his shoe. Then he slowly rose to his feet and
faced his task. At that moment I forgot all about the three-legged
race, and gave my whole heart up to the issue of this jump. He started
to run at last, slow at first, but gathering pace for his final leap.
Amid breathless silence he sprang forward and reached the bar, and
then--then he coolly pulled up and walked back again. This looked bad;
but better to pull up in time than spoil his chance. He kept us waiting
an age before he was ready to start again, but at last he turned for his
last effort. We could tell long before he got to the bar that this
time, at any rate, he was going to jump, whether he missed or no. Jump
he did, and, to our unbounded delight, just cleared the bar--so narrowly
that it almost shook as he skimmed over it. That was the end of the
high jump; for though both attempted the 5 foot 5 inches, neither
accomplished it, and the contest was declared to be a dead heat.

After this several unimportant races followed, which I need hardly
describe. Number 12 on the list was getting near, and I was beginning
to feel a queer, hungry sort of sensation which I didn't exactly like.
However, the mile was to be run before our turn came, and that would
give me time to recover.

For this race we had many of us looked with a curious interest, on
account of the new boy, of whom I have spoken, being one of the
competitors in it. He didn't look a likely sort of fellow to win a
race, certainly, for he was slightly bow-legged and thick-set, and what
seemed to us a much more ominous sign, was not even arrayed in flannels,
but in an ordinary white shirt and light cloth trousers. However, he
took his place very confidently at the starting-post, together with
three rivals, wearing respectively black, red, and yellow for their
colours.

The start for a mile race is not such a headlong affair as for a hundred
yards, and consequently at the word "Off!" there was comparatively
little excitement among us spectators.

Yellow went to the front almost immediately, with red and black close
behind, while the new boy seemed to confirm our unfavourable impression
by keeping considerably in the rear. The mile was divided into three
laps round the field, and at the end of the first the positions of the
four were the same as at starting. But it was soon evident yellow was
not destined to continue his lead, for before the half distance was
accomplished, red and black, who all