CHAPTER IX.
BEN BECOMES A HERO.
The two boys rose from the bench, fully appreciating the danger to which they were exposed, and uncertain what it was safest to do. The dog was of medium size, weighing perhaps forty pounds.
It was foaming at the mouth and might well inspire alarm. As is customary in such cases, it followed a straight course, turning neither to the right nor the left.
“We are safe,” said Ben, “if we stay where we are.”
Directly in front of the dog was a gentleman of middle age holding by the hand a small boy of ten. Among the flying crowd this pair seemed most exposed to peril. The man’s face was pale, for he felt the dangerous position in which they stood.
“Hurry, Paul, hurry!” he cried.
“I can’t run any faster, papa!” said the little boy, gasping for breath.
Two legs are no match for four, and the dog was within six feet of the boy, whom it had selected as its victim.
To Adelbert’s surprise, Ben sprang forward and made a dash for the dog. He had pulled off his sack-coat, and just as the dog was about to fasten his teeth in Paul’s leg, he threw the coat over the animal’s head and held it tight.
But the dog struggled so powerfully that Ben was in peril. Help came when it was needed.