"It"s no use," said Bevis, not in the least ruffled; "I shall beat you."
"Not you," said Ted, hot and red in the face. "Why I"ll pitch you in the water first."
"Take you all your time," said Bevis, shutting his lips tighter and beginning to look a little dangerous. "Shut up," said Val.
"Stop," said Phil and Bill and George, pressing in.
"Hush," said Cecil. "It"s a truce."
"Well, I won"t be Pompey," said Ted sullenly. "Then we must have somebody who will," said Bevis sharply, "and choose again."
"I wouldn"t mind," said some one in the crowd. "Nor I," said another.
"If I was general I wouldn"t mind being Pompey. Let me, Bevis."
"Who"s that," said Ted. "If any one says that I"ll smash him." When he found he could so easily be superseded he surrendered. "Well, I"ll be Pompey," he said, "but mind I shan"t be beat."
"Pompey ought to win if he can," said Val; "that"s only fair."
"What"s the use of fighting if we are to be beat?" said Phil.
"Of course," said Bevis, "how very stupid you all are! Of course, Ted is to win if he can; he"s only to be called Pompey to make it proper. I know I shall beat him, but he"s to beat us if he can."
"I"m only to be called Pompey, mind," said Ted; "mind that. We are to win if we can."
"Of course;" and so this delicate point was settled after very nearly leading to an immediate battle.
"Hurrah for Pompey!" shouted George, throwing up his hat.
"Hurrah for Caesar!" said Bill, hurling up his. This was the signal for a general shouting and uproar. They had been quiet ten minutes, and were obliged to let off their suppressed energy. There was a wild capering round the oak.
"Ted Pompey," said Charlie, little and impudent, "what fun it will be to see you run away!" For which he had his ears pulled till he squealed.
"Now," shouted Mark, "let"s get it all done. Come on." The noise subsided somewhat, and they gathered round as Ted and Bevis began to talk again.
"Caesar," said Phil to Bevis, "if you"re Caesar and Ted"s Pompey, who are we? We ought to have names too."
"I"m Mark Antony," said Mark, standing bolt upright.
"Very well," said Bevis. "Phil, you can be--let me see, Varro."
"All right, I"m Varro," said Phil; "and who"s Val? Oh, I know,"-- running names over in his mind,--"he"s Cra.s.sus. Val Cra.s.sus, do you hear?"
"Capital," said Cra.s.sus. "I"m ready."
"Then there"s Cecil," said Mark; "who"s he?"
"Cecil!" said Phil. "Cecil--Cis--Cis--Scipio, of course."
"First-rate," said Mark. "Scipio Cecil, that"s your name."
"Write it down on the roll," said Bevis. The names were duly registered; Pompey"s lieutenants as Val Cra.s.sus and Phil Varro, and Caesar"s as Mark Antony and Scipio Cecil. After which there was a great flinging of stones into the water and more shouting.
"Let"s see," said Ted. "If there"s fifteen each side, there will be five soldiers to each, five for captains, and five for lieutenants."
"Cohorts," said Phil. "A cohort each, hurrah!"
"Do be quiet," said Ted. "How can we go on when you make such a row?
Caesar Bevis, are all the swords ready?"
"No," said Bevis. "We must fix the length, and have them all the same."
They got a stick, and after much discussion cut it to a certain length as a standard; Mark took charge of it, and all the swords were to be cut off by it, and none to be any thicker. There were to be cross-pieces nailed or fastened on, but the ends were to be blunt and not sharp.
"No sticking," said Ted. "Only knocking."
"Only knocking and slashing," said Bevis. "Stabbing won"t do, and arrows won"t do, nor spears."
"Why not?" said Mark, who had been looking forward to darting his javelin at Ted Pompey.
"Because eyes will get poked out," said Bevis, "and there would be a row. If anybody got stuck and killed, there would be an awful row."
"So there would," said Mark. "How stupid!" Just as if people could not kill one another without so much fuss!
"And no hitting at faces," said Bevis, "else if somebody"s marked there will be a bother."
"No," said Ted. "Mind, no slashing faces. Knock swords together."
"Knock swords together," said Bevis. "Make rattling and shout."
"Shout," said Mark, bellowing his loudest.
"How shall we know when we"re killed?" said Cecil.
"Well, you _are_ a stupe," said Val. "Really you are." They all laughed at Cecil.
"But I don"t know," said Ted Pompey. "You just think, how shall we know who"s beat? Cecil"s not so silly."
"No more he is," said Mark. "Bevis, how is it to be managed?"
"Those who run away are beaten," said Charlie. "You"ll see Ted run fast enough." Away he scampered himself to escape punishment.
"Of course," said Bevis. "One way will be if people run away. O! I know, if the camp is taken."
"Or if the captain is taken prisoner," said Phil; "and tied up with a cord."
"Yes," continued Bevis. "If the captain is taken prisoner, and if the eagles are captured--"