nicking I made one of the sparks I struck fall into the tinder-box,
and, after the customary amount of blowing, produced enough glow to
ignite the tip of the brimstone-dipped match, which by careful shading
fluttered and burned with a blue flame nearly invisible in the noontide
light.

It was an extremely risky proceeding, for we had dropped some of the
powder in among the short dry moss and stones, and then, too, the rag
was drying fast, and it was quite within the range of possibilities that
when I lit one end it might communicate too rapidly with the powder in
the canister, and the explosion would take place before I could get out
of the way.

But Bob Chowne and Bigley were standing only a couple of yards behind
me, ready to dodge behind some of the great rocks on the comb of the
ridge, and I believe that in those days I possessed so much of the
Spartan fortitude which pervaded our school, that I would sooner have
been blown up than show fear. So I sheltered my match, bending lower
and lower, till I could bring it to a level with the powder-smeared rag,
which caught at once, and began to sparkle and scintillate, sending up a
thin blue flame at the same time.

That was enough, and throwing the match away, I began to back towards
the lookers-on, but hearing a scuffling noise among the stones, I looked
round to see that they were both running.

"Come on!" shouted Bob. "Look sharp, Sep!"

As they had begun to run it seemed to be no shame for me to do the same,
so I darted after them, and found them just on the other side of the
ridge, lying down behind some of the great rocks.

"That's right," cried Bob. "Creep close; nothing can hurt us here. Are
you sure you left the thing burning?"

"Quite," I said. "It must be off directly."

I don't know whether Bigley was aware of the fact, but he crept close
between two rocks and behaved just as an ostrich is said to do, for he
stuck his head right in and then seemed to consider that he was quite
safe.

Suddenly, as we were listening impatiently for the explosion, an idea
occurred to me.

"I say," I said, "what's the good of all this? We sha'n't see the stone
go down."

Bob started up in a sitting position, and gave Bigley a tremendous slap
which made him follow suit.

"Why, you are a chap!" he said as the idea came home to him too. "Why
didn't you say so sooner?"

"I didn't think of it," I replied.

"Oh!" exclaimed Big dolefully, "what was the use of me