The Lost Middy | Page 8

the time the top of the slope
was reached, bolder tactics were commenced, the boys closing round
and starting a kind of horse-play in which one charged another, to give
him a thrust so as to drive him--quite willing--against the retiring
visitor.

This was delightful; the mirth it excited grew more boisterous, and the
covert attacks more general.
But Aleck was on the alert and avoided several, till a more vigorous
one was attempted by the biggest lad present, a great, hulking, stupid,
hobbledehoy of a fellow, who drove a companion against Aleck's
shoulder, making him stagger for a moment, while the aggressor burst
out into a hoarse laugh which was chorussed by the little crowd, and
then stopped.
The spring which set Aleck's machinery in motion had been touched,
making him wheel round from the boy who had been driven against him,
make a spring at the great, grinning, prime aggressor, and bring his
coarse laugh to an end by delivering a stinging blow on the ear which
drove him sidewise, and made him stand shaking his head and
thrusting his finger inside his ear, as if to try and get rid of a peculiar
buzzing sound which affected him strangely.
There was a roar, and the boy who had been thrust against Aleck
sprang at him to inflict condign punishment upon the stranger who had
dared to strike his companion.
The attack was vigorous enough, but the attacker was unlucky, for he
met Aleck's bony fist on his way before he could use his own. Then he
clapped his open hands to his nose and stood staring in wonder, and
seemed to be trying to find out whether his nose had been flattened on
his face.
There was an ominous silence then, during which Aleck turned and
walked on down the slope in a quiet leisurely way, scorning to run, and
even slackening his pace to be on his guard as he reached the bottom of
the slope, for by that time the boys had recovered from their
astonishment, and were in full pursuit.
In another minute Aleck was surrounded by a roughly-formed
crowding-in ring, with the two lads who had tested the force of his
blows eager to obtain revenge, incited thereto by a score or two of
voices urging them to "give it him," "pay him," "let him have it," and

the like.
The two biggest lads of the party then came on at Aleck at once; but, to
be just, it was from no cowardly spirit, but from each being urged by a
sheer vindictive desire to be first to obtain revenge for his blow. Hence
they were mastered by passion and came on recklessly against one who
was still perfectly cool and able to avoid the bigger fellow's assault
while he gave the other a back-handed blow which sent him reeling
away quite satisfied for the present and leaving the odds, so to speak,
more even in the continuation of the encounter.
Aleck was well on the alert, and, feeling that he was utterly
out-matched, he aimed at getting as far as the steps, where he would
have Tom Bodger for an ally, and the attack would come to an end; but
he was soon aware of the fact that to retire was impossible, hedged in
as he was by an excited ring of boys, and there was nothing for him but
to fight his way back slowly and cautiously. So he kept his head, coolly
resisting the attack of the big fellow with whom he was engaged,
guarding himself from blows to the best of his ability, and paying little
heed to the torrent of abuse which accompanied the blows the big
fisher lad tried to shower upon him, and always backing away a few
yards, as he could, nearer to the way down to his boat.
By this time the word was passed along the top of the cliff that there
was a fight on, and the fishermen began slowly to take themselves off
the rail and descend the slope to see the fun, as they called it. They did
not hurry themselves in the least, so that there was plenty of time for
the encounter to progress, with Aleck still calm and cool, warding off
the blows struck at him most skilfully, and mastering his desire to
retaliate when he could have delivered others with masterly effect.
But a change was coming on.
Enraged by his inability to close with his skilful, active adversary, the
big lad made more and more use of his tongue, the torrent of abuse
grew more foul, and Aleck more cool and contemptuous, till all at once
his adversary yelled out something which was received with
acclamations by the excited ring who surrounded the pair, while it went

through