Joey was by the lower pool, just sitting there. He’d been sent there to wash his face, but now he was just gazing at the water as though it were the worst enemy of a long comfortable sleep.
   Before one of the Johnnies stepped out from behind the tree, he whispered to the other one, who then quietly went back up the hill to the upper pool.
   ‘Hi, Joey,’ said Johnny.
   ‘Ugh.’
   ‘Which is the quickest way up to the upper pool, straight up this path, or around the side of the mountain, and over the rocks and up the East side?’
   ‘Up the path, of course, you stupid.’
   ‘I’ll wager my compass that Papa gave me for your sward that I can make it up faster than you by going up the East side while you go straight up this way.’
   Joey looked at him as though he had lost his mind. Everyone knew that Joey was the fastest runner and best climber of all the children on the island.
   ‘C’mon! Will you do it or not?’
   Joey had certainly not come out all this way to go scrambling up a hill — but then, here was a chance anyone would be a fool to throw away.
   After a pause, Joey said, ‘Well, okay, but you’d better pay up when I win.’
   ‘If you win. All I say is you better pay up when I win!’
   Joey assured him that he would.
   ‘Okay, ready? Go!’
   Joey scrambled up the path behind the tree, looking back only to assure himself that Johnny was running at his usual slow pace towards the rocks on the other side.
   As soon as Joey had made a good start, he slowed down and took his time. He only hoped he wouldn’t make himself late for breakfast by waiting at the top for Johnny to get there the long and hard way.
   Maybe that was it! He had been tricked! Certainly Johnny knew that Joey would certainly go back down for breakfast, and by and by Johnny would arrive and claim that he got there before Joey, and claim the prize!
   Well, if that’s what Johnny thought, Joey would just wait right there for him even if he missed his breakfast! Even at the expense of a thrashing from Daddy, he wasn’t going to loose that sword he had made with his own hands, and carved such an ornate design on the hilt from a book about knighthood Senhor Ernesto had brought. Not if he had a chance at that compass Johnny was flashing around to everyone just the other week.
   Finally, he stepped into the clearing near the bank of the upper pool, only to see Johnny sitting, idly casting small pebbles into the water.
   ‘What took you so long? I thought you could climb faster than that!’
   ‘Wha...!’ was all Joey could say at first.
   That, and the expression on his face gave Johnny much satisfaction.
   ‘But how...?’
   ‘I’m just a better climber than you, that’s all.’
   ‘But...?
   ‘Now, the sword...’
   ‘Er — yeah — the sword —’
   ‘Or maybe you didn’t go just as fast up the straight path as you could have, ‘cause you thought I was slow. Maybe, if you really tried this time racing me down the mountain, you could win both your sword back, and my compass.’
   ‘Well — er — yeah, okay.’
   ‘And if I win, my prize will be your shield and your noble steed.’

Joey always cut such an impressive pose on his ‘noble steed’ (consisting of a stick, with a horse’s head ornately carved at one end) bearing his shield and his sword. He was the envy of the whole circle of playmates.
   ‘Okay then, agreed!’ said Joey.
   ‘Right. Ready — go!’
   This time, Joey went down the path as fast as his legs could take him, which admittedly, was quite fast.
   Perhaps it was all about that tale of the tortoise and the hare. Joey had, of course, never seen either a tortoise nor a hare — only those sea turtles that lay their eggs in the sand — but the point was that one was a very slow animal, and the other fast. Maybe Joey had played the careless hair just now climbing up the hill, but now he was going to redeem himself.
   This time, he was sure that no one had ever come down the hill as quickly as he did just now. Perhaps he didn’t have to wait through breakfast after all, as it did seem that Johnny was a bit faster than Joey had thought. He could claim his prize and go.
   But that was just not to be. As he emerged breathlessly from behind the trees, there was Johnny, again waiting for him.
   Johnny went home, a fully clad knight.

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