all our entreaties and suggestions, however, our leader only replied
by a shake of the head, and continued to swing his long legs over the
side of the waggon with his eyes fixed intently upon the horsemen, many
of whom had dismounted and were leaning their carbines over the cruppers
of their chargers.

'This cannot go on, sir,' said the pastor, in a low earnest voice; 'two
more men have just been hit.'

'If fifty more men are hit we must wait until they charge,' Saxon
answered. 'What would you do, man? If you leave this shelter you will
be cut off and utterly destroyed. When you have seen as much of war as
I have done, you will learn to put up quietly with what is not to be
avoided. I remember on such another occasion when the rearguard or
nachhut of the Imperial troops was followed by Croats, who were in
the pay of the Grand Turk, I lost half my company before the mercenary
renegades came to close fighting. Ha, my brave boys, they are mounting!
We shall not have to wait long now.'

The dragoons were indeed climbing into their saddles again, and forming
across the road, with the evident intention of charging down upon us.
At the same time about thirty men detached themselves from the main body
and trotted away into the fields upon our right. Saxon growled a hearty
oath under his breath as he observed them.

'They have some knowledge of warfare after all,' said he. 'They mean to
charge us flank and front. Master Joshua, see that your scythesmen
line the quickset hedge upon the right. Stand well up, my brothers, and
flinch not from the horses. You men with the sickles, lie in the ditch
there, and cut at the legs of the brutes. A line of stone throwers
behind that. A heavy stone is as sure as a bullet at close quarters. If
ye would see your wives and children again, make that hedge good against
the horsemen. Now for the front attack. Let the men who carry petronels
come into the waggon. Two of yours, Clarke, and two of yours, Lockarby.
I can spare one also. That makes five. Now here are ten others of a sort
and three muskets. Twenty shots in all. Have you no pistols, Sir Gervas?

'No, but I can get a pair,' said our companion, and springing upon his
horse he forced his way through the ditch, past the barrier, and so down
the road in the direction of the dragoons.

The movement was so sudden and so unexpected that there was a dead
silence for a few seconds, which was broken by a general howl of hatred
and execration