are fond of thistle-flowers, and that there were quantitiesof thistles in the quarry. "If I can catch hold of some thistles,perhaps I can do it." He wanted to feel round the perpendicular edgeagain, but feared that the flake would tip. In half a minute he got hispocket-knife, opened the largest blade, and worked it into the sandfarthest from the edge--in the corner--so as to hold the flake therelike a nail.
Then with the utmost caution, and feeling every inch of his way, he puthis hand round the edge, and moving it about presently felt a thistle.Would it hold? that was the next thing; or should he pull it up if heheld to it? How could he hold it tight, the prickles would hurt so. Heknew that thistles generally have deep roots, and are hard to pull up,so he thought it would be firm, and besides, if there was one there weremost likely several, and three or four would be stronger.
Taking out his handkerchief, he put his hand in it, and twisted it roundhis wrist to make a rough glove, then he knelt up close to the sandwall, and steadied himself before he started. The flake creaked underthese movements, and he hesitated. Should he do it, or should he waittill Mark missed him and searched? But the battle--the battle might belost by then, and Mark and all his soldiers driven from the field, andPompey would triumph, and fetch long ladders, and take him prisoner.
Bevis frowned till a groove ran up the centre of his forehead, then hemoved towards the verge of the flake, and slowly put his foot over tillhe felt the narrow ledge, at the same time searching about with his handfor the thistle. Now he had his foot on the ledge, and his hand on thestem of the thistle; it was very stout, which reassured him, but theprickles came through the handkerchief. A moment's pause, and he spranground and stood upright on the ledge.
His spring broke the blade of the knife, and the flake upset and crasheddown splash into the pool.
The prickles of the thistle dug deep into his hand, causing exquisitepain.
He clung to the thistle, biting his lips, till he had got his other footon. One glance showed him his position.
The moment he had his balance he let go of the thistle, and ran alongthe ledge, which widened to about nine inches or a foot, tendingdownwards. Running kept him from falling, just as a bicycle remainsupright while in motion.
In four yards he leapt down from the ledge to a much broader one, ranalong that six or seven yards, still descending, sprang from it down ona wide platform, thence six or eight feet on to an immense heap of loosesand, into which he sank above his knees, struggled slipping as he wentdown its yielding side, and landed on his hands and knees on the swardbelow, while still the wavelets raised by the fall of the flake werebreaking in successive circles against the sides of the pool.
He was up in a moment, and stamped his feet alternately to shake thesand off; then he pulled out some of the worst of the thistle pointsstuck in his hand, and kicked his heels up and danced with delight.
Without looking back he ran up on the narrow bank between the excavationand the New Sea, as the nearest place to look round from. The punt wasjust there inside the headland. He saw that the waves, though muchdiminished in force by the point, had gradually worked it nearly off theshore. He could see nothing of the battle, but remembering a placewhere the ascent of the quarry was easy, and where he and Mark had oftenrun up the slope, which was thinly grown with grass, he started there,ran up, and was just going to get out on the field when he recollectedthat he was alone, and had no sword, so that if Pompey had got a partyof his soldiers, and was looking for him, they could easily take himprisoner. He determined to reconnoitre first, and seeing a littlebramble bush and a thick growth of nettles, peered out from beside thiscover. It was well that he did so.
Val Crassus, with a strong body of Pompeians, was coming from thesycamores direct towards him. They were not twenty yards distant whenBevis saw them, and instantly crouched on hands and knees under thebrambles. He heard the tramp of their feet, and then their voices.
"Where can he be?"
"Are you sure you looked all through the firs?"
"Quite sure."
"Well, if he isn't in the firs, nor behind the sycamores, nor anywhereelse, he _must_ be in the quarry," said Crassus.
"So I think."
"I'm sure."
"Ted's got him down somewhere."
"Perhaps he's hiding from Ted."
"Can you see him now in the quarry?"
They crowded on the edge, looking over Bevis into the excavated hollowbeneath. Now Bevis had not noticed when he crouched that he had put hishand almost on the mouth of a wasp's nest, but suddenly feelingsomething tickle the back of his hand, he moved it, and instantly awasp, which had been crawling over it, stung him. He pressed his teethtogether, and shut his eyes in the endeavour to repress the exclamationwhich rose; he succeeded, but could not help a low sound in his chest.But they were so busy crowding round and talking they did not hear it.
"I can't see him."
"He's not there."
"He may be hidden behind the stone-heaps. There's a lot of nettles downthere," said Crassus.
"Yes," said another, and struck at the nettles by Bevis, cutting downthree or four with his sword.
"Anyhow," said Crassus, "we're sure to have him, he can't get away; andMark's a mile off by this time."
"Look sharp then; let's go down and hunt round the stone heaps."
"There's the old oak," said some one; "it's hollow; perhaps he's inthat."
"Let's look in the oak as we go round to get down, and then behind thestones. Are there any caves?"
"I don't know," said Crassus. "Very likely. We'll see. March."
They moved along to the left; Bevis opened his eyes, and saw the stingand its sheath left sticking in his hand. He drew it out, waited amoment, and then peered out again from the brambles. Crassus and thecohort were going towards the old hollow oak, which stood not far fromthe quarry on low ground by the shore of the New Sea, so that theirbacks were towards him. Bevis stood out for a second to try and seeMark. There was not a sign of him, the field was quite deserted, and heremembered that Crassus had said Mark was a mile away. "The battle'slost," said Bevis to himself. "Mark has fled, and Pompey's after him,and they'll have me in a minute."
He darted down the slope into the hollow which concealed him for thetime, and gave him a chance to think. "If I go out on the Plain they'llsee me," he said to himself; "if I ran to the firs I must cross the openfirst; if I hide behind the stones, they're coming to look. What shallI do? The New Sea's that side, and I can't. O!"
He was over the bank and on the shore in a moment. The jutting pointwas rather higher than the rest of the ground there, and hid him for aminute. He put his left knee on the punt, and pushed hard with hisright foot. The heavy punt, already loosened by the waves, yielded,moved, slid off the sand, and floated. He drew his other knee on, creptdown on the bottom of the punt, and covered himself with two sacks,which were intended to hold sand. He was, too, partly under the seat,which was broad. The impetus of his push off and the wind and wavescarried the punt out, and it was already fifteen or twenty yards fromthe land when Crassus and his men appeared.
Volume Two, Chapter II.
THE BATTLE CONTINUED--MARK ANTONY.
They had found the oak empty, and were returning along the shore tosearch the quarry. The wind brought their voices out over the water.
"Mind, he'll fight if he's there."
"Pooh! we're ten to one."
"Well, he hits hard."
"And he can run. We shall have to catch him when we find him; he canrun like a hare."
"Look!"
"The punt's loose."
"So it is."
"Serves the old rascal right. Hope it will sink."
"It's sure to sink in those big waves," said Crassus. "Come on," anddown he went into the quarry, where they looked behind the stone heapsand every place they could think of, in vain. Next some one said thatperhaps even now Bevis might be in the sycamores, up in the boughs, sothey went there and looked, and actually push
ed a soldier up into onetree to see the better. After which they went down to the lower groundand searched along the nut tree hedge, some one side, some another, andtwo up in the mound itself.
"Wherever _can_ he be?" said Crassus. "It's extraordinary. And Pompey,too."
"Both of them nowhere."
"I can't make it out. Thrust your sword into those ferns." So theycontinued hunting the hedge.
Now the way Val Crassus and his cohort came to hunt for Caesar Bevis waslike this: At the moment when Pompey pounced on Caesar, the rest of thePompeians, a little way off, were scattering before Mark Antony andScipio Cecil, who had attacked them front and
Bevis: The Story of a Boy Page 35
