Bill checked himself; but it was a hard struggle.
“I say,” said Jack, over the hedge to the boy, “you might be a sport and tell us where you found that hat, because it belongs to a friend of ours, and if you don’t tell us where you found it we shall think you stole it from him.”
The boy told them to shut up in such a rude way that Bill flushed up again, but he held himself in.
“Look here,” said Jack, “if you will give us back our friend’s hat, I’ll give you this.” He held out a fine, new Scout knife. The boy’s only reply was to throw an armful of dirty straw over the hedge, and all over the two Cubs.
“Then,” cried Jack, “we’ll jolly well take it from you!” And, with these words, he leapt lightly over the hedge, followed by Bill, and caught the big gipsy a neat left-hander under the chin. The boy, taken unawares, was sent sprawling, and Bill lost no time in snatching the hat off his head.
A group of gipsies working further on had seen, and now came towards the group.
“Better clear out,” said Jack. “We’ve got our evidence.” Jumping over the hedge they quickly made their way back to the Hall.
They found Mr. Ogden and Mr. Beak talking over the question of Danny’s disappearance with a policeman. In a few words they told their story.
“H’m,” said Mr. Beak, “look’s rather strange. They’ll have to account, somehow, for Danny’s hat being in the possession of one of their boys.”
So the policeman and the bailiff and the two Cubs went down to the camp. Black Bill was interviewed once again. This time he sent for his sons, and questioned them before the policeman.