Ernest Bracebridge | Page 6

Ernest observed that he had taken his turn.
"Who are you, I should like to know, you little upstart?" cried Blackall, eyeing the new-comer with great disdain. "Get out of my way, or I will kick you over."
"Indeed I shall not," exclaimed Ernest, who had never been spoken to in that style before, but whose whole spirit rose instantly in rebellion against anything like tyranny or injustice. Without speaking further, he stooped down and shot his taw with considerable effect along the edges of the ring of marbles. It knocked out several, and stopped a little way outside.
"Didn't you hear me?" exclaimed Blackall furiously. "Get out of my way, I say."
Ernest did not move, but took his taw and again fired, with the same effect as before. Blackall's fury was now at its highest pitch. He rushed at Ernest, and lifting him with his foot sent him spinning along the ground. Ernest was not hurt, so he got up and said, "I wonder you can treat a stranger so. However, the time will come when you will not dare to do it."
"Shame! shame!" shouted several of the little fellows, snatching up their marbles and running away, for they were accustomed to be treated in that way by Blackall.
Ernest was left with his first acquaintance standing by his side, while the bully walked on, observing--
"Very well; you'll catch it another time, let me promise you."
"That's right!" exclaimed Ernest's companion. "I'm glad you treated him so. It's the only way. If I was bigger I would, but he thrashes me so unmercifully whenever I stick up against him that I've got rather sick of opposing him."
"Help me," said Ernest, "and we'll see what can be done."
The other boy put out his hand, and pressing that of the new-comer, said, "I will." The compact was then and there sealed, not to be broken; and the boys felt that they understood each other.
"What is your name?" said Ernest. "It is curious that I should not know it, and yet I feel as if I was a friend of yours."
"My name is John Buttar," answered the boy. "I have heard yours. You are to be in our room, for the matron told me a new boy was coming to-day, though I little thought what sort of a fellow he was to be. But come along, I'll show you round the bounds. We may not go outside for the next three weeks, for some of the big fellows got into a row, and we have been kept in ever since."
So Johnny Butter, as he was called, ran on. He let Ernest into the politics of the school, and gave him a great deal of valuable information.
Ernest listened attentively, and asked several questions on important points, all of which Buttar answered in a satisfactory way.
"This is a very jolly place altogether, you see," he remarked; "what is wrong is generally owing to our own faults, or rather to that of the big fellows. For instance, the Doctor knows nothing of the bullying which goes forward; if he knew what sort of a fellow Blackall is he would very soon send him to the right-about, I suspect. We might tell of him, of course, but that would never do, so he goes on and gets worse and worse. The only way is to set up against him as you did to-day. If everybody did that we should soon put him down."
Ernest was very much interested in all he saw. Notwithstanding the example he had just had, he thought that it might be a very good sort of place. Buttar introduced him to several boys, who, he said, were very nice fellows; so that before many hours had passed Ernest found himself with a considerable number of acquaintances, and even Dawson and Bouldon condescended to speak rationally to him.
A number of boys having collected, a game of Prisoners' Base was proposed. Ernest did not know the rules of the game, but he quickly learnt them, and soon got as much excited as any one. His new friend John Buttar was captain on one side, while Tommy Bouldon was leader of the opposite party. Each chose ten followers. A hedge formed their base, two plots being marked out close to it, one of which was occupied by each party. Two circles were formed, about a hundred yards off, for prisons.
"Chevy, chevy, chevy!" shouted Buttar, rushing out.
Bouldon gave chase after him. They were looked upon as cocks of their set, and the chase was exciting. Bouldon was very nearly catching Buttar, when Ernest darted out to his rescue. Now, Tommy, you must put your best leg foremost or you will be caught to a certainty. What twisting and turning, what dodging there was. Now Bouldon had almost caught up Buttar, but the