Then I became aware of the presence of Ike, who said with a grim smile: "Don't you heed them, my lad. I see one of 'em chuck it and then turn
round. Wait a bit and I shall get a charnce, and I'll drar my whip
round one of 'em in a way as'll be a startler."
A quick busy-looking man came bustling up just then, had a chat with
Ike, and hurried off, carrying away my companion; and as soon as he had
gone a bruised potato struck the side of the cart, and as I changed my
position a damaged stump of a cauliflower struck Basket on the flank,
making him start and give himself a shake that rattled all the chains of
the harness before resettling down to the task of picking the corn out
of the chaff in his well-filled nose-bag.
My first idea was to call Shock down from where he was see-sawing his
legs to and fro till his feet looked like two tilt-hammers beating a
piece of iron, and then with his help attack the young vagabonds who
were amusing themselves by making me a target for all the market refuse
they could find.
Second thoughts are said to be best, and I had sense enough to know that
nothing would be gained by a struggle with the young roughs. So,
gaining knowledge from my previous experience, I changed my position so
as to get in the front of some sturdy-looking men who were all standing
with their hands in their pockets chinking their money. I had yet to
learn that they were costermongers waiting for prices to come down.
Directly after whiz! came something close by my head and struck one of
the men in the face, with the result that he made a dash at the boys,
who darted away in and out among the baskets, whooping and yelling
defiance; but one ran right into the arms of a man in uniform, who gave
him three or four sharp cuts with a cane and sent him howling away.
This episode was hardly over before Ike was back, and he nodded as he
said: "He's coming direckly to sell us off."
"Shall you be able to sell the things, then, this morning?"
"Sell 'em! I should just think we shall; well too. There's precious
little in the market to-day."
"Little!" I exclaimed. "Why, I thought there would be too much for
ours to be wanted."
"Bless your young innocence! this is nothing. Bad times for the
costers, my boy; they'll get nothing cheap. Here you, Shock, as you are
come, help with these here ropes; and mind, you two, you look after
these new ropes and the sacks."
"Look after them!" I said innocently.
"Yes," said Ike with a queer look; "they gets wild and into bad habits
in London--walks away, they does--and when you go and look for 'em,
there you finds 'em in marine store-shops in the dirty alleys."