I fancied that it would not be very difficult to thrash him, but found that I had made a great mistake.
It was a long fight, and it was only because I was in better condition that I won at last.
"Well, you know when boys fight at school, in most cases they become better friends afterwards; but it was not so here.

He refused to shake hands with me, and muttered something about its being his turn next time.

Till then he had not been considered a first-rate hand at anything; he was one of those fellows who saunter through school, get up just enough lessons to rub along comfortably, never take any prominent part in games, but have a little set of their own, and hold themselves aloof from school in general.
"Once or twice when we had played cricket he had done so excellently that it was a grievance that he would not play regularly, and there was a sort of general idea that if he chose he could do most things well.

After that fight he changed altogether.
He took to cricket in downright earnest, and was soon acknowledged to be the best bat and best bowler in the school.

Before that it had been regarded as certain that when the captain left I should be elected, but when the time came he got a majority of votes.