with the help of his own men, to force the stronghold of the enemy; but
the truth was that the officers, knowing how hard it would be to collect
their men at that time of the year, and in that state of the weather,
began with one accord to make every possible excuse. And especially
they pressed this point, that Bagworthy was not in their county; the
Devonshire people affirming vehemently that it lay in the shire of
Somerset, and the Somersetshire folk averring, even with imprecations,
that it lay in Devonshire. Now I believe the truth to be that the
boundary of the two counties, as well as of Oare and Brendon parishes,
is defined by the Bagworthy river; so that the disputants on both sides
were both right and wrong.

Upon this, Master Stickles suggested, and as I thought very sensibly,
that the two counties should unite, and equally contribute to the
extirpation of this pest, which shamed and injured them both alike. But
hence arose another difficulty; for the men of Devon said they would
march when Somerset had taken the field; and the sons of Somerset
replied that indeed they were quite ready, but what were their cousins
of Devonshire doing? And so it came to pass that the King's Commissioner
returned without any army whatever; but with promise of two hundred men
when the roads should be more passable. And meanwhile, what were we to
do, abandoned as we were to the mercies of the Doones, with only our own
hands to help us? And herein I grieved at my own folly, in having let
Tom Faggus go, whose wit and courage would have been worth at least half
a dozen men to us. Upon this matter I held long council with my good
friend Stickles; telling him all about Lorna's presence, and what I knew
of her history. He agreed with me that we could not hope to escape an
attack from the outlaws, and the more especially now that they knew
himself to be returned to us. Also he praised me for my forethought
in having threshed out all our corn, and hidden the produce in such a
manner that they were not likely to find it. Furthermore, he recommended
that all the entrances to the house should at once be strengthened,
and a watch must be maintained at night; and he thought it wiser that
I should go (late as it was) to Lynmouth, if a horse could pass the
valley, and fetch every one of his mounted troopers, who might now be
quartered there. Also if any men of courage, though capable only of
handling a pitchfork, could be found in the neighbourh