While this was doing, he advanced himself, and two or three with him, and set up their tent in the lane, within sight of the barrier which the townsmen had made, and set a sentinel just by it with the real gun, the only one they had, and who[199] walked to and fro with the gun on his shoulder, so as that the people of the town might see them; also he tied the horse to a gate in the hedge just by, and got some dry sticks together and kindled a fire on the other side of the tent, so that the people of the town could see the fire and the smoke, but could not see what they were doing at it.

After the country people had looked upon them very earnestly a great while, and by all that they could see could not but suppose that they were a great many in company, they began to be uneasy, not for their going away, but for staying where they were; and above all, perceiving they had horses and arms (for they had seen one horse and one gun at the tent, and they had seen others of them walk about the field on the inside of the hedge by the side of the lane with their muskets, as they took them to be, shouldered),—­I say, upon such a sight as this, you may be assured they were alarmed and terribly frightened; and it seems they went to a justice of the peace to know what they should do.  What the justice advised them to, I know not; but towards the evening they called from the barrier, as above, to the sentinel at the tent.

     “What do you want?” says John.

     “Why, what do you intend to do?” says the constable.

     “To do?” says John; “what would you have us to do?”

     Const. Why don’t you begone?  What do you stay there for?

     John. Why do you stop us on the King’s highway, and pretend to
     refuse us leave to go on our way?

     Const. We are not bound to tell you the reason, though we did let
     you know it was because of the plague.

     John. We told you we were all sound, and free from the plague,
     which we were not bound to have satisfied you of, and yet you
     pretend to stop us on the highway.

Const. We have a right to stop it up, and our own safety obliges us to it; besides, this is not the King’s highway, it is a way upon sufferance.  You see here is a gate, and if we do let people pass here, we make them pay toll.

     John. We have a right to seek our own safety as well as you; and
     you may see we are flying for our lives, and it is very unchristian
     and unjust in you to stop us.

     Const. You may go back from whence you came, we do not hinder you
     from that.

     John. No, it is a stronger enemy than you that keeps us from
     doing that, or else we should not have come hither.

     Const. Well, you may go any other way, then.