Bevis Part 29

"Eagles," said Ted Pompey.

"Standards," said Phil. "That's right: are we to have proper eagles, Caesar Bevis?"

"Yes," said Bevis. "Three bra.s.s rings round sticks will do. Two eagles each, don't you see, Ted, like flags, only eagles, that's proper."

"Who keeps the ground wins the victory," said Cecil.

"Right," said Ted. "I shall soon tie up Bevis--we must bring cords."

"You must catch him first," said Mark.

"Captains must be guarded," said Val. "Strong guards round them and awful fighting there," licking his lips at the thought of it.

"Captain Caesar Bevis," said Tim, who had not spoken before, but had listened very carefully. "Is there to be any punching?"

"Hum!" Bevis hesitated, and looked at Ted.

"I think so," said Ted, who had long arms and hard fists.

"If there's punching," cried Charlie from the oak, into which he had climbed for safety; "if there's punching, only the big blokes can play."

"No punching," said Mark eagerly, not that he feared, being stout and st.u.r.dy, but seizing at anything to neutralise Ted's big soldiers.

"No punching," shouted a dozen at once; "only pushing."

"Very well," said Bevis, "no punching, and no tripping--pushing and wrestling quite fair."

"Wrestling," said Ted directly. "That will do."

"Stupid," said Mark to Bevis; then louder, "Only nice wrestling, no 'scrumpshing.'"

"No 'scrumpshing,'" shouted everybody.

Ted stamped his foot, but it was of no use. Everybody was for fair and pleasant fighting.

"Never mind," said Ted. "We'll shove you out of the field."

"Yah! yah!" said Charlie, making faces at him.

"If anybody does what's agreed shan't be done," said Mark, still anxious to stop Ted's design; "that will lose the battle, even if it's won."

"It ought to be all fair," said Val, who was very big, but straightforward.

"If anything's done unfair, that counts against whoever does it," said Cecil.

"No sneaking business," shouted everybody. "No sneaking and hitting behind."

"Certainly not," said Bevis. "All quite fair."

"Somebody must watch Ted, then," said Charlie from the oak.

Ted picked up a piece of dead stick and threw it at him. He dodged it like a squirrel.

"If you say such things," said Bevis, very angry, "you shan't fight. Do you hear?"

"Yes," said Charlie, penitent. "I won't any more. But it's true," he whispered to Fred under him.

"Everything's ready now, isn't it?" said Ted.

"Yes, I think so," said Bevis.

"You haven't fixed the day," said Val.

"No, more I have."

"Let's have it to-day," said Fred.

They caught it up and clamoured to have the battle at once.

"The swords are not ready," said Mark.

"Are the eagles ready?" asked Phil.

"Two are," said Mark.

"The other two shall be made this afternoon," said Bevis. "Phil, will you go in to Latten for the blue ribbon for us; here's three shillings."

"Yes," said Phil, "I'll get both at once--blue and red, and bring you the blue."

"To-morrow, then," said Fred. "Let's fight to-morrow."

But they found that three of them were going out to-morrow. So, after some more discussion, the battle was fixed for the day after, and it was to begin in the evening, as some of them could not come before. The camps were to be made as soon after six o'clock as possible, and, this agreed to, the council broke up, though it was understood that if anything else occurred to any one, or the captains wished to make any alterations, they were to send despatches by special messengers to each other. The swords and eagles for Ted's party were to be fetched the evening before, and smuggled out of window when it was dark, that no one might see them.

"Hurrah!"

So they parted, and the oak was left in silence, with the gra.s.s all trampled under it. The cattle fed down towards the water, and the swallows wound in and out around them.

Volume One, Chapter XV.

THE WAR BEGINS.

As they were walking home Mark reproached Bevis with his folly in letting Ted, who was so tall himself, choose almost all the big soldiers.

"It's no use to hit you, or pinch you, or frown at you, or anything,"

grumbled Mark; "you don't take any more notice than a tree. Now Pompey will beat us hollow."

"If you say any more," said Bevis, "I will hit you; and it is you who are the donk. I did not want the big ones. I like lightning-quick people, and I've got Cecil, who is as quick as anything--"

"What's the use of dreaming like a tree when you ought to have your eyes open; and if you're like that in the battle--"