“Faster!” echoed Halberd, with his pistol-muzzle nosing in the dancer’s ribs.
The man jumped higher, but not faster; he was too weakened by cowardice. The sailors joined in. They could not keep their feet on the ground. The contagion spread. Pike and Halberd joined the hopping. The offending admonisher looked about at them in a frenzy of despair, afraid of who might be witnessing his exhibition. He was a sorry dancer, for he was so eager to please that he flopped his arms deliriously, as if to convince his beholders of his willingness to make himself as entertaining as possible. When he suddenly collapsed and fell down, Adam ceased playing. The crowd settled on the pavement and applauded.
“For shame, good friend,” said Adam, solemnly, “now that I observe your garb, I am shocked and amazed at your conduct. Friends, let us go to the tavern and report this gentleman’s unseemly behavior. In payment for the fiddling, you may fetch my bales of goods and merchandise.” He waved to his shabby baggage and led the way to the Crow and Arrow, which had long before disgorged nearly all of its company, and its landlord, to add to the audience in the street.
Flinging up his only piece of gold, the young rover ordered refreshment for all who crowded into the tavern, and while they were drinking, he dragged the beef-eaters, with all the “bales of merchandise,” away to the meager apartments provided above stairs in the sorry hostelry.
In the darkness of the hall, he ran heavily against some one who was just on the point of quitting a room. The innocent person was bowled endways.
“Confound your impudence!” said the voice of a man. “Why don’t you look where you are going?”
“I couldn’t see for fools in the way,” retorted Adam. “I am no king, requiring you to fall before me.”
“I can’t see your face, but I can see that you are an arrant knave,” said the other hotly. “You never could have had a proper drubbing, or you would be less reckless of your speech!”
“I have always been pitted to fight with bragging rascals of about your size and ability with a weapon, else I might have been drubbed,” Adam flung back, laying his hand on his sword as he spoke. “It shames my steel to think of engaging a ten-pin!”
“By all tokens, sir, you are blind, as well as idiotic, to walk into death so heedlessly. Be good enough to follow me into the yard.”