Not much hurt by having been knocked head over heels, Captain Ben caught up a stick, like Daddy Bunker, and, leaping across the ditch, started to run toward the ram. The big, woolly creature stood on a little hill, looking at the partly overturned automobile, then at the two men rushing toward him, and then at Russ and the other children.
"You get back where you belong and let me work on my auto!" called Captain Ben, as he raised his fence rail to push the ram away. "Get back in your own meadow!"
"We can't make him stay there unless we put back the fence rails, I guess," said Daddy Bunker. "And we have to use them to get the auto out of the ditch."
The two men, with the long rails, rushed at the ram. But he stood his ground, shaking his head, stamping with his forefeet, and uttering loud "Baa-a-as!"
Just as Daddy Bunker and Uncle Ben were going to thrust at the ram, a voice behind them called:
"Look out, friends! That's a bad animal! Once he goes on a rampage there's no stopping him."
The four little Bunkers and their father and Captain Ben turned to see the canal mule driver rushing to their aid with a long whip in his hand.
"I know old Hector, the ram!" said the mule driver. "He's butted me more than once, and he tried to butt one of my mules. But that time he got the worst of it. Better let him alone!"
"But we want to drive him away," called Captain Ben. "He knocked me into the ditch, and he won't let us get our auto out. We've got to drive him away."
"Well, then, I'll help you," offered the mule driver. "Maybe if all three of us go at him at once we can scare him away."