At this Uncle Moses shrank back in spite of himself, and the guide looked much disturbed; but Frank and Bob stubbornly stood their ground. "What do you mean?" cried Frank. "Don't kick up such a row. What wild boar? Where is he?" "Underneath!" bawled Clive. "He's watching us," shouted David. "He was hid in there, and we came in and waked him. We got up here, and he won't let us out!" "He'll spring at you if you come any nearer," shouted David. "Keep back! O, keep back! I hear him now," bawled Clive. "Go and get help!" cried David. "Get a gun--or something!" "Help us out soon," cried Clive; "we're starving!" "Keep back!" cried Clive. do. cried David. "Go and get help!" cried Clive. do. cried David. "Get a gun!" cried Clive. do. cried David. "Help!" cried Clive. do. cried David. "Take care!" cried Clive. do. cried David. "He'll tear you to pieces!" cried Clive. do. cried David. Etc., etc., etc.! "Come back," said the guide, in evident anxiety. "We are too near. We can do notin', We mas get arm." "But do you think there really is a wild boar there?" asked Frank. The guide said nothing, but shook his head solemnly, and looked unutterable things. Mean while he continued to retreat, watching the small door of the old house, and the rest followed him, as they thought he knew better what ought to be done than they did. The guide took up that line of retreat which led towards Albano, and as he did so he watched the door of the house with evident anxiety, as though fearful of seeing at any moment the formidable beast bound forth to rush upon them. But at length, after he had placed a considerable distance between himself and the old house, he began to breathe more freely, and to think about what ought next to be done. "Do you think it really is a wild boar?" asked Frank once more of the guide. "Dey did say dat, dey did see him," said he. "Yes; but how do they know? They never saw a wild boar," objected Frank. "Any man dat sees a wild boar will know him," said the guide. "I didn't know that there--were any about here." "About here?" "Yes; so near the town, and public roads. I thought that an animal like the wild boar prefers the moat solitary places, and will never come near where men are living." "Dat is right," said the guide. "Dat is so. Bot sommataime dey go wild--dey lose der young--or sommatin like dat, so dey go wild, and wander, an if dey happen to come near a villa, dey are terrible." "But how could this one have come here?" "Italia is full of dem--dey wander about like dis." "But they live so far off." "O, no; dis one come from de mountain--not far--dat old house in de valley, just de place for his den."