I see my gentleman. Nice little game he’s having. I’ll bet a shilling he’s about gorged with grapes, and now he’s on the look-out for something else. But let him alone; wait a bit and we’ll put salt on his tail before he can say what’s what. I knowed some grapes was a-going. I could about feel it, like.”
“Well, I never!” whispered Peter, peering through the laurustinus, and watching the boy. “See that?”
“Oh yes, I see him. Nice un he is.”
This last was consequent upon the boy running a few yards, and then holding tightly with his hands, and kicking both legs in the air two or three times before trotting on along the wall again as easily as a tomcat.
“See that?” said Peter.
“Oh yes, I can see,” said Dan’l. “He’s so full o’ grapes it makes him lively,” and he stared at the boy, who had suddenly stopped, and planting his hands firmly, stood up on them, balancing himself, with his legs spread wide in the air.
“He’ll break his neck, that’s what he’ll do,” said Peter.
“Good job too, I says,” grumbled Dan’l. “Boys like that ought to be done away with. He’s one on ’em out o’ the town. Now look here, Peter, we’ve got to get him, that’s what we’ve got to do.”