Bevis: The Story of a Boy

he began towhirl his hands about.

  "Stop that," said Bevis. "Ted, there's a truce, and if you let yourfellows fight it's breaking it. Catch hold of Bill--Mark, Cecil, holdhim."

  Bill was seized, and hustled round behind the oak, and kept there tillhe promised to be quiet.

  "But when are we going to begin?" asked Jack.

  "Be quick," said Luke.

  "War! war!" shouted half a dozen, kicking up their heels.

  "Hold your noise," said Ted, cuffing one of his followers. "Can't yousee we're getting on as fast as we can. Bevis, where are we going tofight?"

  "In the Plain," said Bevis. "That's the best place."

  "Plenty of room for a big battle," said Ted. "O, you've got it on themap, I see."

  The Plain was the great pasture beside the New Sea, where Bevis and Markbathed and ran about in the sunshine. It was some seventy or eightyacres in extent, a splendid battle-field.

  "We're not going to march," said Mark, taking something on himself aslieutenant.

  "We're not going to march," said Bevis. "But I did not tell you to sayso; I mean we are not going to march the thousand miles, Ted; we willsuppose that."

  "All right," said Ted.

  "But we're going to have camps," continued Bevis. "You're going to haveyour camp just outside the hedge towards the hills, because you livethat side, and you will come that way. Here,"--he showed Ted a circle,drawn on the map to represent a camp,--"that's yours; and this is ourson this side, towards our house, as we shall come that way."

  "The armies will encamp in sight of each other," said Phil. "That'squite proper. Go on, Bevis. Shall we send out scouts?"

  "We shall light fires and have proper camps," said Bevis.

  "And bring our great-coats and cloaks, and a hamper of grub,"interrupted Mark, anxious to show that he knew all about it.

  Bevis frowned, but went on. "And I shall send one of my soldiers to bewith you, and you will send one of yours to be with me--"

  "Whatever for?" said Ted. "That's a curious thing."

  "Well, it's to know when to begin. When we are all there, we'll hoistup a flag--a handkerchief will do on a stick--and you will hoist upyours, and then when the war is to begin, you will send back my soldier,and I will send back yours, and they will cross each other as they arerunning, and when your soldier reaches you, and mine reaches me--"

  "I see," said Ted, "I see. Then we are to march out so as to beginquite fair."

  "That's it," said Bevis. "So as to begin at the same minute, and notone before the other. I have got it all ready, and you need not havesent people to worry me to make haste about the war."

  "Well, how was I to know if you never said anything?" said Ted.

  "And who are we to be?" said Val. "Saxons and Normans, or Crusaders, orKing Arthur--"

  "We're all to be Romans," said Bevis.

  "Then it will be the Civil War," said Phil, who had read most history.

  "Of course it will," said Bevis, "and I am to be Julius Caesar, and Tedis to be Pompey."

  "I won't be Pompey," said Ted; "Pompey was beat."

  "You must," said Bevis.

  "I shan't."

  "But you _must_."

  "I won't be beaten."

  "I shall beat you easily."

  "That you won't," very warmly.

  "Indeed I shall," said Bevis quite composedly, "as I am Caesar I shallbeat you very easily."

  "Of course we shall," added Mark.

  "You won't; I've got the biggest soldiers, and I shall drive youanyhow."

  "No, you won't."

  "I've got Val and Phil and Tim, and I mean to have Ike, so now--"

  "There, I told you," said Mark to Bevis. "He's got all the biggest, andIke is a huge big donk of a fellow."

  "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 inthe water first."

  "Take you all your time," said Bevis, shutting his lips tighter andbeginning 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 havesomebody 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 hefound he could so easily be superseded he surrendered. "Well, I'll bePompey," 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, Tedis to win if he can; he's only to be called Pompey to make it proper. Iknow 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 towin if we can."

  "Of course;" and so this delicate point was settled after very nearlyleading 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 fora general shouting and uproar. They had been quiet ten minutes, andwere obliged to let off their suppressed energy. There was a wildcapering round the oak.

  "Ted Pompey," said Charlie, little and impudent, "what fun it will be tosee 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 noisesubsided somewhat, and they gathered round as Ted and Bevis began totalk again.

  "Caesar," said Phil to Bevis, "if you're Caesar and Ted's Pompey, whoare 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 Crassus. Val Crassus, do youhear?"

  "Capital," said Crassus. "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 dulyregistered; Pompey's lieutenants as Val Crassus and Phil Varro, andCaesar's as Mark Antony and Scipio Cecil. After which there was a greatflinging of stones into the water and more shouting.

  "Let's see," said Ted. "If there's fifteen each side, there will befive 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 lengthas a standard; Mark took charge of it, and all the swords were to be cutoff by it, and none to be any thicker. There were to be cross-piecesnailed 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, andarrows won't do, nor spears."

  "Why not?" said Mark, who had been looking forward to darting hisjavelin at Ted Pompey.

  "Because eyes will get poked out," said Bevis, "and there would be arow. If anybody got stuck and killed, there would be an awful row."

  "So there would," said Mark. "How stupid!" Just as if people could notkill one another without so much fuss!

  "And no hitting at faces," said Bevis, "else if somebody's marked therewill be a bother."

  "No," said Ted.