who should pretend
to seize the victuals prepared for the waggon. The menace had like to
have produced fatal consequences; the three strangers drawing their
swords, and being joined by their servants, and we ranging ourselves on
the side of Joey; when the landlord, interposing, offered to part with
his own dinner to keep the peace, which was accepted by the strangers;
and we sat down at table without any further molestation. In the
afternoon, I chose to walk along with Joey, and Strap took my place.
Having entered into a conversation with this driver, I soon found him
to be a merry, facetious, good-natured fellow, and withal very arch;
he informed me, that Miss Jenny was a common girl upon the town, who,
falling into company with a recruiting officer, he carried her down in
the stage coach from London to Newcastle, where he had been arrested for
debt, and was now in prison; upon which she was fain to return to her
former way of life, by this conveyance. He told me likewise, that one of
the gentleman's servants, who were left at the inn, having accidentally
seen Weazel, immediately knew him, and acquainted Joey with some
particulars of his character. That he had served my Lord Frizzle in
quality of valet-de-chambre many years, while he lived separate from
his lady; but, upon their reconciliation, she expressly insisted upon
Weazel's being turned off, as well as the woman he kept: when his
lordship, to get rid of them both with a good grace, proposed that he
should marry his Mistress, and he would procure a commission for him
in the army: this expedient was agreed to, and Weazel is now, by his
lordship's interest, ensigned in --'s regiment. I found he and I had the
same sentiments with regard to Weazel's courage, which he resolved
to put to the trial, by alarming the passengers with the cry of a
'highwayman!' as soon as a horseman should appear.

This scheme we put in practice, towards the dusk, when we descried a man
on horseback approaching us. Joey had no sooner intimated to the people
in the waggon, that he was afraid we should be all robbed than a general
consternation arose: Strap jumped out of the waggon, and hid himself
behind a hedge. The usurer put forth ejaculations, and made a rustling
among the straw, which made us conjecture he had hid something under
it. Mrs. Weazel, wringing her hands uttered lamentable cries: and the
captain, to our great amazement, began to snore; but this artifice did
not succeed; for