“Shan’t. You’re not going to do just as you like, Physic,” said Burr major, and he threw up the lid, looked in, and then uttered a contemptuous “Pah!”
“What a mess!” he cried. “Look here, Dicksee.”
The latter crossed to him eagerly, and I stood there a prisoner, but burning with indignation and an intense desire to hit some one.
“I’ll tell the Doctor,” cried Mercer. “It’s a shame!”
“Oh, is it? You’d better tell tales—do. Oh, I say, boys, lookye here. This is a rumtummikos incomprehensibus. What a beast!”
He had taken hold of the unfortunate stoat by the tail and held it out amidst roars of laughter. “We’ll have a fire and burn him. What’s next?”
He dived down into the great chest, and brought out the starling.
“Here you are, boys,” he cried again. “This is the speckled pecker, or measly short-tail.”
Another roar of laughter.
“And here’s the blue-winged cockatooral-looral-looral.”