dering a double allowance
of brandy to be served out to every man, "now we must make the most of
our time. So leave the carts here: clap the horses on as leaders to our
own; and push forward like Hell to Utragan, where we must all
rendezvous, and somewhere in that neighbourhood will consign our cargo
to safe custody." So saying he mounted one of the horses, and hastily
rode off.

Then followed a scene which put the finishing hand to the astonishment
of Bertram (who had stood aloof during the late engagement) and formed
an appropriate close to the funeral of Captain le Harnois. The cart
horses were distributed, as far as they would go, amongst the
carriages: the hearse which originally had four, was now therefore
drawn by six. A jolly boatswain, who had armed his heels with a
pair of immense old French spurs, rode the leaders--a couple of huge
broad-backed plough horses: his mourning cloak he used by way of
saddle; and in lieu of whip he produced the "cat" of the Fleurs-de-lys.
The two hinder pairs were driven with long reins by a sailor whose off
leg was a wooden one: this he turned to excellent account by thumping
the foot-board incessantly to the great alarm of the horses. Assessor
to him upon the box, sate an old fisherman who made himself useful to
the concern by leaning forward and flagellating the wheel horses with
one of the captured cart whips. Upon the roof were mounted sixteen or
eighteen sailors, two of whom in one corner were performing a minuet
with a world of ceremonious bows and curtseys to each other; and most
of the others were linking hands and dancing the steps of a hornpipe
about a man in the centre who had tied his mourning cloak to his cudgel
by way of flag, and was holding it aloft to catch the breezes which
streamed through the narrow defiles of the hills. None but sailors,
well practised in treading the deck of a rolling ship, could possibly
have maintained their footing: for the boatswain, the wooden leg, and
the fisherman, kept up their horses inexorably to their duty of an
immutable gallop; the hearse and its plumes flew through the solitary
valley; the post-chaises, carrying a similar crew on their upper decks,
flew after the hearse; and in the rear of the whole, with all the sail
they could crowd (but _haud passibus aequis_) flew a long straggling
tail of pedestrians with cloaks streaming, outstretched arms, and
waving hats, hallooing and upbraiding the sailors with treachery for
not takin