upon me like the churchyard mould, and I kept my
wits only by cursing. Blight him! Blight him! And now they say--But they
may say what they will so they leave me in peace, for I know--and you
know"--and he bent forward confidentially--"it's the King that's mad, and
soon everyone will know it. Blight him! Blight him! Oh--an effectual
fervent curse indeed!"

"We are grateful to you," I said, "for food and shelter. We have money, we
will pay."

"As you will. Those who can, pay. Those who can't, don't. All caged birds,
I help. Blight him! Blight him!"

"We would rest till night, then you can put us on our way to the coast.
This is an ill land to wander in in the dark. Last night we came on one who
had strayed and died."

"Where away?" he asked quickly.

"In the marshes--over yonder--about a mile away, I should say."

"Was he clothed?" he snapped.

"Yes, he was clothed."

And he was off with his pole across the flats, in great bounds, while we
sat wondering. We could see his uncouth hops as he went to and fro at a
distance, and in time he came back with a bundle of clothes tied to his
back.

"Food one can always get for the herbs of the marshes," he said, "and drink
comes easy when you know where to get it. But clothes cost money and the
dead need them not. Blight him!"

Le Marchant begged me to ask if he had any tobacco and a pipe, and I did
so. He went inside and came out with a clay pipe and some dried brown herb.

"It is not what you smoke, but such as it is it is there," he said; and Le
Marchant tried a whiff or two, but laid the pipe aside with a grunt.

"He speaks as do the others from the cage. How come you to speak as we do?"

"I am from Sercq. It is part of England."

"I never heard of it. Why did they cage you?"

"I was prisoner on a French ship which they captured. I let them believe me
French rather than be pressed on board a King's ship."

"Right! Blight him!"

That long rest made men of us again. Our host had little to say to us
except that the King was mad, and we concluded that on that subject he was
none too sane himself, though in other matters we had no fault to find with
him.

We got directions for our guidance out of him during the day, and as soon
as it was dark he set off with us across the marshes, and led us at last on
to more trustworthy ground and told us how to go. We gave him money and
hearty thanks, and shook him by the hand and went on our way. The last
words we heard fr