prise. The house was full of
ponies, mules, and even donkeys, which had been driven in and tethered
together tightly behind barricades of tables and chairs. Now seeing
us, they stood there all eyes and ears, and with prolonged whinnies
and gruntings plainly welcomed this diversion. With glee we drove them
out and counted them up--ten more animals!

It was with disgust, however, that I remembered that there was neither
harness nor carts; but to my surprise, now that the animals had been
discovered, my men were running busily around searching every likely
hiding-place of the huge straggling courtyards. Like rats, they ran
into every corner, turned over everything, pulled up loose floorings,
and presently the body of a cart was found hidden in a loft in the
most cunning way. But it was only the body of a cart; there were no
wheels. And yet the wheels could not be far off. Five more minutes'
search had discovered them suspended down a well, under a bucket,
which itself contained a mass of harness; and then in every impossible
place we discovered the inn property cleverly stored away. In the end,
we had all the animals hitched up, and the carts themselves full of
fodder. Then, by employing the same tactics as before, just outside
drivers were discovered and induced to follow us, and now, with a
heavy caravan to protect against all comers, we sallied forth. This
time we would have our work cut out.

An hour and more had elapsed since we had been on the open streets,
and it being near midday, and everything still quiet, we were
surprised to see people of the lower classes moving cautiously about
on the main streets, but disappearing quickly at the mere sight of
other people whose business they could not divine. That, too, was
soon explained; for, seeing one rapscallion trying to run away with a
sack over his back, we discharged a rifle at him. Straightway the man
stopped running, fell on his knees, and whiningly said that he had
been permitted to take what he was carrying by honourable foreign
soldiery whom he had been allowed to assist. The bundle contained only
silks and clothes; with a kick we let him go. Plainly the plot was
thickening on all sides, and it was becoming more and more dangerous
to be abroad. Seized with a new thought, I stopped the whole caravan,
and giving orders to that effect, we soon had every driver we had so
summarily impressed securely strapped to his cart with heavy rope. At
least, if we had to cut