The crowd at the brink of the pool scatter’d to right and left, yelling. Up flew the beam of the ducking stool, reliev’d of their weight, and down with a splash went the pickpocket at the far end. As well for my own skin’s sake as out of pity to see him drowning, I jumped into the water. In two strokes I reach’d him, gained footing, and with Anthony’s sword cut the straps away and pull’d him up. And there we stood, up to our necks, coughing and spluttering; while on the deserted brink the bear sniff’d at the water and regarded us.
No doubt we appear’d contemptible enough: for after a time he turned with a louder sniff, and went his way lazily up the street again. He had broken out from the pit wherein, for the best part of the day, they had baited him; yet seemed to bear little malice. For he saunter’d about the town for an hour or two, hurting no man, but making a clean sweep of every sweet stall in his way; and was taken at last very easily, with his head in a treacle cask, by the bear ward and a few dogs.
Meanwhile the pickpocket and I had scrambled out by the further bank and wrung our clothes. He seemed to resent his treatment no more than did the bear.
“Ben cove—’tis a good world. My thanks!”
And with this scant gratitude he was gone, leaving me to make my way back to the sign of “The Boot,” where the chambermaid led me upstairs, and took away my clothes to dry by the fire. I determin’d to buy a horse on the morrow, and with my guineas and the King’s letter under the pillow, dropp’d off to slumber again.
My powers of sleep must have been nois’d abroad by the hostess: for next morning at the breakfast ordinary, the dealers and drovers laid down knife and fork to stare as I enter’d. After a while one or two lounged out and brought in others to look: so that soon I was in a ring of stupid faces, all gazing like so many cows.
For a while I affected to eat undisturbed: but lost patience at last and addressed a red-headed gazer——
“If you take me for a show, you ought to pay.”
“That’s fair,” said the fellow, and laid a groat on the board. This came near to putting me in a passion, but his face was serious. “’Tis a real pleasure,” he added heartily, “to look on one so gifted.”
“If any of you,” I said, “could sell me a horse——”