"Ow!" exclaimed the captive, with no uncertain voice. "Let go, you ass,you're hurting."The voice was a treble voice. This surprised O'Hara. It looked verymuch as if he had put up the wrong bird. From the dimensions of the armwhich he was holding, his prisoner seemed to be of tender years.

　　"Let go, Harvey, you idiot. I shall kick."Before the threat could be put into execution, O'Hara, who had beenfumbling all this while in his pocket for a match, found one loose, andstruck a light. The features of the owner of the arm--he was stillholding it--were lit up for a moment.

　　"Why, it's young Renford!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing downhere?"Renford, however, continued to pursue the topic of his arm, and theeffect that the vice-like grip of the Irishman had had upon it.

　　"You've nearly broken it," he said, complainingly.

　　"I'm sorry. I mistook you for somebody else. Who's that with you?""It's me," said an ungrammatical voice.

　　"Who's me?""Harvey."At this point a soft yellow light lit up the more immediateneighbourhood. Harvey had brought a bicycle lamp into action.

　　"That's more like it," said Renford. "Look here, O'Hara, you won'tsplit, will you?""I'm not an informer by profession, thanks," said O'Hara.

　　"Oh, I know it's all right, really, but you can't be too careful,because one isn't allowed down here, and there'd be a beastly row if itgot out about our being down here.""And _they_ would be cobbed," put in Harvey.

　　"Who are they?" asked O'Hara.

　　"Ferrets. Like to have a look at them?""_Ferrets!_""Yes. Harvey brought back a couple at the beginning of term. Rippinglittle beasts. We couldn't keep them in the house, as they'd have gotdropped on in a second, so we had to think of somewhere else, andthought why not keep them down here?""Why, indeed?" said O'Hara. "Do ye find they like it?""Oh, _they_ don't mind," said Harvey. "We feed 'em twice a day.

　　Once before breakfast--we take it in turns to get up early--and oncedirectly after school. And on half-holidays and Sundays we take themout on to the downs.""What for?""Why, rabbits, of course. Renford brought back a saloon-pistol withhim. We keep it locked up in a box--don't tell any one.""And what do ye do with the rabbits?""We pot at them as they come out of the holes.""Yes, but when ye hit 'em?""Oh," said Renford, with some reluctance, "we haven't exactly hit anyyet.""We've got jolly near, though, lots of times," said Harvey. "LastSaturday I swear I wasn't more than a quarter of an inch off one ofthem. If it had been a decent-sized rabbit, I should have plugged itmiddle stump; only it was a small one, so I missed. But come and seethem. We keep 'em right at the other end of the place, in case anybodycomes in.""Have you ever seen anybody down here?" asked O'Hara.