text: CHAPTER VI.—LEO ASSERTS HIS RIGHTS. 
  
  At once a crowd of performers surrounded the pair. Very few of them liked Jack Snipper, and they wondered what Leo would do should the gymnast attack the boy. 
  
  “Call me a braggart, will you!” roared Snipper. 
  
  “Don’t you dare to touch me with that club!” replied Leo calmly. 
  
  “I’ll teach you a lesson!” 
  
  And, swinging the Indian club over his head, Jack Snipper made a savage blow at the young gymnast. 
  
  Had the stick struck Leo the boy’s head would have sustained a severe injury. 
  
  But as quick as a flash Leo dodged, and the Indian club merely circled through the empty air. 
  
  “For shame, Snipper!” 
  
  “Do you want to kill the boy?” 
  
  “What harm has he done?” 
  
  And so the cries ran on. 
  
  “Mind your own affairs!” shouted the maddened gymnast. “I’m going to teach the boy a lesson!” 
  
  Again he sprang at Leo. 
  
  But now suddenly the Indian club was caught. A dexterous twist, and it went flying out of reach across the dressing tent. 
  
  Then, before Snipper could recover, he received a stinging slap full in the face that sent him staggering backward on the grass. 
  
  A shout of approval went up. 
  
  “Good for Leo!” 
  
  “That’s right, boy, stand up for your rights!” 
  
  The shout brought Adam Lambert, the general manager, to the scene. 
  
  No sooner had he appeared than all the performers walked away. It was against the rules to fight, and every one present was liable to a heavy fine. 