out, but for many years there had been a standing quarrel between the
two, which resulted in skirmishes, sallies, and ambuscades, with now and
then a pitched battle. No great harm was done in these encounters, for
the weapons were usually snowballs in winter and pine-cones or clods of
earth in the summer. Even when the contest got closer and we came to
fisticuffs, a few bruises and a little blood was the worst that could
come of it. Our opponents were more numerous than we, but we had the
advantage of being always together and of having a secure asylum upon
which to retreat, while they, living in scattered houses all over the
parish, had no common rallying-point. A stream, crossed by two bridges,
ran through the centre of the town, and this was the boundary which
separated our territories from those of our enemies. The boy who
crossed the bridge found himself in hostile country.

It chanced that in the first conflict which occurred after my arrival at
the school I distinguished myself by singling out the most redoubtable
of our foemen, and smiting him such a blow that he was knocked helpless
and was carried off by our party as a prisoner. This feat of arms
established my good name as a warrior, so I came at last to be regarded
as the leader of our forces, and to be looked up to by bigger boys than
myself. This promotion tickled my fancy so much, that I set to work to
prove that I deserved it by devising fresh and ingenious schemes
for the defeat of our enemies.

One winter's evening news reached us that our rivals were about to make
a raid upon us under cover of night, and that they proposed coming by
the little used plank bridge, so as to escape our notice. This bridge
lay almost out of the town, and consisted of a single broad piece of
wood without a rail, erected for the good of the town clerk, who lived,
just opposite to it. We proposed to hide ourselves amongst the bushes