-top or marbles, while
a few of the bigger ones stood up for a bout at wrestling. Tom at first
only looked on at this pastime, but it had peculiar attractions for him,
and he could not long keep out of it. Elbow and collar wrestling, as
practised in the western counties, was, next to back-swording, the way
to fame for the youth of the Vale; and all the boys knew the rules of
it, and were more or less expert. But Job Rudkin and Harry Winburn were
the stars--the former stiff and sturdy, with legs like small towers; the
latter pliant as indiarubber and quick as lightning. Day after day they
stood foot to foot, and offered first one hand and then the other, and
grappled and closed, and swayed and strained, till a well-aimed crook of
the heel or thrust of the loin took effect, and a fair back-fall ended
the matter. And Tom watched with all his eyes, and first challenged one
of the less scientific, and threw him; and so one by one wrestled his
way up to the leaders.

Then indeed for months he had a poor time of it; it was not long indeed
before he could manage to keep his legs against Job, for that hero was
slow of offence, and gained his victories chiefly by allowing others to
throw themselves against his immovable legs and loins. But Harry Winburn
was undeniably his master; from the first clutch of hands when they
stood up, down to the last trip which sent him on to his back on the
turf, he felt that Harry knew more and could do more than he. Luckily
Harry's bright unconsciousness and Tom's natural good temper kept them
from quarrelling; and so Tom worked on and on, and trod more and more
nearly on Harry's heels, and at last mastered all the dodges and falls
except one. This one was Harry's own particular invention and pet; he
scarcely ever used it except when hard pressed, but then out it came,
and as sure as it did, over went poor Tom. He thought about that fall
at his meals, in his walks, when he lay awake in bed, in his dreams, but
all to no purpose, until Harry one day in his open way suggested to him
how he thought it should be met; and in a week from that time the boys
were equal, save only the slight difference of strength in Harry's
favour, which some extra ten months of age gave. Tom had often
afterwards reason to be thankful for that early drilling, and above all,
for having mastered Harry Winburn's fall.

Besides their home games, on Saturdays the boys would wander all over
the neighbourhood; sometimes to the d