The horse-dealer, turning modestly toward the gentleman who had asked him the question and who was unknown to him, touched his hat; then, without answering, he walked toward the knacker’s cart, surrounded by all the knights.  The animals were standing there on unsteady legs, with heads bowed down to the ground, making no attempt to eat the hay which the knacker had placed before them.  Kohlhaas stopped a dozen feet away, and after a hasty glance turned back again to the Chamberlain, saying, “My lord, the knacker is quite right; the horses which are fastened to his cart belong to me!” As he spoke he looked around at the whole circle of knights, touched his hat once more, and left the square, accompanied by his guard.

At these words the Chamberlain, with a hasty step that made the plume of his helmet tremble, strode up to the knacker and threw him a purse full of money.  And while the latter, holding the purse in his hand, combed the hair back from his forehead with a leaden comb and stared at the money, Sir Kunz ordered a groom to untie the horses and lead them home.  The groom, at the summons of his master, left a group of his friends and relatives among the crowd; his face flushed slightly, but he did, nevertheless, go up to the horses, stepping over a big puddle that had formed at their feet.  No sooner, however, had he taken hold of the halter to untie them, than Master Himboldt, his cousin, seized him by the arm, and with the words, “You shan’t touch the knacker’s jades!” hurled him away from the cart.  Then, stepping back unsteadily over the puddle, the Master turned toward the Chamberlain, who was standing there, speechless with astonishment at this incident, and added that he must get a knacker’s man to do him such a service as that.  The Chamberlain, foaming with rage, stared at Master Himboldt for a moment, then turned about and, over the heads of the knights who surrounded him, called for the guard.  When, in obedience to the orders of Baron Wenk, an officer with some of the Elector’s bodyguards had arrived from the palace, Sir Kunz gave him a short account of the shameful way in which the burghers of the city permitted themselves to instigate revolt, and called upon the officer to place the ringleader, Master Himboldt, under arrest.  Seizing the Master by the chest, the Chamberlain accused him of having maltreated and thrust away from the cart the groom who, at his orders, was unhitching the black horses.  The Master, freeing himself from the Chamberlain’s grasp with a skilful twist which forced the latter to step back, cried, “My lord, showing a boy of twenty what he ought to do is not instigating him to revolt!  Ask him whether, contrary to all that is customary and decent, he cares to have anything to do with those horses that are tied to the cart.  If he wants to do it after what I have said, well and good.  For all I care, he may flay and skin them now.”