"Baa-a-a-a-a!"
Then they heard a pounding of hoofs on the ground and the ram came running at them.
"Oh, look!" cried Russ. "Here he comes! We'd better get on the other side of the fence! Come on, Laddie!"
"I'm coming!" answered the little fellow. "Hurry!"
"It—it's too bad we didn't save him some sugar," panted Russ, as he and Laddie ran on. "Maybe that's what makes him mad at us."
"Maybe it is," agreed Laddie. "Hurry, Russ!" he shouted, looking over his shoulder. "He's coming closer!"
The ram was, indeed, running faster than the boys, and only that they had a start of him he would have caught them before they got to the fence, and then he might have butted them with his head.
But, as it was, Russ reached the fence first. He turned to wait for Laddie, who was a little behind him.
"And if that old ram had hurt you I'd 'a' thrown stones at him," said Russ afterward. But Laddie, with an extra burst of speed, managed to get to the fence, and Russ helped him through. The ram was so close that his head struck the rails with a bang.
"It's a good thing it wasn't us he hit," said Russ, as they found themselves safe on the other side.