Dangle, who fancied something might come of this, was condescending enough to say he didn't mind playing at judge, if they liked. Whereat, amid cheers, he was voted to the chair on the bed, where he sat rather precariously, and ordered silence in the court. "Who is the prisoner?" "Go on, kid, tell 'em your name," said Percy, encouragingly. "Fisher minor--really I didn't do anything," said the prisoner. "What's the charge?" said the judge. "You see, it's this way," said Percy, forgetting to go inside the fender--"Bam, and Cot, and Lick and I were having a ripping eight-handed mill in here the other day--" The prisoner thought over all his crimes, and could recall nothing that was even remotely connected with an eight-handed mill. "Cot and Lick had got gloves with no horse-hair in them, you know, so they lammed it pretty hard; but Ram and I were just scrunching them up--" "Crams! You never got near us. My nose wasn't hit once," said Cottle. "No; but we had you in the ribs." "Under the belt," ejaculated Lickford. "No, it wasn't--I say, Dangle," said the witness, "it was just on his waistcoat pocket, and he says that's below the belt. If he likes to wear his belt round his neck, of course he gets hit under." "And if you wear yours round your ankle, there's not much room for your bread-basket," retorted Cottle. "And where does Fisher minor come in?" asked the judge; "was he in the middle of the mill?" "No. You see, we were just in the middle of it, and these jolly cheats were beginning to cave in--" "Ho, ho!--It would take a lot more than you to make us--" "Order in the court--go on, Wheatfield." "There you are--shut up, you chaps--beginning to cave in, when Clapperton yelled for me, and I had to go." "Lucky job for you," growled Cottle. "You wouldn't have been able to go at all five minutes later." Whereupon Percy appealed to the court to keep order. "Fire away," said the judge, "that's nothing to do with the prisoner." "Oh, hasn't it!--You see, Clapperton wanted me to take a letter to Yorke. It must have been a screamer, for Yorke yelled when he read it. I wanted him to let me finish our mill first, but--" "Who, Yorke?" "No, Clapperton. If there'd been time for another round--" "Now, then, don't let's have any more of that mill," said the judge. "That's just what they felt at the time, wasn't it, Lick?" ejaculated Cottle. "Did we?--wait till you see, my beauty," said the witness. "I wish you wouldn't interrupt. Oh, so I had to go, and this kid came and caught me a jolly crack in the stomach." "Which side of your belt?" inquired Lickford. "The side you'll get it hot, my boy, next time I catch you," retorted Percy. "That'll be under, you bet," said Lickford. "I didn't mean to hurt you," said the prisoner, who began to hope that the charge against him was to prove much less serious than he had at first feared, "I apologise." "Shut up, don't talk to me--talk to the jury."