blow.

"Hurrah for Long Melford!" I heard Belle exclaim; "there is nothing like
Long Melford for shortness all the world over."

At these words, I turned round my head as I lay, and perceived the
Flaming Tinman stretched upon the ground apparently senseless. "He is
dead," said the vulgar woman, as she vainly endeavoured to raise him up;
"he is dead; the best man in all the north country, killed in this
fashion, by a boy." Alarmed at these words, I made shift to get on my
feet; and, with the assistance of the woman, placed my fallen adversary
in a sitting posture. I put my hand to his heart, and felt a slight
pulsation. "He's not dead," said I, "only stunned; if he were let blood,
he would recover presently." I produced a penknife which I had in my
pocket, and, baring the arm of the Tinman, was about to make the
necessary incision, when the woman gave me a violent blow, and, pushing
me aside, exclaimed, "I'll tear the eyes out of your head, if you offer
to touch him. Do you want to complete your work, and murder him
outright, now he's asleep? you have had enough of his blood already."
"You are mad," said I; "I only seek to do him service. Well, if you
won't let him be blooded, fetch some water and fling it into his face;
you know where the pit is."

"A pretty manoeuvre," said the woman: "leave my mard {90a} in the hands
of you and that limmer, {90b} who has never been true to us: I should
find him strangled or his throat cut when I came back." "Do you go,"
said I to the tall girl, "take the can and fetch some water from the
pit." "You had better go yourself," said the girl, wiping a tear as she
looked on the yet senseless form of the tinker; "you had better go
yourself, if you think water will do him good." I had by this time
somewhat recovered my exhausted powers, and, taking the can, I bent my
steps as fast as I could to the pit; arriving there, I lay down on the
brink, took a long draught, and then plunged my head into the water;
after which I filled the can, and bent my way back to the dingle. Before
I could reach the path which led down into its depths, I had to pass some
way along its side; I had arrived at a part immediately over the scene of
the last encounter, where the bank, overgrown with trees, sloped
precipitously down. Here I heard a loud sound of voices in the dingle; I
stopped, and laying hold of a tree, leaned over the bank and listened.
The two women appeared to be in hot dispute in the d