“Well, are you not satisfied?” said Kinlay, seeing my undisguised indignation.

“Yes, with my own share,” I replied.  “But if you’d taken the smaller piece of siller for yourself, and given Willie Hercus yon piece you’ve taken, I’d have thought you more honourable.”

And then I roundly accused him of having stolen the fragments of the helmet.

“You have stolen the things,” I said.  “You saw that they were of more worth than the rest, and you were afraid that we would want a share of them.”

“You’re a liar!” he exclaimed angrily.

“And you’re a thief!” I retorted; and I walked round to him, determined, if necessary, to defend my accusation in a more practical way than by empty words.

Now, I am confident that Kinlay was almost eager for such a chance as this to pay back many debts which his own jealousy had from time to time conjured up against me.  For, apart from the fact that I happened to be a little more brilliant than he in our class at school, there were not wanting indications that he was in other ways losing ground in our common race, and circumstances seemed to require that we should each make a final effort now for the upper hand.

Seeing my determined attitude, he regarded it as a challenge, and at once took off his jacket and held it out for Robbie Rosson to take charge of.  Robbie promptly showed the tenor of his feelings by allowing the jacket to fall upon one of the gravestones, and by coming to my side.  Hercus merely busied himself in pacifying my dog, which had become restless on hearing our high words.

Kinlay and I now stood face to face, and I almost trembled to think of the thrashing that was probably in store for me.  He gave the first blow, which struck me soundly on the side of the head and knocked my cap off.  I buttoned my jacket tight and closed with my adversary, yet with small success.  The fight was for a few moments unequal.  Tom was much the taller, and his big feet, with their hide sandals, seemed to grip the elastic turf.  His fists, too, were large and hard, and his lunging strokes were enough to stagger one of our native ponies.

Against this superiority I had to depend upon such power of limb and endurance as I had acquired by long practice at cliff climbing and in swimming the strong currents of Scapa Flow.  For a time a heavy blow on my chest disabled me, and my right arm was sorely bruised by the many blows it had suffered in guarding my face.  Still, I was determined not to give in; and, just as one gets a second wind in swimming, so did I now feel a new and strange strength come upon me.  I continued the conflict with renewed energy.

Stepping backward upon one of the flat tombstones, I once more stood ready to receive my opponent.  He struck without effect at my face, and while he was recovering his balance I saw my opportunity, and hit him a strong blow between the eyes.  He staggered and fell, and I saw that the fight was over.  Rising to his feet he did not retaliate, but picked up his jacket, wrapped his store of the treasure into his seal’s skin, and wiping the dripping blood from his nose, walked away across the heath in the direction of Crua Breck, muttering a vow of vengeance.