Hurrah!Mark," as Mark made a successful cut. "How stupid." In the heat andconstant changes of the combat they had totally forgotten Cecil and hiscohort.
"Why, we've been fighting two to three," said Bill, "and they haven'tdone us yet."
"But we mean to," said Tim, and Bill shrank involuntarily under anunexpected knock.
"Some more of you--there," shouted Ted Pompey, as he came to himself,and saw a number of his soldiers in the rear watching the combat."You,"--in a rage,--"you go round behind and worry them there; and someof you get up in the tree and hit down."
"O! botheration!" said Mark, as he heard the last order.
"We _must_ get Cecil somehow," said Bevis.
"Now then," yelled Ted Pompey, stamping in terrible fury, "do as I tellyou; go round the tree, and `bunt' somebody up into it!"
He passed his hand across his bruised forehead, wiping off a fragment ofbark which adhered indented in the skin, and rushed into the fight. Tedfought that day like a hero; twice severely punished, he returned to thewar with increased determination. He was nervous at lightning, but hefeared no mortal being. He was as brave as brave could be. These heavyknocks seemed only to touch him on the quick and arouse a stronger will.When he came in the combat became tremendous.
Like knights with their backs to the tree, the four received them. Theswords crossed and rattled, and for two or three minutes nothing elsewas heard; they were too busy to shout. The eight of the column wouldhave succeeded better had not so many of the others pressed in to get asafe knock at Bevis, hitting from behind the bigger ones so as to bethemselves in safety. These impeded Val and Phil and the first line.
One and all struck at Bevis. The dust flew from his coat, his shoulderssmarted, his arms were sore, his left arm, which he used as a guard likea shield, almost numb with knocks.
His face grew pale with anger. He frowned and set his lips tighttogether, his eyes gleamed. The hail of blows descended on him, andthough his wrist began to weary, he could not repay one-tenth of thatthey gave him.
"Give in! Give in!" shouted Val, who was in front of him, and he puthis left hand on Bevis's shoulder. With a twist of his wrist Bevis hithis right hand so sharp a knock that the sword flew out of it, and for asecond Val was daunted.
"Give in! give in!" shouted Phil, pushing to Val's assistance. "You'redone! It's no good. You can't help it. Hurrah!"
Two soldiers appeared in the fork of the tree above. Though so huge thetrunk was short, and they began to strike down on Mark, who was forcedto stand out so far from the tree that he was in great danger of beingseized, and would have been, had they not been so bent on Bevis.
Bevis breathed hard and panted. So thick came the hail that he could donothing. If he lifted his sword it was beaten down, if he struck, tenknocks came for one. He received his punishment in silence. Tim hadthe cord to bind him ready: they made a noose to throw, over his head.
"Stick to Bevis," shouted Mark. "Bevis--Bevis--stick to Bevis--Fred--ah!"--a smart knock made him grind his teeth, and four or fiveassailants rushing in separated him from Caesar.
Bevis was beaten on his knee. He crouched, his left side against thetree with his left hand against it, hitting wild and savage, and stillkeeping a short clear space with his sword.
"Stop!" cried Val, himself desisting. "That's enough. Stop! stop!Don't hit him! He's done. We've got him! Now, Phil."
Phil and Tim rushed in with the noose: Bevis sprang up, drove his headinto Phil and sent him whirling with Tim under. Bevis made good use ofthe moment's breathing time he thus obtained, punishing three of hishardest thrashers.
"Keep together," shouted Phil as he got up on his knees. "If Ted wouldonly do as I said. Hurrah!"
They had hammered Bevis by sheer dint of knocks down on his knees again.Fred and Bill in vain tried to get to him; they were attacked front andrear: Mark quite beside himself with rage, pushed, wrestled, and struck,but they encompassed him like bees. Bevis could hit no more; he wardedas well as he could, he could not return.
"Shame! shame!" cried Val, pulling two back, one with each hand. "Don'thit him! He's down!"
"Why doesn't he give in, then?" said Phil, black as thunder.
Ted Pompey, who had watched this scene for a moment without moving,smiled grimly as he saw Bevis could not hit.
"Now," said he, "Phil, Tim, George--Val's too soft. Come on--keepclose--in we go and have him. Hurrah! Hang it! I say!"
"Whoop!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of Volume One.
Volume Two, Chapter I.
THE BATTLE CONTINUED--SCIPIO'S CHARGE.
Scipio's cohort rushed them clean away from the sycamore. In a mass,Scipio Cecil and his men (fetched by Charlie), with half or more ofCaesar's scattered soldiers, who rallied at once to Cecil's compactparty, rushed them right away. Cecil forced his men to be quiet as theyran; they saw the point, and there was not a sound till in close orderthey fell on Pompey. Pompey, Val, Phil, and the whole attacking partywere swept away like leaves before the wind. Had they seen Scipiocoming, or heard him, or in the least expected him, it would not havebeen so. But thus suddenly burst on from the rear, they were helpless,and carried away by the torrent.
In a second Bevis, Mark, Fred, and Bill, found themselves free. Bevisstood up and breathed again. They came to him. "Are you hurt?" saidMark.
"Not a bit," said Bevis, laughing as he shook himself together. "Lookthere!"
Whirled round and round by the irresistible pressure of the crowd,Pompey and his lieutenants were hurried away, shouting and yelling, butunable even to strike, so closely were they hemmed in.
"They've got my eagle," said Mark in a fury. His standard-bearer hadbeen overthrown while he defended himself at the tree, and the eagletaken from him.
"Phil's down," said Fred. "So's Tim! And Ike! Hurrah!"
"Look at little Charlie hitting!" said Bill. "Shout for Charlie," saidBevis. "Capital!"
"My eagle," said Mark.
"Quick," said Bevis suddenly. "Mark--quick; you and Fred, and Bill, andthese,"--three or four soldiers who came up now things lookedbetter--"run quick, Mark, and get in the hollow, you know where wecooked the bird, they're going that way. See, Ted's beginning to fightagain, and you will be behind him. Make an ambush, don't you see?Seize him as he goes by. Quick! I'm tired, I'll follow in a minute."
Off ran Mark, Fred, Bill, and the rest, and making a little circuit, gotinto the bowl-like hollow. The crowd with Scipio Cecil was stillthrusting Pompey and his men before them, but Ted had worked himselffree by main force, and he and Val Crassus, side by side, were fightingas they were forced backwards. Step by step they went backwards, butdisputing every inch, straight back for the hollow where Mark and hisparty were crouching. In half a minute Ted would certainly be taken.
"Victory!" shouted Bevis, in an ecstasy of delight. He had been leaningagainst the sycamore: he stood up and stepped just in front of it to seebetter, shading his eyes (for his hat had gone long since) with his lefthand, the point of his sword touched the ground. He was alone, herejoiced in the triumph of his men. The gale blew his hair back, andbrushed his cheek. His colour rose, a light shone in his eyes.
"We've won!" he shouted. Just then the hurricane smote the tree, and asthere was less noise near him, he heard a bough crack above. He lookedup, thinking it might fall; it did not, but when he looked back Ted wasgone.
"He's down!" said Bevis. "They've got him."
He could see Mark Antony, who had risen out of the hollow; thus caughtbetween two forces, Scipio pushing in front, the Pompeians broke andscattered to the right in a straggling line.
"Hurrah! But where's Ted? Hurrah!"
Bevis was so absorbed in the spectacle that, though the fight was only ashort distance from him, the impulse to join it did not move him. Hewas lost in the sight.
"They're running!"
"I've got you!"
Ted
Pompey pounced on him from behind the sycamore-tree; Bevisinvoluntarily started forward, just escaping his clutch, struck,parried, and struck again.
Pompey, while driven backwards step by step by Scipio, had suddenlycaught sight of Bevis standing alone by the sycamore. He slipped fromScipio, and ran round just as Bevis looked up at the cracking bough, andMark sprang out of the hollow. Scipio's soldiers shouted, seeing Pompeyas they thought running away. Mark for a moment could not understandwhat had become of him, the next he was occupied in driving thePompeians as they yielded ground. Pompey running swiftly got