SHEATHBILL THE ROBBER 
81 
wasn’t much dignity after all, for his hands 
were shaking and his knees were trembling 
and he could feel the robber’s eyes staring right 
down the middle of his back. 
The old robber must have known this for 
in just a moment he charged right at Mannie, 
and if Mannie had not made a misstep and be¬ 
gun to slide, I am afraid the story would have 
ended right here, and the old robber would 
have had more bones to add to his nest. But 
Mannie began to slide, he tried to hold him¬ 
self but he couldn’t, so down, down he went, 
sometimes head over heels, and sometimes back 
side first, and sometimes on his nose, but always 
tumbling and sliding, ziz, ziz, ziz—how he did 
go! The old robber followed him for a dis¬ 
tance, but it wasn’t a bit of use. Mannie was 
traveling far too fast for him! He wasn’t able 
to catch Mannie at all. So he turned back hop¬ 
ing to catch Mannie another time. 
“Ug! Gup!” All of a sudden Mannie 
tumbled right into something. That something 
