him, and appear surprised, and then
break into a quarrel hotly and at once. Oh! it's enough to drive anyone
mad. You brute! I'll never try to ride you again."

Rather hard, this, upon the patient beast which had carried him for many
miles that day, and was carefully abstaining now from cantering
recklessly amongst dangerous stones, and giving its master a heavy fall.
But boys will be unreasonable sometimes, almost as unreasonable as some
men.

Finding at last that drumming the cob's sides was of no use, jerking the
bit of not the slightest avail, and that whacks with the sheathed sword
only produced whisks of the tail, Mark subsided into a sulky silence,
and rode at a walk, watching the enemy's back as he trudged steadily on.

The vale grew more gloomy on the right side, the steep limestone hill
being all in shadow, and the rough blocks looked like grotesque
creatures peering out from among the blackening bushes; and as he rode
on, the lad could not help thinking that by night the place might easily
scare ignorant, untutored, superstitious people, who saw, or fancied
they saw, strange lights here and there.

"And in the sunshine it is as bright as the other hill," thought Mark,
as he glanced at the left side of the dale; "not very bright, though.
It's a desolate place at the best of times;" and once more he glanced up
the steep slope on his right.

"Wonder why they call it Ergles," he mused. "Let's see; it's up there
where the cave with the hot spring is. Not a bit farther on."

He was still a long distance from home, and knowing that before long
Ralph Darley would turn off to the left, he again made an effort to urge
on the cob, but in vain.

"And he'll go home thinking I'm afraid," muttered the lad; "but first
time I meet him, and he isn't a miserable, wretched, contemptible
cripple, I'll show him I'm not."

"Then you shall show him now," the cob seemed to say, for it broke into
a smart canter, but only because the bottom of the dale was here free
from stones, and in a very short time Ralph was overtaken.

"Here, hi! fellow! clear the road," shouted Mark; and he essayed to
stop. But now, the way being good, the cob was anxious to get on and
reach its stable, passing Ralph quickly enough, and enraging its rider
more and more.

"Oh, you brute, you brute!" he muttered. "Now he can't help thinking
I'm afraid of him. If I only had a whip."

For the moment Mark felt disposed to turn in the saddle, and