these parts, driven as they
say out of Yorkshire--for no good you may be sure. Now there is no beat
will support two tinkers, as you doubtless know; mine was a good one, but
it would not support the flying tinker and myself, though if it would
have supported twenty it would have been all the same to the flying
villain, who'll brook no one but himself; so he presently finds me out,
and offers to fight me for the beat. Now, being bred upon the roads, I
can fight a little, that is with anything like my match, but I was not
going to fight him, who happens to be twice my size, and so I told him;
whereupon he knocks me down, and would have done me farther mischief had
not some men been nigh and prevented him; so he threatened to cut my
throat, and went his way. Well, I did not like such usage at all, and
was woundily frightened, and tried to keep as much out of his way as
possible, going anywhere but where I thought I was likely to meet him;
and sure enough for several months I contrived to keep out of his way.
At last somebody told me that he was gone back to Yorkshire, whereupon I
was glad at heart, and ventured to show myself, going here and there as I
did before. Well, young man, it was yesterday that I and mine set
ourselves down in a lane, about five miles from here, and lighted our
fire, and had our dinner, and after dinner I sat down to mend three
kettles and a frying-pan which the people in the neighbourhood had given
me to mend--for, as I told you before, I have a good connection, owing to
my honesty. Well, as I sat there hard at work, happy as the day's long,
and thinking of anything but what was to happen, who should come up but
this Black Jack, this king of the tinkers, rattling along in his cart,
with his wife, that they call Grey Moll, by his side--for the villain has
got a wife, and a maid-servant too; the last I never saw, but they that
has, says that she is as big as a house, and young, and well to look at,
which can't be all said of Moll, who, though she's big enough in all
conscience, is neither young nor handsome. Well, no sooner does he see
me and mine, than, giving the reins to Grey Moll, he springs out of his
cart, and comes straight at me; not a word did he say, but on he comes
straight at me like a wild bull. I am a quiet man, young fellow, but I
saw now that quietness would be of no use, so I sprang up upon my legs,
and being bred upon the roads, and able to fight a little, I squared as
he came