248 SIB CHARLES LYELL. 



amused themselves by heaping up piles of chalk 

 flints on the opposite ridges, and letting them roll 

 down, and dash against each other like two armies. 



The teacher, Dr. Kadcliffe, was called " Blue- 

 beard," from having his fourth wife. The boys, 

 however, liked him, because he had the rare merit 

 of being impartial, while they were never tired of 

 annoying another teacher, who had his favorites. 

 Says Lyell of these early days, " Monsieur Borelle's 

 room was within one in which I and eight others 

 slept. One night, when we were very angry with 

 him for having spatted us all round with a ruler, 

 for a noise in the schoolroom which only one had 

 made, and no one would confess, we determined to 

 be revenged. We balanced a great weight of heavy 

 volumes on the top of the door, so that no one 

 could open it without their falling on his head. 

 He was caught like a mouse in a trap, and threw a 

 book in a rage at each boy's head, as they lay 

 shamming sound asleep. 



"Another stratagem of mine and young Prescott 

 (son of Sir G. P.) was to tie a string across the 

 room from the legs of two beds, so as to trip him 

 up ; from this string others branched off, the ends 

 of which were fixed to the great toes of two sound 

 sleepers, so that when Monsieur drew the lines, 

 they woke, making a great outcry. At last we 

 wearied him out, and he went and slept elsewhere. 



" I conclude that there were far too many hours 

 allotted to sleep at this school, for at all others we 

 were glad to sleep after the labors of the day, and 



