with me, having a fondness for it; but the
two horse-pistols I left behind; and therefore felt good title to take
two from the magazine of the lambs. And with these, and my carbine, I
leaped upon Kickums, who was now quite glad of a gallop again; and I
bade adieu to that mongrel lot; yet they had the meanness to shoot at
me. Thanking God for my deliverance (inasmuch as those men would have
strung me up, from a pollard-ash without trial, as I heard them tell
one another, and saw the tree they had settled upon), I ventured to go
rather fast on my way, with doubt and uneasiness urging me. And now my
way was home again. Nobody could say but what I had done my duty, and
rescued Tom (if he could be rescued) from the mischief into which
his own perverseness and love of change (rather than deep religious
convictions, to which our Annie ascribed his outbreak) had led, or
seemed likely to lead him. And how proud would my mother be; and--ah
well, there was nobody else to be proud of me now.

But while thinking these things, and desiring my breakfast, beyond any
power of describing, and even beyond my remembrance, I fell into another
fold of lambs, from which there was no exit. These, like true crusaders,
met me, swaggering very heartily, and with their barrels of cider set,
like so many cannon, across the road, over against a small hostel.

"We have won the victory, my lord King, and we mean to enjoy it. Down
from thy horse, and have a stoup of cider, thou big rebel."

"No rebel am I. My name is John Ridd. I belong to the side of the King:
and I want some breakfast."

These fellows were truly hospitable; that much will I say for them.
Being accustomed to Arab ways, they could toss a grill, or fritter, or
the inner meaning of an egg, into any form they pleased, comely and
very good to eat; and it led me to think of Annie. So I made the rarest
breakfast any man might hope for, after all his troubles; and getting
on with these brown fellows better than could be expected, I craved
permission to light a pipe, if not disagreeable. Hearing this, they
roared at me, with a superior laughter, and asked me, whether or not,
I knew the tobacco-leaf from the chick-weed; and when I was forced to
answer no, not having gone into the subject, but being content with
anything brown, they clapped me on the back and swore they had never
seen any one like me. Upon the whole this pleased me much; for I do
not wish to be taken always as of the common p