looking earnestly calls out, “Hark thee, friend,” says he, in a broad north-country tone, “whar hast thou thilk horse?” I must confess I was in the utmost confusion at the question, neither being able to answer the question, nor to speak in his tone; so I made as if I did not hear him, and went on.  “Na, but ye’s not gang soa,” says the boor, and comes up to me, and takes hold of the horse’s bridle to stop me; at which, vexed at heart that I could not tell how to talk to him, I reached him a great knock on the pate with my fork, and fetched him off of his horse, and then began to mend my pace.  The other clowns, though it seems they knew not what the fellow wanted, pursued me, and finding they had better heels than I, I saw there was no remedy but to make use of my hands, and faced about.

The first that came up with me was he that had no weapons, so I thought I might parley with him, and speaking as country-like as I could, I asked him what he wanted?  “Thou’st knaw that soon,” says Yorkshire, “and ise but come at thee.”  “Then keep awa’, man,” said I, “or ise brain thee.”  By this time the third man came up, and the parley ended; for he gave me no words, but laid at me with his long pole, and that with such fury, that I began to be doubtful of him.  I was loth to shoot the fellow, though I had pistols under my grey frock, as well for that the noise of a pistol might bring more people in, the village being on our rear, and also because I could not imagine what the fellow meant, or would have.  But at last, finding he would be too many for me with that long weapon, and a hardy strong fellow, I threw myself off my horse, and running in with him, stabbed my fork into his horse.  The horse being wounded, staggered awhile, and then fell down, and the booby had not the sense to get down in time, but fell with him.  Upon which, giving him a knock or two with my fork, I secured him.  The other, by this time, had furnished himself with a great stick out of a hedge, and before I was disengaged from the last fellow, gave me two such blows, that if the last had not missed my head and hit me on the shoulder, I had ended the fight and my life together.  ’Twas time to look about me now, for this was a madman.  I defended myself with my fork, but ’twould not do.  At last, in short, I was forced to pistol him and get on horseback again, and with all the speed I could make, get away to the wood to our men.

If my two fellow-spies had not been behind, I had never known what was the meaning of this quarrel of the three countrymen, but my cripple had all the particulars.  For he being behind us, as I have already observed, when he came up to the first fellow who began the fray, he found him beginning to come to himself.  So he gets off, and pretends to help him, and sets him up upon his breech, and being a very merry fellow, talked to him:  “Well, and what’s the matter now?” says he to him.  “Ah, wae’s me,” says the fellow, “I is killed.”  “Not quite, mon,”