"Let me hear what it is," said Ralph coldly; and Mark flushed and raised his point again.

"No!" he cried. "Yes: I will say it, and you may think I'm a coward if you like. I don't care."

"What is it?" said Ralph, making a dimple on the toe of his boot with his sword point.

"Well, it's this," said Mark; "and mind, I'm speaking to you as an enemy."

"Of course," said Ralph.

"Old Master Rayburn said to me, that as my father did not put a stop to the doings of this Captain Purlrose, I ought to do it."

"That's exactly what he said to me."

Mark hesitated for a moment or two, and then, as if speaking with an effort, he blurted out:

"And thought I ought to join you, each getting together some men, and going and taking the ruffians by surprise."

"Yes; and he said all that to me."

"Oh! Well, it's quite impossible for us to fight together as friends, isn't it?"

"Quite," cried Ralph.

"We did once, though," suggested Mark.

"Yes, so we did. Well, couldn't we again if we tried?"

"I don't know," said Mark thoughtfully. "We should have to do it in secret if we did."

"Oh yes; n.o.body must know, or it would be stopped."

"Well, I've thought a deal about it. What do you say? Shall we try?"

"I will, if you will."

"And you won't think I don't want to fight you now?"

"Well, I can't help thinking that. You don't want to, do you?"

Mark frowned, and was silent for a few moments, before saying hurriedly:

"I want to fight the enemy of my house, but I don't want to fight you in particular. You see, it seems strange, after we've fought together against another enemy."

"It doesn't seem strange to me," said Ralph quietly; "it seems stupid."

"But I'm not afraid."

"I don't think I am," said Ralph. "I think we showed we were not afraid when I wounded you."

"I wounded you too," said Mark hotly.

"Yes. Well, then, don't let's fight this morning."

Mark sheathed his weapon, and Ralph did the same.

"Now then," said the former, "how many men could you get together?"

"Nick Garth, Ram Jennings, and six more."

"Eight," said Mark, flushing proudly. "I could get Dan Rugg, Dummy Rugg--he's only a lad, but he's stronger than I am. Oh yes: and fourteen more at least."

"That would not be fair. If you agreed to come and attack the men at Ergles, you would have to bring eight. But could you get swords and pikes for them?"

"Oh yes--for five times as many. How about yours?"

"We've plenty of arms. They're old, but very sharp and good."

"And could you depend on your fellows to fight?" said Mark.

"Oh yes," said Ralph, smiling; "they hate these people, and they'd rush at them like dogs would at wolves."

"So would ours," cried Mark. "There isn't one of our men who hasn't had some relative or friend attacked and ill-used or robbed."

"Sixteen and ourselves would be plenty."

"And then there's Master Rayburn."

"No," said Ralph quickly; "he's getting a very old man, and I don't think he ought to go. Let's do it all secretly, and make the men vow not to say a word. n.o.body else must know."

"When would you go?" said Mark, nodding his head in agreement.

"They say you should always strike when the iron is hot."

"Well, it's hot enough now," cried Mark eagerly. "What do you say to to-morrow night."

"Why not to-night?" said Ralph. "I'm willing. Then we'll go to-night.

What time?"

"It ought to be after our people are gone to bed. We should have to come out unknown."

"Yes, I forgot that. Then it would have to be ten o'clock first, and it would take us quite an hour to get quietly up to the mouth of the cave."

"Yes, with a lantern under a cloak, and every man a torch," said Ralph.

"Oh, I say, you are good at this sort of thing," cried Mark eagerly. "I shouldn't have thought of that."

"We couldn't fight in the dark; we shouldn't know friends from foes."

"We should know our own men, and of course your men would be enemies to my men; but, of course, we shouldn't want to fight, but to know Purlrose and his men. Yes, we must have pitch torches. I can bring any number of them, for we use them sometimes in the big parts of the mine, where the smoke doesn't matter. Well, it all seems easy enough. I don't believe there'll be a door to batter down, only a curtain across to keep the wind out, and it's a very narrow place, I remember. I went just inside once."