received
many wounds, the scars of which still remain. Our enemies were so
harassed and interrupted by these alarms that they at last abandoned
their conquest, and left us to the peaceable enjoyment of our own
territories.

It would be endless to enumerate the exploits we performed in the course
of this confederacy, which became the terror of the whole village;
insomuch that, when different interests divided it, one of the parties
commonly courted the assistance of Roderick Random (by which name I
was known) to cast the balance, and keep the opposite faction in awe.
Meanwhile, I took the advantage of every play-day to present myself
before my grandfather, to whom I seldom found access, by reason of his
being closely besieged by a numerous family of his female grandchildren,
who, though they perpetually quarrelled among themselves, never failed
to join against me, as the common enemy of all. His heir, who was about
the age of eighteen, minded nothing but fox-hunting, and indeed was
qualified for nothing else, notwithstanding his grandfather's indulgence
in entertaining a tutor for him at home; who at the same time performed
the office of parish clerk. This young Actaeon, who inherited his
grandfather's antipathy to everything in distress, never sat eyes on
me without uncoupling his beagles, and hunting me into some cottage or
other, whither I generally fled for shelter. In this Christian
amusement he was encouraged by his preceptor, who, no doubt, took such
opportunities to ingratiate himself with the rising sun, observing, that
the old gentleman, according to the course of nature, had not long to
live, for he was already on the verge of fourscore.

The behaviour of this rascally sycophant incensed me so much, that one
day, when I was beleaguered by him and his hounds in a farmer's house,
where I had found protection, I took aim at him (being an excellent
marksman) with a large pebble, which struck out four of his foreteeth,
and effectually incapacitated him from doing the office of a clerk.

CHAPTER III

My Mother's Brother arrives--relieves me--a Description of him--he goes
along with me to the House of my Grandfather--is encountered by his
Dogs--defeats them, after a bloody Engagement--is admitted to the old
Gentleman--a Dialogue between them

About this time my mother's only brother, who had been long abroad,
lieutenant of a man-of-war, arrived in his own country; where being
informed of my condition,