"Pardon me. Let me direct your notice to this weapon, which is in carte—you seem to have overlooked it."
"You are making matters worse."
"That is very likely. Guard, sir, if you please!"
"You mean to resist?"
"Ah, have you grasped that fact, at last?"
The sergeant rushed upon him and crossed swords. His first lunge was put aside easily, and he was forced to break ground.
"Hullo! So you can really fence!" he panted, feinting and aiming a furious thrust at Tristram's throat.
"Upon my word," said Tristram, parrying, and running him through the thigh as he recovered, "this gentleman seems astonished at everything!"
As the sergeant dropped, Captain Barker darted from behind Tristram and pounced upon a musket which one of the soldiers had abandoned when first assailed by the bees.
"This gets serious," he muttered. "Those fellows yonder are fixing bayonets."