t and go to the devil, since he seemed to have
set his mind on ending his days in the company of that personage.

Whereon Eustace vanished.

"Pooh!" said Amyas to himself, "I can find out enough, and too much, I
fear, without the help of such crooked vermin. I must see Cary; I must
see Salterne; and I suppose, if I am ready to do my duty, I shall learn
somehow what it is. Now to sleep; to-morrow up and away to what God
sends."

"Come in hither, men," shouted he down the passage, "and sleep here.
Haven't you had enough of this villainous sour cider?"

The men came in yawning, and settled themselves to sleep on the floor.

"Where's Yeo?"

No one knew; he had gone out to say his prayers, and had not returned.

"Never mind," said Amyas, who suspected some plot on the old man's part.
"He'll take care of himself, I'll warrant him."

"No fear of that, sir;" and the four tars were soon snoring in concert
round the fire, while Amyas laid himself on the settle, with his saddle
for a pillow.

* * * * *

It was about midnight, when Amyas leaped to his feet, or rather fell
upon his back, upsetting saddle, settle, and finally, table, under the
notion that ten thousand flying dragons were bursting in the window
close to his ear, with howls most fierce and fell. The flying dragons
past, however, being only a flock of terror-stricken geese, which flew
flapping and screaming round the corner of the house; but the noise
which had startled them did not pass; and another minute made it evident
that a sharp fight was going on in the courtyard, and that Yeo was
hallooing lustily for help.

Out turned the men, sword in hand, burst the back door open, stumbling
over pails and pitchers, and into the courtyard, where Yeo, his back
against the stable-door, was holding his own manfully with sword and
buckler against a dozen men.

Dire and manifold was the screaming; geese screamed, chickens screamed,
pigs screamed, donkeys screamed, Mary screamed from an upper window;
and to complete the chorus, a flock of plovers, attracted by the noise,
wheeled round and round overhead, and added their screams also to that
Dutch concert.

The screaming went on, but the fight ceased; for, as Amyas rushed into
the yard, the whole party of ruffians took to their heels, and vanished
over a low hedge at the other end of the yard.

"Are you hurt, Yeo?"

"Not a scratch, thank Heaven! But I've got two of them, the ringleaders,
I ha