He turned his head towards me smiling.
“Couldn’t see rightly as to that, Mester Jacob,” he said; “I dessay they weer.”
“And a set of cowards had hold of them!” I cried.
“Nay, I can’t say,” replied the great fellow. “Yow see, Mester, when owt hits you on the head it wuzzles you like, and you feel maäzed.”
Uncle Jack stood frowning.
“You know very well, Pannell,” I cried angrily, “that you have been set upon by some of these treacherous cowards for helping me that evening. Oh, Uncle Jack!” I cried, passionately turning to him, “why don’t you go to the police?”
“Howd thee tongue, lad!” cried Pannell fiercely. “Yow don’t know nowt about it. Don’t yow do nowt o’ t’ sort, Mester. Let well alone, I say.”
“But I cannot stand still and see these outrages committed,” said Uncle Jack in a low angry voice.
“Hey, but thou’lt hev to, ’less you give up maäkin’ ’ventions. Trade don’t like ’em, and trade will hev its say.”
“But that you should have been so brutally used for doing a manly action for this boy,” began Uncle Jack.