`Ruffle his hair, Turkey. Now you get down, too. "The bleatin' of the kid excites the tiger." You two are in such a sweatin' wax with me that you only curse. 'Member that. I'll tickle you up with a stump. You'll have to blub, Beetle.'
`Right O! I'll work up to it in half a shake,' said Beetle.
`Now begin -- and remember the bleatin' o' the kid.'
`Shut up, you brutes! Let me up! You've nearly cut my knees off. Oh, you are beastly cads! Do shut up. 'Tisn't a joke!' Beetle's protest was, in tone, a work of art.
`Give it to him, Turkey! Kick him! Roll him over! Kill him! Don't funk, Beetle, you brute. Kick him again, Turkey.'
`He's not blubbin' really. Roll up, Beetle, or I'll kick you into the fender,' roared M`Turk. ******
They made a hideous noise among them, and the bait allured their quarry.
`Hullo. What's the giddy jest?' Sefton and Campbell entered to find Beetle on his side, his head against the fender, weeping copiously, while M`Turk prodded him in the back with his toes.
`It's only Beetle,' Stalky explained. `He's shammin' hurt. I can't get Turkey to go for him properly.'
Sefton promptly kicked both boys, and his face lighted. `All right, I'll attend to 'em. Get up an' cock-fight, you two. Give me the stump. I'll tickle 'em. Here's a giddy jest! Come on, Campbell. Let's cook 'em.'
Then M`Turk turned on Stalky and called him very evil names.
`You said you were goin' to cock-fight too, Stalky. Come on!'
`More ass you for believin' me, then!' shrieked Stalky.
`Have you chaps had a row?' said Campbell.
`Row?' said Stalky. `Huh! I'm only educatin' them. D'you know anythin' about cock-fighting, Seffy?'
`Do I know? Why, at Maclagan's, where I was crammin' in town, we used to cock-fight in his drawing- room, and little Maclagan daren't say anything. But we were just the same as men there, of course. Do I know? I'll show you.'
`Can't I get up?' moaned Beetle, as Stalky sat on his shoulder.
`Don't jaw, you fat piffler. You're going to fight Seffy.'
`He'll slay me!'
`Oh, lug 'em into our study,' said Campbell. `It's nice an' quiet in there. I'll cock-fight Turkey. This is an improvement on young Clewer.'
`Right O! I move it's shoes-off for them an' shoes-on for us,' said Sefton joyously, and the two were flung down on the study floor. Stalky rolled them behind an arm-chair.
`Now I'll tie you two up an' direct the bull-fight. Golly, what wrists you have, Seffy. They're too thick for a wipe; got a box-rope?' said he.