comrade, for I see by your decorations, no
doubt richly deserved, that you are an _ancien militaire_. I appeal to
you for justice and protection."

"Protection, forsooth!" I broke in, contemptuously. "Such as the wolf
and the tiger and the snake expect from their victim."

It made me sick to hear him currying favour with the gendarme, and
still worse that it was affecting the old trooper, who looked on all
as _pekins_, mere civilians, far inferior to military men.

"Protection you shall have, _mon Colonel_, if you have a right to it,
_bien entendu_," said the sergeant, civilly but cautiously.

"I ask it because these people have made a dead set at me. They have
tried to hustle me and, I fear, to rob me, and I have been obliged to
act in my own defence."

Before I could protest against this shameless misrepresentation of the
fact, my lord interposed. He was now free, and, gradually recovering,
was burning to avenge the insults put upon him.

"It is not true," he shouted. "It is an absolute lie. He knows it is
not true; he is perfectly well aware who I am, Lord Blackadder; and
that he has no sort of grievance against me nor any of my people. His
attack upon me was altogether unprovoked and unjustifiable."

"Let the authorities judge between us," calmly said the Colonel. "Take
us before the station-master, or send for the Commissary from the
town. I haven't the slightest objection."

"Yes, yes, the _Commissaire de police_, the judge, the peace officer.
Let us go before the highest authorities; nothing less than arrest,
imprisonment, the heaviest penalties, will satisfy me," went on my
lord.

"With all my heart," cried the Colonel. "We'll refer it to any one you
please. Lead on, _mon brave_, only you must take all or none. I
insist upon that. It is my right; let us all go before the
Commissary."

"There is no Commissary here in Culoz. You must travel to
Aix-les-Bains to find him. Fifteen miles from here."

"Well, why not? I'm quite ready," assented the Colonel, with an
alacrity I did not understand. I began to think he had some game of
his own.

"So am I ready," cried his lordship. "I desire most strongly to haul
this hectoring bully before the law, and let his flagrant misconduct
be dealt with in a most exemplary fashion."

I caught a curious shadow flitting across my comrade Tiler's face at
this speech. He evidently did not approve of my lord's attitude. Why?

I met his eye as soon as I could, and, in an