tcoat, about two yards from him, he gave a sudden start, so violent
that the backward motion of his hand had nearly flung the horse upon his
haunches.

'Why don't you move forward?' said a voice from behind, apparently that
of a female; 'you are stopping up the way, and we shall be all down upon
one another'; and I saw the head of another horse overtopping the back of
the cart.

'Why don't you move forward, Jack?' said another voice, also of a female,
yet higher up the path.

The man stirred not, but remained staring at me in the posture which he
had assumed on first perceiving me, his body very much drawn back, his
left foot far in advance of his right, and with his right hand still
grasping the halter of the horse, which gave way more and more, till it
was clean down on its haunches.

'What's the matter?' said the voice which I had last heard.

'Get back with you, Belle, Moll,' said the man, still staring at me;
'here's something not over canny or comfortable.'

'What is it?' said the same voice; 'let me pass, Moll, and I'll soon
clear the way'; and I heard a kind of rushing down the path.

'You need not be afraid,' said I, addressing myself to the man, 'I mean
you no harm; I am a wanderer like yourself--come here to seek for
shelter--you need not be afraid; I am a Roman chabo by matriculation--one
of the right sort, and no mistake--Good-day to ye, brother; I bid ye
welcome.'

The man eyed me suspiciously for a moment--then, turning to his horse
with a loud curse, he pulled him up from his haunches, and led him and
the cart farther down to one side of the dingle, muttering, as he passed
me, 'Afraid! Hm!'

I do not remember ever to have seen a more ruffianly-looking fellow; he
was about six feet high, with an immensely athletic frame; his face was
black and bluff, and sported an immense pair of whiskers, but with here
and there a grey hair, for his age could not be much under fifty. He
wore a faded blue frock-coat, corduroys, and highlows; on his black head
was a kind of red nightcap, round his bull neck a Barcelona
handkerchief--I did not like the look of the man at all.

'Afraid!' growled the fellow, proceeding to unharness his horse; 'that
was the word, I think.'

But other figures were now already upon the scene. Dashing past the
other horse and cart, which by this time had reached the bottom of the
pass, appeared an exceedingly tall woman, or rather girl, for she could
scarcely have been above eig