"Peace, thou scurvy1 knave2! Dost dare to speak slightingly of the great Robin3 Hood4 and his Merry Men? Have a care, thou pestiferous Squirm, lest I order thy foul5 tongue to be torn from its roots by red-hot pincers."
"Oh, stop your high-falutin' rot and give me back my grub. If you don't——"
"Well, caitiff, what then?"
"As sure as my name's Peter Mawdster I'll report the whole boiling of you to the Captain of the School!"
"Hold, Merry Men!" It was the shrill8 voice of Robin, raised high in command. "Soil not your honest hands with the watery9 blood of this rapscallion. Spread yourselves around, so that there may be no escape for him from the depths of this noble Forest. I would have speech with him—words of serious import indeed!"
Hugely enjoying the sport, the Merry Men drew round Peter Mawdster a cordon11 that it would have been hopeless to attempt to break.
"Now, Mawdster, black-handed imp10 of the printing press, slimiest of Squirms," began Robin, "venture to ope thy sloppy12 mouth during this speech o' mine, and my trusty fellows shall immediately stuff it full of holly13 leaves and clay, which will please thee less than the greasy14 provender15 which has made thee fat and scant16 of breath. Know now the two charges that are laid against thee—firstly, that thou didst carry to school a disgustingly hoggish17 hoard18 of costly19 viands20, which, rather than share with thy dormitory in the time-honoured Foxenby fashion, thou didst bring into the Shrubbery and endeavour to conceal21 there, like a dirty overfed dog with a surplus bone."
"I didn't!" denied Peter. "If you'd only waited I was going to ask everybody to share."
"Villain23! Thou liest in thy teeth! Make not thy odious24 crime worse by perjury25, or thou shalt fare ill at our hands. If he speaks again before I've finished, Merry Men, bung up his mealy mouth!"
"Thou hearest, toad27 of a Squirm? Silence, on thy life! Charge Number Two against thee is that thou didst, of malice28 aforethought, bring to Foxenby a garbled29 story about its honoured Captain—to wit, that at ye royal and ancient sign of Ye Anvil31 Inn, in ye historic and flyblown borough32 of Moston, he did single out and do grievous bodily harm to a gaping33, flabby, half-baked clodhopper who could make no show of resistance.
"Now," continued Robin, getting a fresh breath hurriedly, "think well how thou answerest my questions, as whatever thou lettest slip from thy bloated lips may be used in evidence against thee. Didst thou, or didst thou not, witness the encounter between Forge and the chawbacon?"
"I—I—here, give me my grub and let me go, you fellows!" was the wildly evasive reply.
"Stand ready with the clay, my Merry Men! Answer my question without further ado. Wert thou present at the fight?"
"No; I wasn't."
"If I wasn't, somebody else was," quavered Peter. "Gimme my prog!"
"Silence in Court—I mean cease thy gluttonous35 wailing36 after venison pasty. By my halidom, humble-pie is fitter fare for such carrion37 as thou. For the last time, from whom didst thou glean38 the details of the fistic bout30?"
"My father saw it, if you must know."
"Thy father, eh? Scullion and knave and thrice dirty dog! Who and what is thy sire that his word should be taken before that of a gentleman of Foxenby? Didst, then, thy low-born father vow39 to thee that Forge made a punching-ball of a crackpot yokel40 who could not defend himself?"
"Yes, he did—and don't you call my father names, either, Robin!"
"But I shall call him names, thou caitiff, and to his face if I get the chance. He is a liar41 and a knave, and by the shaven crown of Friar Tuck I swear that, should he ever defile42 Foxenby with his obnoxious43 presence, I and my Merry Men will split his mean carcass with arrows. What say ye, Merry Men?"
"I tell ye, Merry Men," went on Robin, who was most thoroughly45 enjoying himself in the imaginary limelight, "that the doughty46 opponent of our Captain was none other than the notorious Juddy Stockgill, a six-foot-high horseman, four stones heavier (more or less) than Forge to start with. Forge caught this hefty horseman torturing Fluffy47 Jim, the village idiot, and forthwith dotted him one on the beak—that is, I should say, Forge valiantly48 took the—side of the downtrodden and the Oppressed, and with his trusty quarterstaff—I mean to say, his good right arm—laid the tyrant49 low!"
"Bravo! Three cheers for Forge of Foxenby!" cried the delighted Merry Men.
"Gimme me my biscuits and things, and let's be going," whined50 Peter, ungrammatically and fearfully.
"The fat-producing provender, scoundrel, with which thou camest boastfully back to school, is easy enough of access to one of thy elegant figure and nimbleness of foot. If thou so delightest in eating, thou wilt51 gladly climb for thy food. Thou wilt find it dangling52 from the topmost bough53 of yonder sycamore tree, whither the Forest nymphs, disgusted by thy swinish greed, spirited it."
Peter gave a scream of baffled rage as, looking up, he saw that his basket of eatables had actually been tied high up in the sycamore tree. Stout54 as he was, sluggish55 with over-feeding during the Christmas holidays, the task of climbing that high tree, slippery with hoar-frost, was quite beyond him. Stung to reckless fury by his impotence, he first of all showed Robin his teeth in an ugly snarl56. Then he set up such a hullabaloo of weeping as might have been heard a mile away.
"Uh, bu-bu-bu-bub-bub-oo!" he blubbered. "You know I can't reach it up there, you cads. I'm not strong. (Oh, bub-bub-oo!) My father's doctor says I haven't to c-c-climb trees. I've to have plenty of rich and sustaining f-f-food, and I'm hungry now. Gimme my biscuits, bub-bub-bub-oo!"
"Bub-bub-bub-oo!" the Merry Men mocked him, by common consent. "Gimme my biscuits, bub-bub-bub—ooo!"
What cursed spite was it that turned Dick Forge's footsteps in the direction of the Shrubbery just then? Every good reason was his to be conveniently deaf on that side to-day. No kudos57 could be derived58 from stopping yet another of the constantly recurring59 demonstrations60 of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. They were his only friends in the school just now, and as such were surely entitled to as much rope as he could discreetly61 allow them. Yet here he was, urged on to an unpopular action by that stern inner monitor which we know by the name of Duty.
"Now then, you chaps, what's this Bedlam62 about?" he demanded. "Playing at wild beasts escaping from a menagerie, eh? There's a howling wolf amongst you, at any rate. Why," he exclaimed, as the cordon of Merry Men parted to admit him, "it's young Mawdster again!"
Peter ceased blubbering as suddenly as he began. "Yes, Forge, it's me," he said. "They've slung63 all my grub up there in the sycamore tree. Make 'em fetch it down for me!"
"Whom do you think you're talking to, Mawdster? Keep your paws off my coat-sleeve, if you please. Why are you always sneaking64 about in here, making disturbances65? Cut off out of it!"
"Shan't!" replied Peter, as bold as brass66. He was even looking rather pleased with himself now. "I'm not leaving this shrubbery till they've fetched my grub out of that tree. And you'll make 'em do it, Forge!"
The Merry Men stared in amazement67 at this defiantly68 impertinent Squirm. Was his brain, never of average power, softening69 at last?
"Cheeky little monkey," said Dick. "You're not of my House, or I'd give you the lamming of a lifetime. Report yourself at once to Harwood for insolence70. I'll see him myself about you."
Quite unawed, cocksure of the weapon he held in reserve, Peter coolly held his ground.
"No, you won't, Forge," he declared. "You'll either send Robin Arkness up the tree for my food, or fetch it down yourself!"
So brazen71 an outrage72 to the dignity of a School Captain could not be tolerated for a moment. Forgetting Foxenby etiquette73, which had no precedent74 for a prefect of one House visiting summary justice on a boy of another, Dick raised his hand to cuff75 Peter soundly. But the Squirm was too quick for him.
"Lay a finger on me, Forge, and I'll tell my father! Yes, I will, and then he'll come straight to the school and tell Old Wykeham how you cheated him out of every penny of the money he spent on your rotten Rooke's House Rag!"
Disgusting little vulgarian! Full well he knew, and vastly did he enjoy, the sensational76 effect of this revelation amongst the Captain's stanchest supporters. They were clearly staggered by it; he could see them exchanging quick and questioning glances, and the success of his verbal boomerang emboldened77 him still more.
"I will now have my biscuits and things, Forge, if you please," he smilingly demanded.
Pale with suppressed emotion—anger and chagrin78, heart-sinking and mortification—Dick came then to a deliberate decision. Not as Captain of Foxenby, but as plain Dick Forge, grossly insulted in public, would he act.
"You will get what I give you, Mawdster," he quietly said. "And you're not likely to smack79 your lips over it, either. Turn round!"
"Shan't! If you touch me, I'll tell my father!"
"Arkness, just you and Flenton swing Mawdster round and hold him tightly for a minute," he ordered.
Oh, what a great day this was for Robin Hood and his Merry Men! Kicking and scratching and struggling in vain, the stout and oily Squirm was manoeuvred by Robin and Flenton into a position lending itself admirably to corporal punishment. Dick's stick, selected from the sycamore, fell like a flail82 where it would hurt the most and show the least. For sixty seconds or so he spared neither his strength nor Peter's feelings.
Feverishly83 happy, the Merry Men skipped like frolicsome84 lambs. Here was rich entertainment indeed—the Captain of Foxenby, in defiance85 of school traditions, giving a slimy Squirm a first-class whacking86 in the full glare of publicity87!
Grimly finishing his task, Dick threw away the stick, which one of the Merry Men fastened on as a souvenir of the occasion.
"That will do. Release him, you fellows. Now, Mawdster, will you go back to your House at once, or shall I boot you there?"
Mawdster hobbled away, too genuinely sore for noisy sobbing88 this time, but turning once to shake his fist in ludicrous fury at the Captain.
"You'll pay for this, Forge. Mark my words!" he called back.
And Dick, as he marched away with his hands deep in his trousers pockets, quite believed that he would have to pay for this public vindication89 of his dignity—pay to the bitter utmost in pitiless exposure and disgrace.
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1
scurvy
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| adj.下流的，卑鄙的，无礼的；n.坏血病 | |
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knave
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| n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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3
robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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5
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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viper
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| n.毒蛇；危险的人 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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9
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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10
imp
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| n.顽童 | |
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cordon
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| n.警戒线，哨兵线 | |
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12
sloppy
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| adj.邋遢的，不整洁的 | |
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13
holly
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| n.[植]冬青属灌木 | |
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14
greasy
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| adj. 多脂的，油脂的 | |
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15
provender
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| n.刍草；秣料 | |
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16
scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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17
hoggish
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| adj.贪婪的 | |
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hoard
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| n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积 | |
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costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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viands
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| n.食品，食物 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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22
hoots
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| 咄，啐 | |
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23
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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24
odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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perjury
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| n.伪证；伪证罪 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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27
toad
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆 | |
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28
malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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29
garbled
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| adj.（指信息）混乱的，引起误解的v.对（事实）歪曲，对（文章等）断章取义，窜改( garble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
bout
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| n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛 | |
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anvil
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| n.铁钻 | |
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32
borough
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| n.享有自治权的市镇；(英)自治市镇 | |
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33
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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34
slander
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| n./v.诽谤，污蔑 | |
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35
gluttonous
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| adj.贪吃的，贪婪的 | |
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36
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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37
carrion
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| n.腐肉 | |
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38
glean
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| v.收集(消息、资料、情报等) | |
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vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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yokel
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| n.乡下人；农夫 | |
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41
liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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42
defile
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| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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43
obnoxious
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| adj.极恼人的，讨人厌的，可憎的 | |
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44
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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45
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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46
doughty
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| adj.勇猛的，坚强的 | |
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47
fluffy
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| adj.有绒毛的，空洞的 | |
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48
valiantly
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| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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49
tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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50
whined
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| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
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51
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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52
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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53
bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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55
sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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56
snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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57
kudos
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| n.荣誉，名声 | |
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58
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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59
recurring
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| adj.往复的，再次发生的 | |
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60
demonstrations
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| 证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威 | |
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61
discreetly
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| ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地 | |
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62
bedlam
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| n.混乱，骚乱；疯人院 | |
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63
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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64
sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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65
disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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66
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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67
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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68
defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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69
softening
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| 变软，软化 | |
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70
insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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71
brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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72
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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73
etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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74
precedent
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| n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的 | |
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75
cuff
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| n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口 | |
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76
sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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77
emboldened
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| v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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78
chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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79
smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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80
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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81
alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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82
flail
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| v.用连枷打；击打；n.连枷（脱粒用的工具） | |
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83
feverishly
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| adv. 兴奋地 | |
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84
frolicsome
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| adj.嬉戏的，闹着玩的 | |
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85
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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86
whacking
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| adj.（用于强调）巨大的v.重击，使劲打( whack的现在分词 ) | |
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87
publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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88
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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89
vindication
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| n.洗冤，证实 | |
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