"Sshh!  clown,"  whispered another.

There were only a few small apple trees, but the bright yellow fruit hung heavily on the branches. It was as if the owner had cultivated them just to boast. They're not for eating, I thought, they're only for staring at.

The trees and the fence were too near to the house for a quick get-away over the spiked railings. We stood for some moments, in full view of the rear windows, discussing it. We weighed up the speed of exit required to escape capture, and realized that whoever took it on, it was debatable whether he would get away with it. Realizing we were not invisible and that our voices could be heard, we had to decide quickly, but no one dared to offer their services. I could see Donnie was delighted. He smiled with inimitable self-assurance whenever he found a challenge that only he would take on. After hearing and enjoying all their excuses, he confirmed his position as leader by quickly scaling the fence. Paddy followed. (There was some dispute between these two as to who really qualified to be leader). Excited whispering started up again, and then, quick as a flash, prize golden orbs were being showered on us in the lane. Our jumpers were bulging in no time at all. It was then that we heard a loud voice from somewhere above our heads:

"All of you stay where you are!  Don't any of you try getting past me.  I've men at both ends. You pair, in the garden, get back over here!"

A policeman!  How we didn't notice him coming up the lane I'll never know. My thoughts were racing.

"And you can keep that lot you stole from there.  They'll be weighed as evidence against you. I  know most of your faces," he said, his long arms outstretched and spanning almost the entire width of the lane.

My heart sank. It was my first encounter with the police. Donnie made some lame attempt at a bold remark.  It died.  Before leaving, the policeman directed:

"To save you lot some embarrassment, you can all walk down the High Street in single file behind me.  Come along!"

His commanding voice melted our instinct to run. He took up his position in front, with the lot of us trailing behind like a chain gang. Even before we reached the main road, we were ridding ourselves of fruit. The loud thumps of guilt soon reached the copper's ears. He quickly turned sideways and hollered,

"I said, keep that lot!  They're for weighing!"

- 17 -