"See how he's looking about him," observed another. "What shall we do?"
"Kill him at once."
"Yes, kill him."
"On to him."
And the speaker himself was the first to act upon his own counsel.
He stepped forward to catch the old man by the coat, but the latter, retreating a couple of paces, appeared startled.
"Keep your distance, my masters," he said; "keep your distance, because I am a very dangerous fellow."
They laughed at this.
"Dangerous, you are?" cried one of them, "oh, oh! what is your name?"
"Why, they call me the leech-fisher."