"Don't you talk like that, or you'll catch it," growled Sammy.
"From you?" answered Robert quickly. "Perhaps you have forgotten our encounter of the other day."
"You took an unfair advantage of me then," went on the bully. "I'm going to teach you a lesson for it."
He made a signal to his companions and of a sudden all of the English boys hurled themselves upon our hero.
Robert was not expecting such a combined attack, and before he could save himself he was down on his back, with three of his tormentors on top of him.
"Now give it to him, fellows!" cried Sammy. "Pound him as hard as you can!"
"Not much!" answered Robert, as he let out with his foot. The blow landed on the bully's knee and made him howl with pain.
But Robert could not throw the others off at once, and they hit him half a dozen times. At last he got up with a quick side movement, and hauling off he hit Bob Snipper such a blow that the toady lost his balance and went backward with a loud splash into the river.
"Bob's overboard!" was the cry. "He'll be drowned!"
"Save me! save me!" yelled Snipper. "I--I can't swim!" And then throwing up both arms he disappeared from view.