ld
entertain myself. Now, there is your excellent chieftain the king of
the Irelands. Him I regard as a very good specimen, whose ancestors
were not very long ago swinging by their tails from the lofty palms of
Ireland and playing with cocoanuts to and fro." He smiled and leaned
back, well satisfied with himself.

All this time I had been silent, because I had been deep in reflection
upon Forister. Now I said:

"Forister, you are a great rogue. I know you. One thing is certain.
You have not my papers and never did you have them."

He looked upon me with some admiration and cried:

"Aye, the cannibal shows a glimmer of reason. No, I have not your
foolish papers, and I only wish I had them in order to hurl the bundle
at your damned stupid head."

"For a kicked man you have a gay spirit," I replied. "But at any rate
I have no time for you now. I am off to Bristol after my papers, and I
only wish for the sake of ease that I had to go no farther than this
chamber. Come, Paddy! Come, Jem!"

My two henchmen were manifestly disappointed; they turned reluctantly
at my word.

"Have I the leave of one crack at him, your honour?" whispered Paddy
earnestly. "He said my head was a lantern."

"No," said I, "leave him to his meditations."

As we passed down the corridor we heard him laugh loudly, and he
called out to me,--

"When I come to Bristol I will kill you."

I had more than a mind to go back and stuff this threat into his
throat, but I better knew my business, which was to recover the
papers.

"Come," said I, and we passed down stairs.

The people of the inn made way for Paddy as if he had been a falling
tree, and at the same time they worshipped Jem Bottles for having
performed everything. I had some wonder as to which would be able to
out-strut the other. I think Jem Bottles won the match, for he had the
advantage of being known as one of the most dangerous men in
southwestern England, whereas Paddy had only his vanity to help him.

"'Tis all arranged," said Bottles pompously. "Your devil will come
forth as quiet as a rabbit."

We ordered our horses, and a small crowd of obsequious stable-boys
rushed to fetch them. I marvelled when I saw them lead out Paddy's
horse. I had thought from what I perceived over my shoulder when I
left Bristol that he would never be able to make half a league in the
saddle. Amid the flicker of lanterns, Bottles and I mounted and then I
heard Paddy calling to him all the stable-