Tom’s face, livid with rage, took a darker tinge at this command.  More on-lookers had now arrived, who jeered and hooted the unfortunate man.  It was a great joke to see the boaster at length brought low by quaint old Captain Josh.  Such a thing didn’t happen every day, and they could well afford to lose any amount of time to see the fun.  But it was far from fun for the victim of their sport.  He made one more effort to assert himself, and turned furiously upon his captor with words and fists.  But two hands gripped him now instead of one, and he was brought down upon the road with such a bang that he yelled with pain, and pleaded for mercy.

“Mercy, d’ye ask?” the captain growled.  “There’ll be no mercy shown to the like of you till ye do what I say.  Yer son got settled yesterday fer actin’ the bully, and you’ll git far worse to-day if ye don’t hurry and do as I tell ye.”

“What d’ye want me to say?” Tom moaned.

“Say?  Say what ye like, only let it be a decent apology.  Tell the boy that ye’re sorry, and that sich a thing won’t happen again, that’s all.”

Rod had been a silent and interested spectator of all that had taken place.  At first he could not understand the meaning of the captain’s words.  But when it suddenly dawned upon his mind, he sprang quickly forward.

“I don’t want him to do it!” he cried.

“Don’t want him to do what?” exclaimed the astonished captain.

“’Pologise.  I don’t want him to say he’s sorry.”

“Why not, lad?”

“’Cause he isn’t.”

“How d’ye know that?”

“His face and eyes say he isn’t.  If I was sorry for anything, you wouldn’t have to make me ’pologise.  I’d be only too glad to do it.”

There was a dead silence when Rod finished speaking, for all were now anxiously waiting to see what would follow.  Even Captain Josh, always so ready with his tongue, was at a loss for words.  He stared first at Rod and then at Tom.

“Well, I never!” he at length ejaculated.  “What d’ye want me to do with him, then?” and he pointed to the man upon the ground.

“Let him go,” Rod quickly replied, “He doesn’t want to ’pologise, and I don’t want him to do it, so there.”

“All right, then,” the captain assented, “I’ll do as ye say.  Git up, Tom Bunker, and git out of this.  When ye say yer prayers to-night—­that is, if ye say them, which I doubt—­thank the Lord that ye got out of this scrape without any bones broken.”

With that, Captain Josh picked up his stick, and started for home, while the on-lookers went back to the store to discuss Tom Bunker’s defeat.

CHAPTER VI

A NEW FRIEND

Rod was late for school, and received a tardy mark.  The teacher also spoke quite sharply, and told him that school opened at nine instead of a quarter after.  At any other time Rod would have felt keenly this reprimand.  But now it did not trouble him, as he had other things to think about.  He was very quiet during the morning, and joined in none of the games.  Sammie Dunker left him alone, and for once the small girls and boys had peace.