'Ha, ha! It hath hit thee hard. And faith, it would be hard to miss
thee, even with harpoon. And thou lookest like to blubber, now. Capital,
in faith! I have thee on every side, Jack, and thy sides are manifold;
many-folded at any rate. Thou shalt have double expenses, Jack, for the
wit thou hast provoked in me.'

'Heavy goods lack heavy payment, is a proverb down our way, my lord.'

'Ah, I hurt thee, I hurt thee, Jack. The harpoon hath no tickle for
thee. Now, Jack Whale, having hauled thee hard, we will proceed to
examine thee.' Here all his manner was changed, and he looked with his
heavy brows bent upon me, as if he had never laughed in his life, and
would allow none else to do so.

'I am ready to answer, my lord,' I replied, 'if he asks me nought beyond
my knowledge, or beyond my honour.'

'Hadst better answer me everything, lump. What hast thou to do with
honour? Now is there in thy neighbourhood a certain nest of robbers,
miscreants, and outlaws, whom all men fear to handle?'

'Yes, my lord. At least, I believe some of them be robbers, and all of
them are outlaws.'

'And what is your high sheriff about, that he doth not hang them all? Or
send them up for me to hang, without more to do about them?'

'I reckon that he is afraid, my lord; it is not safe to meddle with
them. They are of good birth, and reckless; and their place is very
strong.'

'Good birth! What was Lord Russell of, Lord Essex, and this Sidney? 'Tis
the surest heirship to the block to be the chip of a good one. What is
the name of this pestilent race, and how many of them are there?'

'They are the Doones of Bagworthy forest, may it please your worship.
And we reckon there be about forty of them, beside the women and
children.'

'Forty Doones, all forty thieves! and women and children! Thunder of
God! How long have they been there then?'

'They may have been there thirty years, my lord; and indeed they may
have been forty. Before the great war broke out they came, longer back
than I can remember.'

'Ay, long before thou wast born, John. Good, thou speakest plainly.
Woe betide a liar, whenso I get hold of him. Ye want me on the Western
Circuit; by God, and ye shall have me, when London traitors are spun and
swung. There is a family called De Whichehalse living very nigh thee,
John?'

This he said in a sudden manner, as if to take me off my guard, and
fixed his great thick eyes on me. And in truth I was much astonished.

'Yes, my