ickey; you know me now."

Dawson did know him, and so he blustered out--

"You're a beastly fellow, that I know; and so I'll go and tell Blackall
what you say."

"Go, Dickey, and say I sent you," cried Bouldon; and, undaunted by the
threat which had been uttered, he bestowed a parting kick of very
considerable force on the portion of Dickey's body then turned towards
him. Dawson ran off, vowing vengeance.

"You shouldn't have done that, Bouldon," said Buttar, who was a very
gentlemanly, refined fellow. "The actions were expressive, and could
leave no manner of doubt as to what our course of action must be; but
perhaps we might have succeeded better had we left them in doubt, and
waited till they commence operations."

"I dare say you are right, Buttar," said Bouldon; "but, in truth, all my
English spirit was roused within me at the preposterous notion of those
few big fellows proposing all of a sudden to make slaves of the rest of
the school. However, what is to be done now?"

"Let us go and talk to Bracebridge, and hear what he says," said Buttar.

They soon found Bracebridge, and told him all that had occurred. He was
just as indignant as Tom was, and he could not help laughing at the way
in which he had exhibited his feelings, though he agreed with Buttar
that a less demonstrative mode of proceeding might have been wiser. He
was decidedly of opinion that immediate steps should be taken to put
a stop to the proceedings of the big fellows, and that a
counter-resolution should be drawn up, and sent round for the signature
of those boys who had resolved not in any way to submit to fagging. He
and Buttar immediately went into the school-room, and drew up the paper
which they considered met the object. It was very temperate, and
couched in the most simple language, as such documents always should be
to be effectual. It ran, as far as I remember, much in the following
words:--

"We, the undersigned, understanding that an attempt is being made by
some of the big boys to introduce a system of fagging into the school,
bind ourselves to resist such a proceeding by every means in our power,
and under no consideration to obey any boy who may order any of us to
fag for him."

"That will do," observed Bracebridge. "The sentence might be better
rounded, but the document is short and explicit. We will see what
effect it will have. Let Dawson have a sight of it before it is
generally signed. Here, you and I will