Part 15 (1/2)

He walked down the lane, Violet Elizabeth trotting beside him.

'Let'th play at being Robinthon Cruthoe and Friday,' she suggested brightly.

William did not deign to answer.

'Well, let'th pretend we're ecthplorerth, then,' she said. 'It'th tho dull jutht being Commandoth.'

'You wait,' said William. 'You wait till I get going.'

'All right. What do we do firtht?'

'Well er I'll climb a tree and have a good look round for sentries, then I'll creep up behind 'em and kill 'em.'

'But I like thentrieth,' objected Violet Elizabeth. 'They're nithe.'

'Well, I don't want you, anyway, an' I wish you'd go away . . . I'm goin' to go into this field an' climb this tree.'

'Can I climb it, too?'

'No.'

'All right. I don't mind. I alwayth get thtuck in treeth.'

William went across the field to a large oak tree that grew by the farther hedge. He had often climbed it before and took only a few seconds to reach a good vantage point about half-way up. Violet Elizabeth waited patiently till he rejoined her.

'I got a jolly good view,' he said excitedly. 'I could see two men in khaki, guardin' things. One was guardin' the telephone box by the road an' the other was guardin' the bridge over the river. I could jump down on both of 'em an' overpower them, but I can't tell from here which is ours an' which is the enemy. I say! You go round an' find out which is which. See which of 'em's a reg'lar soldier an' which is a Home Guard. P'raps,' hopefully, 'they're both reg'lar soldiers an' I can overpower both of 'em. Anyway, it's no good lettin' them see me before I start overpowerin' them or it'll put 'em on their guard. You go first an' find out which is which an' come back an' tell me an' then I'll go an' overpower whichever's the enemy.'

'All right,' agreed Violet Elizabeth and trotted off obediently.

William meantime searched for suitable weapons in the neighbouring hedge. He found a short stout stick with which, he thought, he could stun his opponent, and his pocket already contained a length of string with which he hoped to secure his victim when stunned.

Violet Elizabeth soon came trotting back 'The one by the bridge ith a Home Guard, William,' she said, 'an' the one by the telephone booth ith a reg'lar tholdier.'

'All right,' said William. 'I'll overpower the one by the telephone box.'

'Can I come, too?' asked Violet Elizabeth.

'No,' said William firmly. 'I'm goin' into deadly danger an' it's no place for women. Besides, you always mess things up.'

'All right, William,' said Violet Elizabeth with unexpected docility. 'I'll wait for you here.'

William crept across the field to the point in the road where the telephone box was. Carefully, silently, with the help of some railings at the side of the road, he climbed up to the top of the telephone box, then peeped cautiously over the top. All he could see was a netted tin hat, a khaki battle dress and an enormous pair of boots. The best way to overpower the enemy was, he had decided, to fling himself down upon him from above and, while the enemy was still bewildered, stun and bind him . . .

He waited breathlessly for a few seconds. Evidently the enemy, leaning against the telephone box in an att.i.tude of extreme boredom, had not heard his approach. William set his teeth and drew a deep breath . . . One, two, three . . .

For a few seconds William and the khaki-clad figure rolled about the road in indistinguishable confusion. Unfortunately the figure in khaki recovered first from his confusion, dragged William to his feet and boxed his ears.

'You little devil, you!'

'Listen!' said William, rubbing his head, which had felt the full impact, first of the warrior's tin hat and then of his large and h.o.r.n.y hand. 'Listen! You don't understand. I'm a Commando an' I've captured you. At least, I dropped my stick when I fell off, but, if I'd got my stick, I'd've captured you, so-' he broke off, staring in amazement at the warrior's sleeve. 'Gos.h.!.+ You're a Home Guard!'

WILLIAM LOOKED CAUTIOUSLY OVER THE TOP OF THE TELEPHONE BOX.

''Course I'm a Home Guard,' snapped the warrior. 'And, let me tell you, you can get into serious trouble for interfering with a Home Guard in the pursuit of his duties. You may not know that this is an invasion practice, and that I'm guarding vital communications. I don't suppose you even know there's a war on. I suppose you think of nothing but your inane monkey tricks. Boys like you are a menace to the community . . .'

'Listen,' pleaded William again. 'I was tryin' to help. I-' But the Home Guard advanced upon him threateningly.

'Go home,' he said. 'Go home and wash your face.'

William, in no condition to venture upon further hostilities, took ignominiously to flight.

He found Violet Elizabeth sitting under the tree where he had left her, sucking a piece of chocolate.

'Look here!' William accused her indignantly. 'You made me attack the wrong side. He wasn't a reg'lar soldier.'

'I know he wathn't,' agreed Violet Elizabeth, mildly apologetic, 'but I wath playing a different game a game of my own. I wath pretending I wath an ecthplorer, theeing which were the friendly tribeth and the one by the bridge wath a very friendly one. He gave me a thlab of chocolate and I didn't want you to kill him, cauthe he wath tho nithe and kind, but the one by the telephone booth wath very dithagreeable and wouldn't even thpeak to me, tho I wanted you to kill him, cauthe he wath tho croth. That'th why I told you he wath a reg'lar tholdier, cauthe I wanted you to kill him. He detherved to be killed for being tho nathty and croth.'

William was beyond even remonstrance. He dug his hands into his pockets and trailed dejectedly homewards.

He was tempted not to attend the meeting at General Moult's house the next morning. He had nothing to offer but a record of failure and disgrace that would expose him to the triumphant jeering of his enemies for months to come. He hadn't even contributed a single map, and his encounter with the Home Guard was still a painful memory. It seemed, however, cowardly to s.h.i.+rk it, so, sore in both mind and body, he set out for the meeting.

Hubert Lane and his friends were already there, grinning complacently. They had all sent maps, and one of them, Hubert probably, would be sure to get the prize. William took his seat at the end of the row, his freckled face set and scowling. The ostrich egg still stood on the top of the book-case. It seemed to regard him with mingled derision and contempt.

'How many maps did you send the General, William?' said Hubert, and his friends sn.i.g.g.e.red in appreciation of the taunt.

General Moult entered and took his seat at his writing-desk.

'Now I'll ask you children, one by one, what you did yesterday to help the defending forces,' he said. 'I'll ask Hubert Lane first.'

Hubert smirked triumphantly.

'I sent you ten maps,' he said, 'an' I bet no one else sent as many as that. My dad's always buying new maps. He buys jolly expensive ones, too.'

General Moult pa.s.sed on to the next without comment.

'I sent you three maps.'

'I sent you four maps.'

'I only sent one, but it was a jolly good one.'

Hubert sat with his eyes fixed gloatingly on the ostrich egg. He would put it in the hall where everyone would see it as they came into the house, and he would tell everyone how he'd won it. If he wasn't in, his mother would tell them. No one had sent more than ten maps. He was sure of the prize. He'd scored over ole William Brown at last, and he wouldn't let him forget it in a hurry.