zle on the mole-hills; so
that he had five supportings from his mother earth. Moreover, the linhay
itself was full of very ancient cow dung; than which there is no balmier
and more maiden soporific. Hence I resolved, upon the whole, though
grieving about breakfast, to light a pipe, and go to sleep; or at least
until the hot sun should arouse the flies.

I may have slept three hours, or four, or it might be even five--for I
never counted time, while sleeping--when a shaking more rude than the
old landlady's, brought me back to the world again. I looked up, with a
mighty yawn; and saw twenty, or so, of foot-soldiers.

'This linhay is not yours,' I said, when they had quite aroused me, with
tongue, and hand, and even sword-prick: 'what business have you here,
good fellows?'

'Business bad for you,' said one, 'and will lead you to the gallows.'

'Do you wish to know the way out again?' I asked, very quietly, as being
no braggadocio.

'We will show thee the way out,' said one, 'and the way out of the
world,' said another: 'but not the way to heaven,' said one chap, most
unlikely to know it: and thereupon they all fell wagging, like a bed of
clover leaves in the morning, at their own choice humour.

'Will you pile your arms outside,' I said, 'and try a bit of fair play
with me?'

For I disliked these men sincerely, and was fain to teach them a lesson;
they were so unchristian in appearance, having faces of a coffee colour,
and dirty beards half over them. Moreover their dress was outrageous,
and their address still worse. However, I had wiser let them alone, as
will appear afterwards. These savage-looking fellows laughed at the idea
of my having any chance against some twenty of them: but I knew that
the place was in my favour; for my part of it had been fenced off (for
weaning a calf most likely), so that only two could come at me at once;
and I must be very much out of training, if I could not manage two of
them. Therefore I laid aside my carbine, and the two horse-pistols; and
they with many coarse jokes at me went a little way outside, and
set their weapons against the wall, and turned up their coat sleeves
jauntily; and then began to hesitate.

'Go you first, Bob,' I heard them say: 'you are the biggest man of us;
and Dick the wrestler along of you. Us will back you up, boy.'

'I'll warrant I'll draw the badger,' said Bob; 'and not a tooth will I
leave him. But mind, for the honour of Kirke's lambs, every man s