"Never mind. We're having a lot of fun. It's medals for us--gold
medals for bravery, Allan. To-morrow the board of aldermen will
thank us."

But this prediction seemed ill-founded. An instant later a half-
dozen policemen advanced in a businesslike manner, and their
leader announced: "Come! You are arrest."

"Pinched! What for? We're doing a lot of good here."

"Come, queeck!"

"Oh, Lard, my God!" Allan mumbled. "I shall die and kill myself."

"They won't do anything to us," Kirk assured him. "I've been
pinched lots of times. We'll have to quit, though, and that's a
pity. It was just getting good."

He surrendered the hose to a fireman, who promptly retreated with
it to a discreet position, then followed his captors, who were now
buzzing like bees.

"Don't get excited," he said to Allan, noting his frightened look.
"They'll turn us loose all right."

But a moment after they were clear of the town he was surprised to
see that the negro's captors had snapped "come-alongs" upon him in
spite of his repeated promises to go quietly.