"You two--work him like this--gently. I'll relieve you directly."
He left the two masters rubbing and moving the boy's arms to their full
extent, and pressing them to his sides, while he hurried on some
clothes, and, shivering with horror and exhaustion, we followed his
example, while, with my ears ringing, I heard Mercer gasp out,--
"Poor old Dicksee! Oh, Frank, I hope he ain't drowned."
But as, after our hurried dressing, we saw him lying there rigid and
cold, it seemed as if the boy would never say another unkind word to a
soul.
By this time Lomax had relieved the two masters, and with all the vigour
of his strong arms he was trying to produce artificial respiration
somewhat after the fashion that has of late been laid down as a surgical
law, but apparently without avail.
The blankets had been brought, the boys, all but we few elder ones, sent
back to the school, and a messenger had gone for the nearest medical
man, so that nothing more could be done than was in progress.
"I'm afraid it's a hopeless case," said Mr Rebble, with a groan.
"Never say die, sir," cried Lomax. "I remember a lad of ours in my
regiment was swept with his horse down the torrent below where we were
fording a river away yonder in India. He seemed to be quite gone when
we got him ashore half a mile lower down, but we rubbed and worked him
about for quite three hours, taking it in turns, before he gave a sign
of life. But he opened his eyes at last, and next day he was 'most as
well as ever. What time do you expect Doctor Browne back, sir?"
"Not till quite late to-night. And what news for him!--what a shock for
them both!"
"Shock!" said Lomax. "Here, you take a turn now, Mr Hasnip; we mustn't
stop for a moment."
Mr Hasnip, whose coat was off and sleeves turned up, sprang to his side
and went on.
"I'll relieve you again soon, sir," said Lomax, wiping his dripping
forehead. "But how was it, Mr Burr major?"
"I--I don't know," said my school-fellow, starting. "I think he
suddenly remembered it was so deep, and he turned frightened, for he
went under all at once and right down, and then I cried for help."
"Better have lent him a hand," said Lomax gruffly. "Well, Mr Hasnip,
sir, feel him coming to?"
"No, no," said the second master dolefully. "He is dead! he is dead!"
"Not he, sir," cried Lomax roughly. "We're going to bring him round;
all we've been doing has helped him, and it's a long way off three
hours. Here, let's have him out in the sunshine, please. I believe in
the sun."
The poor fellow was carried out, the two masters each taking a corner of
the blanket on which he lay, Lomax and I the others.
It was quickly done, and then Lomax recommenced rubbing, working the
boy's chest so as to make it contract and expand, and all the time with
perspiration dropping from his brow. Mr Rebble and Mr Hasnip both
relieved him, and we boys did our best to help; but the afternoon glided
on, no doctor arrived, and we felt chilled and hopeless, till all at
once, after a rest, Lomax had begun again apparently as fresh as ever,
and to our horror he suddenly began to whistle a merry tune.
"Lomax!" cried Mr Hasnip.
"What's the matter, sir?"
"For goodness' sake--at a time like this--it is too--"
"Why, haven't I got cause to whistle, sir?" cried the sergeant merrily.
"What did I tell you? Only wanted time and plenty o' muscle."
"What! is he reviving?"
"No, sir, he's revived," said Lomax. "Look at the colour coming, and
his eyelids quivering. He'll be sitting up directly. Here, you can
feel his heart beating now."
Mr Rebble went down on one knee and laid his hand upon Dicksee's
breast; then, jumping up again, he caught Lomax by the wrist.
"Heaven bless you for this!" he cried, and Mr Hasnip forgot his dignity
as a master, and, taking off his hat, joined us boys in a hearty, "Hip!
hip! hip! hooray!" which seemed to give the finishing impetus to our
treatment, for Dicksee opened his eyes wide, struggled up into a sitting
position, stared about him for a few moments, and then cried, in a
harsh, unpleasant tone,--
"Where's my clothes?"
As he spoke, there was the sound of footsteps, and the medical man and
the messenger who had been sent to bring him hurried up.
"I'm very sorry," he said. "I was right at the other end of the parish,
and had to be fetched. Is this the patient?"
Dicksee had now huddled the blanket round him, and began in a whining,
queer way,--
"What's been the matter? What are you all doing? Here, somebody, I
want my clothes."
"No occasion to have fetched me," said the surgeon, smiling. "You've
brought him round, I see. They're often like this when they've been
nearly drowned. Come, squire, can you dress yourself?"
"Yes, if you'll all go away," cried Dicksee in a snarling tone. "Who's
a-going to dress with you all a-staring like that?"
"Go into the shed, Dicksee," said Mr Rebble. "Can you walk?"
"Of course, I can, sir;" and he scrambled up.
"Had a long job of course," said the surgeon; and then--"He don't seem
very grateful for being brought back to life. Well, gentlemen, there's
little to do. Let him go to bed soon, and have a good night's rest. I
don't suppose he will be much worse in the morning when I come."
So little seemed to be the matter, that, when he was dressed, Dicksee
walked slowly back to the school, Mercer and I following him with Lomax.
"Rum thing," he said, "how crusty the being nearly drowned makes a lad.
Hardly worth all the trouble we took over him, eh?"
"Oh, don't talk like that, Lom!" I cried.
"But he was precious disagreeable," cried Mercer; "and after the way in
which you saved his life too!"
"I didn't," I said; "it was Lom here."
"Nay, lad, you got hold of him diving, first. If it hadn't been for
you, I shouldn't have had anything to rub. But I was thinking."
"What of, Lom?"
"Of how strange it is, lads, that we somehow have to help and do good to
them who've always been our enemies. That chap's always hated you, Mr
Burr."
"Yes, I'm afraid so, Lomax," I said, with a sigh.
"And so you go into the water, and save his life."
"Yes, 'tis rum," said Mercer. "A nasty, disagreeable beggar. I hate
him. But I am glad he wasn't drowned."