One of the most common and disagreeable orders for a Junior to receive on these wet mornings was to get a pint cup; as at the commencement of the half year the stock-in-trade for the whole College consisted of about two dozen, and as they were by no means “College ware,” i.e., not easily broken, in a few weeks they became rather scarce articles, but no Junior being ever allowed to say he “couldn’t” procure anything he was told to get, he had to depart on his hopeless errand, and, not succeeding, receive the usual reward.
As the day wore on some of the Præfects would subside into the comfortably stuffed seats between their scobs, and set to work “Mugging,” (reading hard,) only occasionally lifting up their voices to call “Junior!”: other boys would take to playing chess, or some other quiet game; while the more noisily disposed would indulge in practising jumps over the Commoners’ tables, playing Hicockolorum, or Crocketts, (miniature cricket, with a stump and a fives ball,) to the great detriment of Præfect of School’s windows.
Presently Seventh Chamber passage would open and admit Crutch, (I wonder what his name really was,) a knowing-looking little man, whose occupation was that of surgeon to those cricket and fives bats that had received severe wounds; and he was such a skilful operator that a bat always seemed to rise like a Phœnix from its ashes after passing through his hands; a clamorous crowd would speedily surround the bat-surgeon, to supply him with fresh patients, or consult him on the constitution of others. Currell, also, would be likely to come in on a wet day,—when I say Currell, I mean a hair-cutter, for there were two or three of them, but whoever the individual was, to the boys he was always “Currell.” One of them operated on me yesterday; as he was combing my luxuriant locks, he remarked:—“Hair not quite so thick, sir, as it used to was in the old times; very fine ’ead of ’air then, sir. Remember when you came, before New Commoners’ was built; great changes since then. Old Poole dead at last, sir. Doctor’s nephew is a master now, sir; has an ’ouse in Kingsgate Street, and takes in young gents,” &c., &c. But I don’t think he could have told me much more, as I find that having my hair cut is not nearly so tedious an operation as it used to be.
On the dark afternoons in the short half, for about an hour before hall time, (six o’clock,) the boys used to assemble round the fire, the Juniors sitting on the stone steps, and the Præfects on scobs ranged in a semicircle in front; two large vessels of egg-flip were placed in the middle, from which the contents were scooped out with pint cups, and we used to sing lustily, if not well. I trust that the repertoire of songs has been changed since those days; indeed, before I left all the more objectionable ones were expunged. We always began with “When good King Arthur reigned,” and then followed promiscuously “The Bay of Biscay,” “The Workhouse Boy,” “John Barleycorn,” “Three Jolly Postboys,” “Betsy Baker,” “Captain Bold,” “The Overseer,” “I Loves a Drop of Good Beer,” “Fox went Out one Moonshiny Night,” “Tally ho! Hark away,” &c.
EGG-FLIP NIGHT.
Amongst two hundred boys quarrels would occasionally arise, which were generally adjusted, when the principals were at all equally matched, by an appeal to that old British weapon—the Fist. Fights were by no means exceedingly frequent, and when they did come off, were conducted with all due solemnity. School on a Lockback day was a very favourite arena, and differences were also settled on Hills and on “Sicily,” (a triangular piece of grass just at the entrance into Meads,) where I have also seen a main of cocks fought. I will not give an account of an ideal fight, as everybody has already read the particulars of that one so graphically written by my excellent friend Tom Brown, with whose sentiments on the subject in general I cordially concur, and I strongly recommend my readers to take down their copy of the book from its shelf at this moment, and reperuse that portion of it. To the best of my recollection, I was only once engaged in a bonâ fide set-to of the kind in question; but I flatter myself that this was a very remarkable contest, being well remembered for some little time by the fortunate spectators. We commenced operations immediately after morning chapel, and did not lay down our arms till the hiss was given for morning school; we were then squaring-up for the forty-ninth round. I got my head considerably punched in the first few rounds, during which indeed it was seldom out of Chancery, but I improved as we got on, and felt quite sorry when we were obliged to give up; neither of us, however, had afterwards the slightest anxiety to renew the engagement, and we always continued the best of friends, having, from practical experience, learnt mutual respect for each other; and whenever in after life I have had the pleasure of meeting my old antagonist, we have never failed in conversation to fight our battle over again.
A good deal of practice with single stick, foils, and boxing-gloves, went on in school also; I was one day exercising the latter instruments with Pudding, when I received a blow in the throat which made me feel very uncomfortable, and we left off; I got worse and worse, and finally had to apply for leave from school; I then went down to sick house, was rather feverish that evening, and awoke next morning with—the Measles.
On “Remedies” from eleven till twelve, and from four till five there was an attempt at keeping order in school, under the presidence of the unfortunate French Master, who, I fear, had rather a warm time of it, in endeavouring, with the assistance of the Bible Clerk and Ostiarius, to maintain anything like a proper command over us. These hours of mitigated study were called “Books Chambers.”
