'Rosum's great.

Put some on my hand oust when I went to ole Pepper's school at Yarraman, an' near died laughin' when he gave me twenty cuts fer copy-in' me sums.' The boys clustered about Dolf, who produced a piece of resin about the size of a hen's egg, and waved it triumphantly.
'You pound it up wif a rock,' said he confidently, 'an' rub it on yer hands.' The pounding process was begun at once, amidst a babel of opinions.

It was a fond illusion amongst the boys that resin so applied deadened the effects of the cane.

It had been tried scores of times without in the least mitigating the agony of Ham's cuts, but the faith of youth is not easily shaken; so Ted's spirits revived wonderfully, and Dick developed a keen interest in the pounding.

Dolf pulverised the 'rosum,' declaring that it should be powdered in one particular way which was a great secret known only to a happy few.