The Kings Sons | Page 4

of reeds with their dark purply waving blooms.
"I suppose I must go after them," he sighed. "What can they want down there?"
The little monk sighed again and then started off to follow the boys, trying hard to walk slowly and steadily; but it was all in vain. The hill-side sloped very steeply to the broad bed of willows and reeds far below, making the way very bad for so heavy and inactive a man. Worse still: walking over the short grass in the hot sun had made the bottoms of the monk's sandals as slippery as glass, and so it was that before he had gone far down the slope he began to talk to himself, at first slowly--then quickly--then in a loud excited way--and lastly he uttered a shout and a cry for help.
"Here," he said, at first, "I want to go down slowly. It's too hot to walk fast. Steady! Why, I am going faster!"
Then there was a minute's pause, and the monk cried excitedly:
"I don't want to run." Then: "Oh, dear me, however am I to stop myself?" And directly after: "Oh, do stop me, somebody, or I shall be broken all to bits." And lastly: "Here, help, help, help!"
Then there was a loud crashing sound, some water flew up, the monk uttered a final "Oh!" and lay perfectly still, listening, for all at once a familiar voice cried:
"Oh, come here, quick! A sheep has gone plosh into the pool."
Boys were as much boys then as they are now, for directly after these words were uttered Alfred--the Little then--came hurrying as fast as the water would let him wade--splash, splash, splash!--from where he and his brothers had been busily making a dam across the little stream to turn the rushing water aside into another channel so as to leave the unfortunate trout helpless and ready for capture, and as soon as he caught sight of his teacher lying perfectly still he burst into a fit of hearty laughter.
"Come and look! Come and look!" he shouted.
His brothers wanted no further telling, but came splashing up out of the stream to the open shallow muddy bed where the reeds grew, and as soon as they saw the monk's condition they began to indulge in a bare-legged triumphal war-dance, shrieking with laughter the while.
"Bad boys; bad, thoughtless, wicked boys!" grunted Father Swythe; but he lay perfectly still with arms and legs spread apart as far as they would go.
"Why don't you stand up and walk out?" cried Fred, at last, taking compassion on his tutor's awkward plight.
"Because I'm so heavy, boy: I should sink."
"Oh, no. It isn't deep there. I've often waded about there to look for moorhens' nests."
"Yes, my boy; but you're young and light. I'm very heavy."
"Yes," cried one of the others, in high delight; "there's an arrow depth of water where you are, and quite a bow length of thick mud under that."
"Oh, dear!" groaned the monk; "don't laugh at me, my boys. Can't you help me out?"
"Yes, I'll get you out," cried Alfred, and he waded towards his unfortunate tutor, trampling the reeds down with his bare feet, but sinking in up to his knees at every step.
"Mind you don't get into a hole, Fred!" cried Bald.
"Mind the big luces!" shouted Bert. "There's a monster lives among those reeds."
"Oh, they all swam away when Father Swythe fell in," cried Red. "You have got to mind your toes. The big eels are down amongst the mud."
The monk groaned at this, and raised his dripping hands above the water, to grasp with each a handful of reeds.
"The eels will go deeper into the mud," said Alfred sturdily. "Now then, catch hold of my hands, and I'll pull you out."
The monk raised one hand very cautiously, and Alfred seized it tightly and began to back, pulling with all his might; but he pulled in vain, for he did not move his tutor an inch.
"Here, I know," cried Alfred. "You two come and join hands and pull."
"I'm afraid I'm too heavy," said Father Swythe.
"I shan't help," said Bald maliciously. "Let him stop where he is."
The monk groaned again, and the three boys outside the reeds laughed with malicious glee.
"If we pull him out he'll only take us back and begin to teach us to read."
"Yes, yes, yes," sighed Father Swythe; "I came to fetch you in. The Queen sent me."
"Then we won't help you," said Bert; laughing. "Let's go and finish getting our fish, and then go back. When they ask where he is we'll tell them, and then some of the shepherds can come with wattle hurdles and get him out."
"Oh, dear!" groaned the monk. "After all my teaching, for you boys to be as bad as this! Why, if you leave me I shall be drowned!"
"Oh, no," said