vil-minded of his elders was hardly
deemed worthy of censure. Out of school hours very little notice was
taken by masters of how their pupils employed their time, and as long
as the latter refrained from bringing the place about their ears with
any acts of particularly flagrant mischief, they were left pretty much
to their own devices.

Partly for mutual protection against the violence of their fellows, and
partly in pursuit of the questionable forms of recreation already
referred to, the boys had formed themselves into a number of "tribes,"
each under the leadership of some heavy-fisted chieftain to whom they
swore allegiance, at the same time sharing all their worldly
possessions with the other members of the band.

In course of time these various small communities became gradually
absorbed into two large rival bands known as the "Foxes" and the
"Eagles," the peculiarity of name being due to an exciting story of
adventure among the Indians which had been going the round of the
school; for books of that kind were, in those days, a rare and
highly-prized possession.

Skirmishes between parties of the two tribes were of frequent
occurrence, and expeditions with various objects, and not unfrequently
exciting endings, were indulged in almost every half-holiday afternoon.
Miles and myself were numbered among the "Foxes," while at the head of
the "Eagles" was a notorious bully named Ben Liddle, who possessed all
the nature and none of the nobility of the actual savage. This leader
had lately laid claim to all the woods and country on the north side of
the road which passed the school, as the hunting-ground of the
"Eagles," and had thrown out dark hints of a terrible vengeance which
should be meted out to any luckless "Fox" who should be captured
encroaching on this preserve.

As this meant nothing less than calmly appropriating all the places
where any good sport could be obtained, the claim was naturally
resented by the "Foxes;" and though Kerry, our chief, had not as yet
made any public pronouncement on the subject, it was understood that
before long the matter would be discussed, probably in a grand pitched
battle between the tribes, when this and other causes of disagreement
would be settled once for all.

But even Ben Liddle's threats were not sufficient to keep enterprising
"Foxes" on the south side of the road. Miles and I had already made
several expeditions into the forbidden territory, perhaps rather
enjo