Good Master Bottles, do stop them. One is a
great Afric chief, red as a fire, and the other is Satan, Satan
himself! Oh, pray, good Master Bottles, stop them!"

My fine highwayman was puffed out like a poisoned frog. I had no
thought that he could be so grand.

"What is this disturbance?" he demanded in a bass voice.

"O good Master Bottles," clamoured the people. "Satan wishes to kill
the Red Giant, who has Satan barred in the best room in the inn. And
they make frightful destruction of chairs and tables. Bid them cease,
O good Master Bottles!"

From overhead we could hear the sound of blows upon wood mingled with
threatening talk.

"Stand aside," said the highwayman in a great gruff voice which made
me marvel at him. He unhesitatingly dumped the swooning form of the
landlady into another pair of arms, shook off the pretty maid, and
moved sublimely upon the foot of the stairs amid exclamations of joy,
wonder, admiration, even reverence.

But the voice of an unseen person hailed suddenly from the head of the
stairs.

"And if ye have not said enough masses for your heathen soul,"
remarked the voice, "you would be better mustering the neighbours this
instant to go to church for you and bid them do the best they can in a
short time. You will never be coming downstairs if you once come up."

Bottles hesitated; the company shuddered out: "'Tis the Red Giant."

"And I would be having one more word with you," continued the unseen
person. "I have him here, and here I keep him. 'Tis not me that wants
the little black rogue, what with his hammering on the door and his
calling me out of my name. 'Tis no work that I like, and I would lever
go in and put my heel in his face. But I was told to catch a little
black man, and I have him, and him I will keep. 'Tis not me that
wished to come here and catch little black men for anybody; but here I
am in this foreign country, catching little black men, and I will have
no interference."

But here I gave a great call of recognition.

"Paddy!"

I saw the whole thing. This wild-headed Paddy, whom I had told to
catch me a little black man, had followed after me toward Bath and
somehow managed to barricade in a room the very first man he saw who
was small and black. At first I wished to laugh; an instant later I
was furious.

"Paddy," I thundered; "come down out of that now! What would you be
doing? Come down out of that now!"

The reply was sulky, but unmistakably from Paddy.