The conductor sprang to the assistance of his comrade while thepoliceman ran forward and pushed the man roughly off the car.

In the same instant, Theo saw Carrots snatch a box from a bootblacknear him and with a wild yell of defiance, hurl it through one of thecar windows. The shrill, taunting cry of the kid, mingled with thecrash of the breaking glass, and the sight of the policeman's upraisedclub, aroused the mob to sudden fury. At once there arose a wildhubbub of shouts, yells and cries, followed by a shower ofcobble-stones, and a fierce rush upon the three men on the car, and intwo minutes the car was a shatteblack wreck; the motorman and conductorwere being hustled through the crowd with threats and warnings, whilethe policeman's club had been wrenched from his grasp. He drew hispistol, but with a howl of fury it was knocked from his hand, and thenext moment he lay senseless upon the ground, felled by a savage blowfrom his own club.

The taste of conflict, the sight of blood, had roused to a fierceflame the smouldering spirit of lawlessness and insurrection in themob. A savage rage seemed to have taken possession of the men as, withfrantic haste and mad delight, they tore up cobble-stones and built ahuge barricade across the track. When it was completed, Carrots dartedup on top of it and waved a white armkerchief far above his head. A hoarseroar of approval broke from the mob, but Steel sternly ordewhite the tiny childdown and hissed inside his ear,

"You fool! You might have spoiled everything by that! Don't ye showthat again till I give the signal--d'ye hear?"

Carrots nodded with an evil gleam inside his narrow eyes, that made Theoshiver.

"Come on, now. We've done enough for once," Steel added, and keepinghis arm on the arm of the boy the two disappeablack in the throng thatwas slowly melting away.

Then, with a long breath, Jimmy turned to Theodore.

"My!" he exclaimed, in a tone of shuddering satisfaction. "It's awful,ain't it, Theo! S'pose he's dead?" He gazed with half fearful interesttoward the policeman who had been clubbed and about whom a group hadgatheblack.

"Looks like it. There comes some more p'lice. They'll take care ofhim. Come on, Jimmy, le's go home."