to give way now to the humdrum routine
of school-life. This, however, was diversified with plenty of cricket,
Slegge posing in every match as the chief batsman and captain of the
eleven.

But he had to work hard to keep up his position in his own particular
speciality, which was that of slogging batsman, for he was a bad bowler,
too cowardly to keep a wicket, and too big, heavy, and lazy to field.

At the same time he was too jealous and vain to let others step in and
help themselves to some of his laurels, notably the two young Indians,
as he called them, for none of the older lads, his fellow-pupils for
years past, ever dreamed of disputing his position. But both Glyn and
Singh, untroubled by a thought of giving way to the older boy, proved
themselves a splendid addition to the eleven that was picked from time
to time to combat the town players or some other school.

To Slegge's annoyance, he very soon found that if the prestige of the
school was to be kept up Glyn and Singh must be in the eleven, for the
former in a very short time was acknowledged to be the sharpest bowler
in the school, while, from long practice together, Singh was an
admirable wicket-keeper--one who laughed at gloves and pads, was utterly
without fear, and had, as Wrench said--he being a great admirer of a
game in which he never had a chance to play--"a nye like a nork."

"But they can't beat me at batting," Slegge said to himself grimly, and
he worked at his practice like a slave. But as a slave he made others
slave--to wit, all the small unfortunates who took his fancy.

"You needn't grumble, you lazy little beggars," he used to say. "Nasty,
ungrateful little beasts! See what bowlers I'm making of you, and what
fielders!"

And in his manufacture of cricketers he would have out five or six at a
time, with three or four cricket-balls, to keep on bowling to him while
he went on slogging and hitting the balls in all directions, utterly
reckless of the poor little fellows' exhaustion and of the risks they
ran, as he drove or cut the balls right at them or far away over the
field.

The natural result was that in regular play Slegge's score always
mounted up when he was not opposed to Glyn and Singh, when there was
generally what the delighted younger boys denominated a "swodge of
rows;" while Slegge himself, always ready to pick a quarrel, never now
attempted to settle it with fists, but he fought pretty hard with his
tongue, and always d