Then, Beginning To See It In A Humorous Light, He Would
Shout With Laughter At The Priest's Pretentions To Know Anything, And
Would Say He Was Only Fit To Teach Babies Just Out Of The Cradle To
Say Their ABC.
He only wished the priest had also pretended to some
acquaintance with the manly art, so that they could have a few bouts
with the gloves on, as it would have been a great pleasure to bruise
that big humbugging face black and blue.
The mathematical lessons soon ceased altogether, but whenever an
afternoon outing was arranged my brother would throw aside his books
to join us and take the lead. The ride to the river, he would say,
would give us the opportunity for a little cavalry training and lance-
throwing exercise. In the cane-brake he would cut long, straight canes
for lances, which at the fishing-ground would be cut down to a proper
length for rods. Then, mounting, we would set off, O'Keefe ahead,
absorbed as usual in his own thoughts, while we at a distance of a
hundred yards or so would form in line and go through our evolutions,
chasing the flying enemy, O'Keefe; and at intervals our commander
would give the order to charge, whereupon we would dash forward with a
shout, and when about forty yards from him we would all hurl our
lances so as to make them fall just at the feet of his horse. In this
way we would charge him a dozen or twenty times before getting to our
destination, but never once would he turn his head or have any inkling
of our carryings-on in the rear, even when his horse lashed out
viciously with his hind legs at the lances when they fell too near his
feet.
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