“Thank you,” said Rob, laughing in spite of himself; “and as for fighting you fellows, why I don’t much believe in it, but if you don’t make yourselves scarce, I’ll give you rowdies a lesson you won’t forget.”
“Yah-h-h-h-h!” was all that the apple raiders could think of to say, but they faded away from the scene in as dignified a manner as they could muster.
The three Scouts then bought some apples from the old woman, who poured out her thanks so profusely that a small crowd began to gather about her and listen.
“Come on, fellows,” said Rob, “let’s get out of this.”
They hurried away, followed by the old woman’s “Wurra wurras,” and “God bless yez fer foine byes now, even if ye do wear haythenish clothes.”
When they were out of earshot, Rob turned his attention to his badge, which he was wearing upside down. Like many other Scouts, he didn’t turn it the right way up till he had lived up to the Scout rules of doing a daily kind deed. He now turned his badge the right way and so did his chums, who had adopted this rule also.
“I’d have felt better if I could have got a good crack at those chaps, though,” said Tubby between bites at his apple.
Suddenly a steamer’s whistle boomed out above the dock-side uproar.
“Gee whiz, fellows, that’s the ‘all ashore’ whistle. We’ve got to hustle!” cried Rob.
The three Scouts broke into a run, each congratulating himself that he could present himself before Mr. Mainwaring with an “upturned badge.”