"But my handkerchief," I said.

"Sixpence is my fee," the brute answered. "Do you want to rob a
poor man of his earnings? Why, what a rogue you must be, young
master." I tried to move him to recover my handkerchief, but
without success. At last, growing weary of the sound of my pipe,
as he said, he rounded on me.

"If you don't run away 'ome," he said, "I'll commit you for a
nuisance. Think I'm goin' to be bothered by yer. Be off, now."

At that, I set off down to the river. There I found two dirty
little boys in my uncle's boat, busy with the dipper, trying to
fill her with water. I boxed the ears of one of them, when the
other, coming behind me, hit me over the head with the stretcher.
I turned sharply, giving him a punch which made his nose bleed.
The other, seeing his chance (my back being turned) promptly
soused me with the dipper. I saw that I would have to settle one
of them at a time, so, paying no attention to the dipper, I
followed up my blow on the nose with one or two more, which drove
the stretcher-boy out of the boat. The other was a harder lad;
who would, perhaps, have beaten me, had not a waterman on the
stairs taken my part. He took my enemy by the ear. "Get out of
that," he said, giving him a kick. "If I catch you messing boats
again, I'll give you Mogador Jack." I pushed off from the stairs
then, glad to get away with both oars. My enemies, running along
the banks, flung stones at me as long as I was in range. If I had
had my sling with me, would have warmed their legs for them. When
was out of range of their shot, I laid in my oars, so that I