fellow, in a close brown wig, and a plum-coloured suit, wearing a very
large sword, and boots up to his hips, belonged to the party; and when
he sat himself down next to the young lady, who shrank into a corner
at his approach, my uncle was confirmed in his original impression that
something dark and mysterious was going forward, or, as he always said
himself, that "there was a screw loose somewhere." It's quite surprising
how quickly he made up his mind to help the lady at any peril, if she
needed any help.

'"Death and lightning!" exclaimed the young gentleman, laying his hand
upon his sword as my uncle entered the coach.

'"Blood and thunder!" roared the other gentleman. With this, he whipped
his sword out, and made a lunge at my uncle without further ceremony. My
uncle had no weapon about him, but with great dexterity he snatched the
ill-looking gentleman's three-cornered hat from his head, and, receiving
the point of his sword right through the crown, squeezed the sides
together, and held it tight.

'"Pink him behind!" cried the ill-looking gentleman to his companion, as
he struggled to regain his sword.

'"He had better not," cried my uncle, displaying the heel of one of his
shoes, in a threatening manner. "I'll kick his brains out, if he has
any--, or fracture his skull if he hasn't." Exerting all his strength,
at this moment, my uncle wrenched the ill-looking man's sword from
his grasp, and flung it clean out of the coach window, upon which the
younger gentleman vociferated, "Death and lightning!" again, and laid
his hand upon the hilt of his sword, in a very fierce manner, but didn't
draw it. Perhaps, gentlemen, as my uncle used to say with a smile,
perhaps he was afraid of alarming the lady.

'"Now, gentlemen," said my uncle, taking his seat deliberately, "I don't
want to have any death, with or without lightning, in a lady's presence,
and we have had quite blood and thundering enough for one journey; so,
if you please, we'll sit in our places like quiet insides. Here, guard,
pick up that gentleman's carving-knife."

'As quickly as my uncle said the words, the guard appeared at the coach
window, with the gentleman's sword in his hand. He held up his lantern,
and looked earnestly in my uncle's face, as he handed it in, when, by
its light, my uncle saw, to his great surprise, that an immense crowd
of mail-coach guards swarmed round the window, every one of whom had his
eyes earnestly fixed upon him too. H