"You! Ha!" sputtered Tony. "You one o' dem fresh boys, eh? Give-a me da monk!"
"Let him have the creature, Laura," said Chet.
"He'll beat him. See how frightened poor Bébé is!"
"Can't help it," said her brother. "He belongs to the dago——"
"Calla me da dago, too!" stammered the angry Italian. "I fix-a you for dis!" and he shook his fist at Chet.
"Come on and do your fixing right now," advised the big boy, easily. "You won't find me as easy as Bébé, I bet you!"
"You 'Merican boys and girls want to steal my monk—want-a spoil-a da act!" cried Tony. He grabbed Bébé out of Laura's arms, although the monkey shrieked his protest at the exchange. But Tony did not beat the little beast, and it clung to him with one arm around Tony's neck while it finished the apple.
"You ought to thank us for finding your monkey for you," said Lance Darby, in disgust.
Tony growled something in Italian and started off up the side of the hollow. Before he got out of sight he was joined by a man who stepped out of hiding in a clump of brush.
"Did you see that?" cried Lance, eagerly, in Chefs ear. "There's another of 'em here."