When the first two men were within a few paces of us, they suddenly wheeled their horses straight across the road, thus compelling us to stop.
"And what might you want, sirs?" asked Harleston, in his sweetest tone. The manner in which he spoke did seem to take their breath away; for they did nothing but stare for a moment. Then the first to recover himself answered:—
"All that thou hast, and be damned quick about the giving it." This in a voice that told, in the plainest terms, the life these fellows lead.
My companion fumbled with his purse for a moment, which example I followed. The two knaves eyed the bags as the wolf doth gaze in greedy admiration at a lamb. Then, when the outlaws were off their guards, our swords did leap from their scabbards, and we cleft their heads as though they had been made of putty—which, mayhap, they were. We now drove our spurs into the flanks of our horses and dashed at the other two. They waited until we were within a score of yards of them, and then they changed their minds, and did not seem to relish the idea of meeting the same fate as their fellows; for they turned their horses into the greenwood, and disappeared along one of those many narrow paths, with which these forests are burrowed, and which they know as well as I do the corridors of the palaces at Westminster or Windsor. We did not attempt to follow them, but rode on at full speed for the distance of a mile, and when we at length slackened our pace and looked back, not one of the six was to be seen.
They had evidently thought to overawe us by a great show of numbers and the copious use of bluster; but after two of their number had fallen the courage of the rest did forsake them, and they lost their appetites for our purses, for which they should have to pay such a price.
So we rode into York, nothing the worse for our little adventure which had helped to make us forget the weariness of our long, hard ride. When we had entered our inn, and were preparing us for our supper, a great crowd gathered about the door; for the news had soon leaked out, who we were and what our business was; for around inns every one doth know one's business better than that person does himself; for what they do not know they guess at. So we gave them the news of the great victory our army had won, and told them that the Duke of Gloucester now occupied Berwick. When they heard this they went wild with delight, and we had to shut ourselves in our rooms to keep from being carried, on their shoulders, all over the city; so great was the admiration of this sturdy, simple, congregation of England's stalwart sons.
Bonfires were lighted wherever they could find sufficient open space in which to build them. Processions were continually marching through the streets, singing and cheering.
We had intended staying here for a few hours, in order that we might get some much needed sleep; but we soon found this to be outside the bounds of possibility, on account of the uproar which was increasing every moment.
My friend and I, after cursing our folly in telling them the good news, decided to not wait for a longer time than should be necessary for us to get some supper and a change of horses, and then proceed on our journey.
Needless to say, we did eat ravenously, after the long ride we had had. When we had refreshed ourselves, all that it was possible for us to do, we mounted our horses and set out through the surging, screaming, half-drunken mass of humanity and made our way slowly towards the city gates.