The rest, and those in or
about the yard, got their lives and nothing else barring their breeches,
and that not for comeliness' sake but because they were useless. Every man
jack of them, in less than five minutes, looked like a half-plucked
cockerel, and their captors were wrangling like jackdaws about the plunder.
I glanced at the window. To my relief, the Colonel was already sitting
up, pumping the sweet air into his befouled lungs, and Margaret smiled
joyously and waved her hand to me. I was waving victoriously back to her
when my attention was forcibly diverted by two Highlanders, who collared
me, intent on reducing me to a state of nature plus my breeches. There was
no time to explain, neither would they have understood my explanation. One
of them, a son of Anak for height and bulk, already had his hands to my
pockets. Him I hit, as hard-won experience had taught me, and he fell all
of a heap. His fellow was struck with amazement at seeing such a great
beef of a man put out of action so easily, and stood gaping over him for a
while. Recovering himself, he snatched a long knife out of his sock and
made for me murderously, but I had meantime fished out a guinea and now
held it out to him.
Pages:
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267