" The boys who played
divided into sides under different leaders, and one side occupied the
mound. Then, all parties having provided themselves with many sods of
turf, cut with their bread-and-cheese knives, the side which remained
at the bottom proceeded to assault the mound, advancing up on all sides
under cover of a heavy fire of turfs, and then struggling for victory
with the occupants, which was theirs as soon as they could, even for a
moment, clear the summit, when they in turn became the besieged. It
was a good, rough, dirty game, and of great use in counteracting the
sneaking tendencies of the school. Then others of the boys spread over
the downs, looking for the holes of humble-bees and mice, which they
dug up without mercy, often (I regret to say) killing and skinning the
unlucky mice, and (I do not regret to say) getting well stung by the
bumble-bees. Others went after butterflies and birds' eggs in their
seasons; and Tom found on Hazeldown, for the first time, the beautiful
little blue butterfly with golden spots on his wings, which he had never
seen on his own downs, and dug out his first sand-martin's nest. This
latter achievement resulted in a flogging, for the sand-martins built in
a high bank close to the village, consequently out of bounds; but one of
the bolder spirits of the school, who never could be happy unless he
was doing something to which risk was attached, easily persuaded Tom to
break bounds and visit the martins' bank.
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