d then all neatly piled upon
the King's wheeling-chair, which Bill had borrowed for the purpose.

Solemnly preceded by Bill, the Merchant's Wife and the Char-woman (being
the two strongest people in the forces) now wheeled the chair up to the
gates, in front of which they emptied its contents.

The hungry Trojans had observed their approach, from the walls above
which could now be seen innumerable heads popping up and down, and no
sooner did they see what the chair was supposed to contain than they
climbed down, and without any hesitation opened the gates. Bill then
spoke to the Trojans in the following words:--

'The King of Troy sends greetings to the King of Persia and hearing that
his stores are exhausted, and, although at war with him, not wishing
that he should suffer any serious discomfort, begs his acceptance of
these provisions.' Bill and the two ladies now retired with the empty
wheeling-chair and took up their position before the walls once more.

In the meanwhile the parcels were taken into the city and presented to
the King of Persia who was then sitting, with the whole of his court,
hungrily wondering what was going to happen next. The parcels were
heaped up before him, and he could hardly conceal his delight and
eagerness to begin on the victuals at once. All his courtiers too seemed
quite inclined to forget their manners and help themselves before they
were asked. The King now took up the largest parcel, labelled Pontefract
cakes, which happened to contain Hannibal, when at a given signal each
one of the courageous young fellows broke from his confinement and at
once set on those around him. Hannibal and Noah seized the Persian King
and bound him securely with some of the string from the parcels; each of
the other brave sons of Crispin bound some minister or courtier in the
same way, and the rest of the court fled from the palace in abject
terror.

The nine lads now gave chase, and the panic which possessed the
affrighted courtiers spread, in no time, through the city, and the whole
of the inhabitants were soon fleeing before the infuriated fellows.

Possessed with the idea that their pursuers were in much greater force
than they really were, the scared wretches made for the gates of the
city, out of which they ran as hard as they could. Bill, the General,
wisely allowed them to pass through his lines, which they did in the
maddest terror, and then fled far away over the plain, as the besieging
for