“Oh no,” said Bevis. “This is not Africa; there is no sand, and there are no camels about. Stop a minute. Put down that spade, don’t dig another bit till we know what we are.”
Mark put down the spade, and they both thought very hard indeed, looking straight at one another.
“I know,” said Bevis, drawing a long breath. “We are digging a canal through Mount Athos, and we are Greeks.”
“But was it the Greeks?” said Mark. “Are you sure—”
“Quite sure,” said Bevis. “Perfectly quite sure. Besides, it doesn’t matter. We can do it if they did not, don’t you see?”
“So we can: and who are you then, if we are Greeks?”
“I am Alexander the Great.”
“And who am I!”
“O, you—you are anybody.”
“But I must be somebody,” said Mark, “else it will not do.”