Page:The Hungry Stones and Other Stories.djvu/71

 THE HOME-COMING

was ringleader among the boys of the village. A new mischief got into his head. There was a heavy log lying on the mudflat of the river waiting to be shaped into a mast for a boat. He decided that they should all work together to shift the log by main force from its place and roll it away. The owner of the log would be angry and surprised, and they would all enjoy the fun. Every one seconded the proposal, and it was carried unanimously.

But just as the fun was about to begin, Mākhan, Phatik's younger brother, sauntered up, and sat down on the log in front of them all without a word. The boys were puzzled for a moment. He was pushed, rather timidly, by one of the boys and told to get up: but he remained quite unconcerned. He appeared like a young philosopher meditating on the futility of games. Phatik was furious.

"Mākhan," he cried, "if you don't get down this minute, I'll thrash you!"

59