Burr Junior

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

  My mother and my uncle came over to see me twice during their stay atHastings, and during one of the visits my uncle spoke to the Doctorabout the drill-master, and, after expressing a wish that I should payattention to that part of my studies, with fencing, asked if thisinstructor had been in the foot or horse.

  "Oh, he was in the cavalry, uncle," I said.

  "Good; then, if Doctor Browne does not object, I should like him to giveyou a few preliminary lessons in riding, so as to get a military seatwhile you are young, boy."

  The Doctor expressed his willingness, but he said with a slight cough,--

  "Would not a horse be necessary, or a pony?"

  "Well, yes," said my uncle dryly, "I think it would, sir; but thatdifficulty will be got over. Sir Hawkhurst Rye has offered the boy theuse of a stout cob. One of the grooms will bring it over two or threetimes a week; and, if you would allow me, I should like to have a fewwords with the old sergeant."

  The Doctor was perfectly agreeable; and when they were going, I had thepleasure--for it was a pleasure--of taking them down to Lomax's little,neatly-kept place, where the old sergeant stood ready to draw himself upand salute, with his eyes lighting up, and a proud look of satisfactionin his hard face.

  My uncle took him aside, and they remained talking together, while mymother walked up and down with me, holding my hand through her arm, andeagerly whispering her hopes--that I would be very careful, that I wouldnot run into any danger with the riding, and, above all, mind not to doanything my uncle would not like.

  Of course I promised with the full intention of performing, and soonafter my uncle marched back with Lomax--they did not seem to walk.Everything had apparently gone off satisfactorily, and after plenty ofadvice from my uncle, he handed my mother into the carriage, followedand they were driven off.

  I stood watching the carriage till it was out of sight, and then turnedto Lomax, who was standing as upright as if he were on parade, till hecaught my eye, and then he gave himself a jerk, thrust one hand into hispocket, and gave the place a slap.

  "You're a lucky one," he said, "to have an uncle like that, sir. Hah!there's nothing like a soldier."

  "How am I lucky?" I said rather sourly, for I was low-spirited from theparting I had just gone through.

  "Lucky to have a fine old officer like that to want me to make a man ofyou, and teach you everything you ought to know to become an officer anda gentleman."

  "Oh, bother!" I said. "Look here, Lomax; you're to teach me riding.Can you?"

  "Can I?" he said, with a little laugh; "wait till the horse comes round,and I'll show you, my boy."

  "I can ride, you know," I said; "but not military fashion."

  "You? you ride, sir?" said the old soldier scornfully. "Rubbish! Don'ttalk to me. I know how you ride--like a sack of wool with two legs.Knees up to your chin and your nose parting the horse's mane all downhis neck."

  "Oh, nonsense, Lom!"

  "Fact, sir, fact. Think I don't know? A civilian rides, sir, like amonkey, bumping himself up and down, and waggling his elbows out like ayoung chicken learning to fly. There, you be easy, and I'll teach youhow to ride same as I did how to fight."

  "But I don't know that you have taught me how to fight. I haven't triedyet."

  Lomax chuckled.

  "Wait a bit," he said. "You don't want to fight. It's like being asoldier--a British soldier, sir. He don't want to fight, and he willnot if he can help it. He always hangs back because he knows that hecan fight. But when he does--well, I'm sorry for the other side."

  "Then you think I could lick Eely if he knocked me about, or bigDicksee?"

  "No, I don't think anything about it, my boy. You wait. Don't fight ifyou can help it, but if you're obliged to, recollect all I've shown you,and let him have it."

  I did not feel in any hurry, and when I talked to Tom Mercer about whatI had said to Lomax, he agreed with me that he felt a little nervousabout his powers, and said that he should like to try a small boy or twofirst; but I said no, that would not do; it would be cowardly.

  "So it would," said Mercer; "besides, it would let the cat out of thebag, wouldn't it? Look here, I know: we ought to have a quiet set to upin the loft some day."

  "But that would only be boxing," I said.

  "Why not make a fight of it?" suggested Mercer.

  "But we couldn't fight without there was a genuine quarrel."

  "Let's quarrel, then."

  "What about?"

  "Oh, I don't know. Anything. You call me a fool, and I'll hit you, andthen you go at me again, and we should know then what we could do."

  "Get out!" I said. "I shan't call you a fool; but if I did, youwouldn't be such a beast as to hit me, and if you did, I should be sosorry that I shouldn't hit you again. That wouldn't do."

  Tom Mercer scratched his head.

  "No," he said dryly, "that wouldn't do. It seems precious rum, though."

  "What does?"

  "That I shouldn't care to hit you. I feel as if I couldn't hit a fellowwho saved my life."

  "Look here," I said angrily, "you're always trying to bring up thatstupid nonsense about the holding you up on the penstock. If you do itagain, I will hit you."

  "Boo! Not you. You're afraid," cried Mercer derisively. "Who pulledthe chap out of the water when he was half drowned, and saved him?Who--"

  I clapped my hand over his mouth.

  "Won't do, Tom," I said. "It's all sham. We can't fight. I daresayold Lom's right, though."

  "What do you mean?"

  "That we shall be able to knock Eely and Dicksee into the middle of nextweek."

  "But it seems to me as if they must feel that we have been learning, orelse they would have been sure to have done something before now."

  "Never mind," I said, "let's wait. We don't want to fight, as Lom says,but if we're obliged to, we've got to do it well."

  The occasion for trying our ability did not come off, though it was verynear it several times; but as I grew more confident, the less I feltdisposed to try, and Mercer always confessed it was the same with him,though the cock of the school and his miserable toady, Dicksee often ledus a sad life.

  One morning, soon after the last visit of Uncle Seaborough, Lomax cameto the schoolroom door, just as Mr Hasnip was giving me a terriblebullying about the results of a problem in algebra, on to which he hadhurried me before I had more than the faintest idea of the meaning ofthe rules I had been struggling through.

  I suppose I was very stupid, but it was terribly confusing to me for themost part. I grasped very well the fact that a plus quantity killed aminus quantity if they were of equal value, and that a little figure twoby the side of a letter meant its square, and I somehow blunderedthrough some simple equations, but when Mr Hasnip lit a scholastic fireunder me, and began to force on bigger mathematical flowers from myunhappy soil in the Doctor's scholastic hothouse, I began to feel as ifI were blighted, and as if quadratic equations were instruments oftorture to destroy boys' brains.

  On that particular morning, I was, what fat Dicksee called, "catchingit," and I was listening gloomily to my teacher's attempts at beingwitty at my expense.

  "How a boy can be so stupid," he said, "is more than I can grasp. It isperfect child's play, and yet you have gone on getting the problem intoa hopeless tangle--a ridiculous tangle. You have made a surd perfectlyabsurd, and--"

  "Mr Hasnip!" came from the other end of the great room. Mr Hasniplooked up.

  "The drill-master is here. The horse has arrived for Burr junior'sriding lesson. Can you excuse him?"

  "Certainly, sir," and Mr Hasnip looked at me, showing his teeth in ahungry kind of smile, as if a nice morsel were being snatched from him,and I stood with my heart beating, and the warm blood tingling in mycheeks, conscious that all the boys were looking at me.

  "Here, take your book, Burr junior," said my tutor. "Very glad to go, Idaresay. Now aren't you?"

  I looked u
p at him, but made no reply.

  "Do you hear me, sir?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "I said, `Aren't you glad to go?'"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Of course. There, be off. You'll never learn anything. You are thestupidest boy I ever taught."

  My cheeks burned, and as I turned to go, there was fat Dicksee grinningat me in so provoking a way, that if we had been alone, I should in myvexation have tried one of Lomax's blows upon his round, smooth face.But as it was, I went back to my place, where Mercer was seated, withhis hands clasped and thrust down between his knees, his back up, andhis head down over his book, apparently grinding up his Euclid, uponwhich he kept his eyes fixed.

  "Oh ho!" he whispered; "here you are. Without exception, sir, thestupidest boy I ever taught."

  "I'll punch your head by and by, Tom, if you're not quiet," I said.

  "Who made the surd absurd?"

  "Did you hear what I said?"

  "Yes. Oh, you lucky beggar! Who are you, I should like to know, to behaving your riding lessons?"

  "Less talking there, Burr junior."

  This from Mr Rebble, and I went out, passing close to Burr major, wholooked me up and down contemptuously, as he took out his watch, and saidto the nearest boy,--

  "Rank favouritism! if there's much more of it, I shall leave theschool."

  But I forgot all this directly, as I stepped out, where I found Lomaxstanding up as stiff as a ramrod, and with a walking cane thrust underhis arms and behind his back, trussing him like a chicken, so as tothrow out his chest.

  He saluted me in military fashion.

  "Mornin', sir. Your trooper's waiting. Looks a nice, clever littlefellow."

  "Trooper?" I faltered in a disappointed tone. "What do you mean? Ithought it was the horse come."

  "So it is."

  "But trooper?"

  "Of course. Well, charger, then. Officers' horses are chargers; men'shorses, troopers."

  "Oh!" I cried, brightening up, but with a feeling of nervousness andexcitement making my heart beat more heavily still. "Where is it?"

  "Paddock!" said Lomax shortly, and without the slightest disposition tobe conversational. In fact, he became more military every moment, andmarched along by me, delivering cuts at nothing with his cane, as if hewere angry with the air.

  Then all at once he glanced at me, looking me up and down.

  "Humph! No straps to your overalls," he said snappishly.

  "Overalls?"

  "Well, trousers, sir. They'll be crawling all up your legs. Get somebuttons put on by next time."

  He turned into the field devoted to the Doctor's cows and to the juniorboys' football, and there I saw the General's groom holding a fiery,untamed-looking steed, as it seemed to me, arching its neck andsnorting, as it stood champing its bit till the white foam flew from itsmouth.

  The groom touched his hat to me as we came up.

  "Master's compliments, sir, and as he wants me," he said, "would youmind riding the cob back to the house?"

  "Oh yes, of course," I said, glancing at the fierce-looking animal, andmentally asking myself whether he would allow me to ride him home."Is--is he quiet?"

  "Quiet, sir! why, he's like a lamb. Bit playful sometimes, but no morevice in him than there is in an oyster. Mornin', sir."

  The man touched his hat and went off, leaving Lomax and me with thehorse, which looked enormous then.

  Lomax strode round the animal, examining it, and making remarks as hewent on.

  "Very well groomed," he said. "Saw your old friend Magglin beforebreakfast. Good legs. Like to get taken on again, he says. Tail wantstopping--too long. Lucky for him he didn't get before the magistrates.Doctor won't have him again. Very nice little nag, but too small forservice. I told him that all he was fit for was to enlist; some sharpdrill-sergeant might knock him into shape in time. He's no use as heis. Now, then, ready?"

  "Yes," I said shrinkingly, "I suppose so."

  "That's right," cried Lomax, and, lifting up the flap of the saddle, hebusied himself, as I supposed, tightening the girths, but all at oncethey dropped to the ground, and, with the rein over his arm, Lomaxlifted off the saddle and placed it upon the hedge.

  "Now then," he cried, "come along and I'll give you a leg up."

  "But you've taken the saddle off."

  "Of course I have. I'm going to teach you how to ride."

  "Without a saddle or stirrups?"

  "Of course. A man wants to feel at home on a horses, so does a boy.Now then, I'll give you a leg up."

  I was like wax in his hands. On lifting one leg as he bade me, the nextmoment I was sent flying, to come down on the horse's back astride, butso much over to the right that I had to fling myself forward and clutchthe mane.

  "Bravo! Well done!" cried Lomax sarcastically.

  "I'm all right now," I cried.

  "All right! Here, come down, sir. Do you know what would have happenedif that had been some horses?"

  "No," I said, dismounting clumsily.

  "Well, then, I'll tell you. They'd either have sent you flying overtheir heads, or bolted."

  "I'm very sorry," I faltered.

  "Sorry! I should think you are. Got up like a tailor, sir, and you'vecome down like one. Bah! It's horrible."

  "Well, but you've got to teach me better," I cried.

  "True. Good lad. So I have. Now then, give me your leg. That's it.Steady. Up you go."

  "That's better," I cried, settling myself into my place.

  "Better! No, it isn't. It's not so bad only, sir. Now, then, sit upso that a line dropped from your temple would go down by your heel.Better. Get your fork well open."

  "What?"

  "Sit close down on the horse's back, then. No, no, you don't want toscratch your ear."

  "Well, I know, that," I said, laughing.

  "Then what did you cock up your knee that way for? Let your legs hangdown. That's better. Toes up and heels well down."

  "What for, Lomax?"

  "Don't ask questions. Do as I tell you. Well, there you're right.Toes up so that they just rest in the stirrups."

  "But I haven't got any stirrups."

  "Then act as if you had."

  "But why don't you let me have some?"

  "Silence in the ranks, sir. Now then, keep your balance. Advance at awalk."

  The horse started.

  "Halt!" shouted Lomax, and the horse pulled up so short that I wentforward.

  "What are you doing, sir? You don't want to look into the horse'sears."

  "I wasn't trying to," I said sharply.

  "What were you going to do, then?--whisper to him to stop?"

  "I say, don't tease me, Lom," I said appealingly; "you know I couldn'thelp it."

  "Right, my lad, I know. But 'tention; this won't do. I've got to teachyou to ride with a good military seat, and we're not friends now.You're a private, and I'm your riding-master."

  "Yes, but one minute, Lom--"

  "Sergeant Lomax, sir."

  "Yes, Sergeant Lomax. I say, do let me have a saddle."

  "What for, sir?"

  "It's so much more comfortable."

  "A soldier, sir, is a man who scorns comfort and takes things as theycome. You've got to learn to ride."

  "Of course. Then where's the saddle?"

  "When you can ride well without a saddle, you shall have one. Now: nomore talking. 'Tention! By your right--March!"

  The horse started off without my influencing him in the slightestdegree, but before we had got ten yards, the sergeant's stern, "Halt!"rang out again, and the horse stopped as suddenly as before, but I wasaware of it this time, and gripped him hard with my knees.

  "Good. Well done. But you went too far forward. Take a good hold withyour knees. And that's not the way to hold your reins. Look here, onerein--no, no, not the curb--the snaffle--that's it now--one rein outsideyour little finger and one in, and the rest of the rein through yourhan
d, between your forefinger and thumb. Good. Now pick up the curbrein off your horse's neck and let it rest lightly in your hand."

  "What for?"

  "Don't ask questions. Because it's right. Ready for use if the horsepulls too much or bolts."

  "Is he likely to pull too much or bolt?"

  "Don't ask questions. No, he isn't. Soldiers generally ride on thecurb, but a horse like this don't want it. He has been ridden withcavalry, too. Now then, once more at a walk--March!"

  The horse started again, with his soft, warm back feeling terriblyslippery, but I sat quite stiffly upright, and he walked straight up thepaddock, and seemed as if he were going to leap the hedge, making mewonder which side I should fall; but just as we were close up, thesergeant's voice rang out,--

  "Right wheel!"

  The horse turned to the right instantly, and had gone a dozen yards whenthe sergeant shouted again, "Right wheel!" and directly after,"Forward!" with the result that we were now facing him, and went slowlydown the paddock, till the sergeant shouted, "Halt!" just as I wasbeginning to feel a little more comfortable, and not as if I must slideoff right or left at any moment.

  "Well, that's pretty fair, sir," cried Lomax, as the horse stoppedshort. "Chest out more, back hollow. Keep your knees well in. Capitalhorse for you to learn on. Knows all his work. Well, we won't wastetime walking. You shall do that now at a trot."

  "Without a sad--"

  "'Tention. No talking in the ranks."

  The horse didn't want to be turned, but came round quickly, almost on apivot, very much disturbing my equilibrium again; but by grippingtightly with my legs I managed to hold on, and looked anxiously atLomax.

  "Ah," he shouted, "eyes straight for the horse's ears! Now then, youwill sit firm, elbows close to your sides. 'Tention! The squadron willadvance at a walk. Forward--tr-r-r-ot!"

  The horse had only walked a few paces when the second order came, and hebroke directly into a trot, which sent me bumping up and down, now alittle inclined to the right, then more to the left, then my balance wasgone. I made a desperate effort to save myself, and then, perfectlycertain that the horse would trample me to death beneath his feet, downI went on my back, and began to scramble up, with my mount stock stillbeside me.

  "Not hurt a bit!" cried Lomax, running up and handing me my cap, whichhad come off.

  "No," I said, beginning to feel myself all over; "I don't think anythingis broken."

  "And I'm sure there isn't," cried Lomax. "Now then, I'll give you a legup."

  "Am I to get up again--now?" I faltered.

  "Without you want to say you haven't pluck enough to learn to ride."

  "No," I said; "I haven't pluck enough to say that."

  "Not you. Up you go. There. Now that is better. Stick on this time."

  "I could if I had stirrups," I said, "and a saddle."

  "No, you couldn't, sir, so don't talk nonsense. You've just learnt thefinest thing a lad who wants to ride can learn--the thing that gives himplenty of confidence."

  "What's that?" I asked; "that it's very hard to keep on?"

  "No; that it's very easy to come off and roll on the ground withouthurting yourself a bit. Off you go again. Forward--trot!"

  The horse snorted and went on, shaking me almost to pieces, andsometimes I was nearly off on one side, sometimes nearly off on theother, but I kept on.

  "Right wheel!" came from the other end of the field, then, "Rightwheel!" again. "Forward!" and the horse was taking me--for I hadnothing whatever to do with him--back toward where the sergeant stood.

  I kept my balance pretty well, but my trousers were running up my legs,and I felt as if everything belonging to me was shaken up. Then oncemore my balance was gone, and off I went on to my back, and over andover a few yards from the sergeant, who ran up, the horse once morestopping short by my side.

  "Bravo!" cried Lomax, as I sat up. "You're getting on."

  "I thought I was getting off," I said dolefully.

  "Rubbish, sir; improving fast. Here, up with you again. It's allstrange to you at first, but you've got to grow to that horse's back,till it's like one animal--horse and man. You've got to learn to griphim till you feel as if you can't tumble off."

  "But I never shall," I cried.

  "Don't tell me. I'll make you. Now then; there you are. Now you justtrot down to the bottom and back without coming off like a sack ofshavings. Never mind the reins. Let him have his head, and you put allyour sperrit into your knees. Keep your position and preserve yourbalance."

  "I know I shall fall again soon."

  "Very well, then, fall. But I don't believe you will. Now then, oncemore."

  He gave the order, the horse walked a few steps, then at the secondorder broke into a trot, and, to my utter astonishment, as I drove myknees into the warm soft sides, away we went, wheeled to the right, thento the right again, and trotted back to the sergeant, who shouted,--

  "Halt! Bravo! There, what did I say? Make much of your horse."

  The lesson was kept on for fully two hours, and then, to make up, Isuppose, for a good deal of bullying, my instructor was loud in hispraise, and, opening the gate after replacing the saddle, he signed tome to mount, but I tried and could not, for my legs felt stiff andstretched, my back ached, and there was a peculiar sensation of sorenessabout the knees.

  "Shall I trot him back?" said Lomax.

  "If you would, please," I said. "I do feel so stiff."

  "I will, my lad. To-morrow morning same time; and I'll get some of thatstiffness out of you."

  "Thank you," I said rather dolefully; and then I could not help watchingthe old dragoon with a feeling of envy as he placed one foot in thestirrup, drew himself up till he stood upright, then deliberately threwthe right leg over the horse's back, slowly dropped into his place asupright as a dart, and trotted steadily out into the road and away outof sight, while, after closing the gate, I began to retrace my steps inthe direction of the school, just as the boys came trooping out fortheir regular run till the room was ventilated, and the cloth laid fordinner.

  "Oh, I say, it's rank favouritism!" came from the middle of a group. "Ishall speak to the Doctor about it."

  Some one answered this, but I did not hear the words, and I hobbled tothe door, and went up to my room, wondering how any one could be enviousof the sensations I was experiencing then.