Cormorant Crag | Page 4

I let you get up?"
"No, you coward."

Bang, bang.
"Oh! I say, don't!"
"Am I a coward, then?"
"Yes.--Oh!"
"Now am I a coward?"
"No, no. You're the bravest, best fellow that ever lived."
"Then you own you're beaten?"
"Oh yes, thoroughly. I say, Mike, I can hardly breathe. Honour bright!"
"Say, you own you're licked, then."
"Yes. Own I'm licked, and--Ah-h-ah!"
Vince gave a final heave, and with such good effect that his assailant
was thrown, and by the time he had recovered himself Vince's red face
was reappearing from the blue jersey, which the boy had tugged down
into its normal position.
"Oh! won't I serve you out for this some day, Mikey!" he cried, as the
other stood on his guard, laughing at him.
"You said you were beaten."
"Yes, for to-day; but I can't afford to let you knock me about like this. I
say, you did hurt."
"Nonsense! I could have hit twice as hard as that. Pull your jersey over
your head again, and I'll show you."
"Likely! Never mind, old chap," said Vince, giving himself a shake;
"I'll save it up for you. Phew! you have made me hot."

"Do you good," said Mike, imitating his companion by throwing
himself down at full length upon the elastic heath, to lie gazing at the
brilliant blue sea, stretching far away to where a patch of amethyst here
and there on the horizon told of other islands, bathed in the glowing
sunshine.
The land ended a hundred yards from where the two lads lay as
suddenly as if it had been cut sharply off, and went down
perpendicularly some two hundred and fifty feet to where the
transparent waves broke softly, with hardly a sound, amongst the
weedy rocks, all golden-brown with fucus, or running quietly over the
yellow sand, but which, in a storm, came thundering in, like huge banks
of water, to smite the face of the cliff, fall back and fret, and churn up
the weed into balls of froth, which flew up, and were carried by the
wind right across the island.
"Where's old Deane?" said Vince suddenly.
"Taken a book to go and sit on the rock shelf and read Plutarch. I say,
what a lot he does know!"
"No wonder," said Vince, who was parting the heather and peering
down beneath: "he's always reading. I wish he was fonder of coming
out in a boat and fishing or sailing."
"So do I," said Mike. "We'd make him do the rowing. Makes us work
hard enough."
"I don't see why he shouldn't help us," continued Vince. "Father says a
man ought to look after his body as well as his brains, so as always to
be healthy and strong."
"Why did he say that?" said Mike sharply.
"Because it was right," said Vince. "My father's always right."
"No, he isn't. He didn't know what was the matter with my dad."

Vince laughed.
"What are you grinning at?"
"What you said. He knew well enough, only he wouldn't say because
he did not want to offend your father."
"What do you mean?"
"That he always sat indoors, and didn't take enough exercise."
"Pish! The Doctor did not know," said Mike sharply, and colouring a
little; "and I don't believe he wants people to be well."
"Hi! Look here!" cried Vince excitedly. "Lizard!"
A little green reptile, looking like a miniature crocodile, disturbed by
the lad's investigating hands, darted out from beneath the heath into the
sunshine; and Mike snatched off his cap, and dabbed it over the little
fugitive with so true an aim that as he held the cap down about three
inches of the wiry tail remained outside.
"Got him!" cried Mike triumphantly.
"Well, don't hurt it."
"Who's going to hurt it!"
"You are. Suppose a Brobdig-what-you-may-call-him banged a great
cap down over you--it would hurt, wouldn't it?"
"Not if I lay still; and there wouldn't be a bit of tail sticking out if he
did," said Mike laughing.--"I'm not going to hurt you, old chap, but to
take you home and put you in the conservatory to catch and eat the flies
and blight. Come along."
"Where are you going to put him?"
"In my pocket till I go home. Look here: I'll put my finger on his tail

and hold him while you lift my cap; then I can catch him with my other
hand."
"Mind he don't bite."
"Go along! He can't bite to hurt. Ready?"
"Yes," said Vince, stretching out his hand. "Better let him go."
"Yes, because you don't want him. I do. Now, no games."
"All right."
"Up with the cap, then."
Vince lifted the cap, and burst out laughing, for it was like some
conjuring trick--the lizard was gone.
"Why, you never caught it!" he