resisting; we are
caught; there are too many of them." So I bolted the locks of the four
barrels of my pistol carefully, hoping that the bolts would form an
impediment to my being shot with my own weapon after I had been robbed
of it. The place was so narrow that there were no hopes of running away,
and there we sat on horseback, looking silly enough, I dare say. There
was a good deal of talking and chattering among the robbers, and they
asked the Albanian various questions to which I paid no attention, all
my faculties being engrossed in watching the proceedings of the party
in front, who were examining the effects in the panniers of the baggage
mule. First they pulled out my bag of clothes, and threw it upon the
ground; then out came the sugar and the coffee, and whatever else these
was. Some of the men had hold of the poor muleteer, and a loud argument
was going on between him and his captors. I did not like all this, but
my rage was excited to a violent pitch when I saw one man appropriating
to his own use the half of a certain fat tender cold fowl, whereof I had
eaten the other half with much appetite and satisfaction. "Let that fowl
alone, you scoundrel!" said I in good English; "put it down, will you?
if you don't, I'll----!" The man, surprised at this address in an
unknown tongue, put down the fowl, and looked up with wonder at the
explosion of ire which his actions had called forth. "That is right,"
said I, "my good fellow, it is too good for such a dirty brute as you."
"Let us see," said I to the Albanian, "if there is nothing to be done;
say I am the King of England's uncle, or grandson, or particular friend,
and that if we are hurt or robbed he will send all manner of ships and
armies, and hang everybody, and cut off the heads of all the rest. Talk
big, O man! and don't spare great words; they cost nothing, and let us
see what that will do."

Upon this the Albanian took up his parable and a long parleying ensued,
for the robbers were taken aback with the good English in which I had
addressed them, and stood still with open mouths to hear what it all
meant. In the middle of this row I thought of the paper which had been
given me at Mezzovo. "Here," said I, "here is a letter; read it, see
what it says." They took the paper and turned it round and round, for
they could not read it: first one looked at it and then another; then
they looked at the back, but they could make nothing of it Nevertheless,
it produced