med by the meeting of four roads, there was
gathered together a goodly company of people, who seemed to be talking
as one man, and looking as with one eye at something in their midst.

"What have we here?" said Jasper, as we paused. "Is it some bear-ward
with his bear, or one of those wandering Italians that go about with a
guitar and a monkey?"

"I hear no music," said I. "It seems to be something of more importance
than either bear or monkey. Let us see for ourselves."

So we ran forward and joined the crowd, which began presently to make
way for us. Then we saw that nearly everybody in the village, saving
only the men who were at work in the fields, had run together with one
accord in order to stare and wonder at a man, who sat on the bench just
outside the ale-house door. It was clear to me at once that he was not a
native of those parts, and might possibly be a foreigner. He seemed to
be of thirty-five or forty years of age, his skin and hair were very
dark, and he wore a great black beard, which looked as if it had known
neither comb nor scissors for many a long month. Also he was of great
size and height, and on his brawny arms, which were bare from the
elbows downwards, there were figures and patterns traced in blue and
red, so that I at once set him down for a sailor, who had seen much life
in strange countries. As for his garments, they were much stained and
worn, and his feet, which were naked, were evidently callous and
hardened enough to stand even the roughest roads.

When we first set eyes upon him the man was leaning back against the
wall of the ale-house, looking defiantly at John Broad, the constable,
who stood by him, and at Geoffrey Scales, the landlord, who stood behind
Broad. In the rear, holding his chin with one hand, and looking
exceeding rueful of countenance, stood Peter Pipe, the drawer. All round
them hung the crowd of men and women, lads and lasses, staring
open-mouthed at the great man with the black beard.

"What's all this?" said I, as we pushed our way to the front.

The sailor jumped to his feet and touched his forelock civilly enough.
He looked at John Broad.

"Marry, Master Humphrey," answered John Broad, "you see this great
fellow here, with a beard so long as the Turks? A' cometh into our
village here, God knows where from, and must needs fall to breaking the
heads of peaceable and honest men."

"'Tis a lie," said the sailor. "At least, that part of it which refers
to peac