On Board the Esmeralda | Page 7

much as he thought necessary, the master withdrew, shutting the door that communicated with the house behind him; and I, going down the steps, with some little hesitation in the face of all the mass of boys who were now staring at me, with, it seemed to me, the concentrated look of one, found myself in a minute surrounded by them.
I was just like a solitary pigeon amongst a flock of rooks, for all, as if with a single voice, began eagerly shouting out a series of the most personal questions, without giving me time to answer them individually.
After a bit, the clamour somewhat ceased, and then a tall, slenderly- built chap, who appeared to be the cock of the school, came up to me, while the others formed a circle around us two, waiting for the upshot of their leader's action. It was enough to make one feel nervous, for they all became suddenly silent, although I could see one or two nudging each other and grinning gleefully, as if some highly interesting episode was expected at my expense.
"What is your name?" said the tall one.
"Martin Leigh," I replied, civilly, seeing no harm in the question.
"Oh, that's a fine name," observed my interlocutor, sneeringly; "I suppose you're the son of a duke, and a nobleman in disguise?"
"No," said I, calmly, put on my mettle by hearing the others sniggering at their leader's wit, as they thought it--"my father was an officer."
"That's a good one!" said the tall chap, with a stagey laugh; "I think he must have belonged to the Horse Marines--didn't he?"
At this there was a chorus of chuckles from the surrounding boys, with cries of "Go it, Slodgers!" and other impertinent interruptions, causing my quick temper to fire up.
"You're wrong again, `Mr Sharp,'" I said, angrily. "He was an officer in the navy, and a gentleman--more than yours was, I should think."
"You impudent young beggar, what do you mean?" retorted the tall boy, taking a step nearer me, and raising his hand as if to give me a slap on the face; "your father was a sweep, you hound!"
"You lie!" I yelled out, in a white heat with passion; and, without waiting for him to give me the first blow, I sprang up and planted my fist between his eyes, knocking him back so suddenly that he would have fallen but for the others advancing closer and shoring him up, as it were, by their pressure, so that he couldn't tumble down.
"Oh, that's it, is it?" said my opponent, recovering himself at once quickly; and, before I could put up my hands, he had dealt me two swinging blows right and left, making my nose bleed and bringing me in a heap on to the ground.
I was not beaten, however, for I was on my feet again in a second, dashing in madly at him; and, but for the intervention of another boy, not quite so tall as my antagonist, but with much broader shoulders and of heavier weight, who got in between us and prevented further hostilities, I should probably have come to sad grief.
"Let him alone, Slodgers; he's only a new boy, remember," said this peacemaker, warning me off with one outstretched arm while he pushed back my antagonist with the other, as he was making for me again.
"I know he's a new boy; but the cheeky young beggar has given me a black eye, confound him! and the Doctor is safe to see it when we go in. I must pay him out for it, Larkyns; move away, and I'll thrash him within an inch of his life!"
With these words, the tall boy, or Slodgers, as he was called, made another rush at me; but the other interposed once more, and this time more forcibly.
"No, I tell you," said he, "let him alone, or I'll have to make you," and he gave Slodgers a quiet sort of tap on the chest that had the effect of at once stopping his advance, the bully and coward, as he seemed to me to be, retiring sulkily to the corner of the yard under the tree, accompanied by two of his select cronies, grumbling in an undertone about "somebody's" meddlesomeness in interfering with "other people's business," although he did not take any further notice of the stalwart Samaritan who had thus come so opportunely to my aid, baulking the summary vengeance he had intended taking on my unhappy head.
The other boys, too, were just as disgusted at the turn events had taken, for they had looked for rare sport in seeing me mauled by their champion. They also now went off in a body, leaving my protector and myself alone together, close to the steps where the little fracas had occurred.
"You are a plucky fellow," said my