8ft THE SCHOOLMASTER ABROAD. 



fellow in the master's desk ; his vigorous exertions 

 and suppressed shouts afford prime incentives to 

 laughter. But the risible muscles of this little knot 

 of gay fellows are instantly elongated, perpendicu- 

 larly, to a fearful extent, and every feature assumes 

 the hue of whitewash, when the bottom of the desk 

 groans, cracks, splits, and allows the chubby little 

 prisoner to fall to the ground, with a heavy whop 

 like a gigantic boiled potatoe. They, who a few mi- 

 nutes before with laughter-lighted eyes were compa- 

 ring their captive to one of the heroes in the belly of 

 the wooden horse, are now with rueful countenance 

 gathering up the scattered books, and endeavouring 

 to refix the demolished carpentry, heedless of the 

 howls, uttered at the top of his voice, of the liberated 

 urchin. 



This affair however seems to have but little influ- 

 ence on the fun of the rest of the school ; each group 

 or set of boys is following its own avocation in the 

 way which seemeth best to its own Fancy. Eight or 

 nine little fellows have fixed up a row of picture- 

 covered copy books on the chimney piece, and are 

 standing at a reasonable distance to try who is the best 

 shot. Eton grammars, Ellis's exercises, Caesars, Li- 

 vys and Lucians, being the missiles employed, much 

 to the benefit of tradesmen in general, and booksellers 

 in particular. 



Another party of students may be seen, educating 

 themselves ni the theory and practice of ancient seige 

 warfare ; they are all seated on a long form, one end 

 of which is placed near a hole in the wall, recently 

 made — as the fallen mortar, which an auxiliary is con- 

 veying away in his cap, indicates ; by holding the 

 desk opposite to which they are sitting, and opera- 

 ting, sailor-like, all at the same moment, they com- 

 municate a regular see-saw to the form, whose leg 

 joints are as ricketty as those of an old horse, 

 emulating the ponderous battering-ram of yore, the 

 heavy oaken plank comes ever and anon with a hea- 

 vy thud again;-;t the breach, and each successive dig 



