As the night wore on, the men found it rather cold work to sit so still and quiet on horseback.
"Hutetu! it is so devilish cold," said one, and beat his arms crosswise.
"That it is," said another. "I freeze so, that my teeth chatter."
"If one only had a quid to chew," said a third.
Well! there was one who had an ounce or two; so they shared it between them, though it wasn't much, after all, that each got; and so they chewed and spat, and spat and chewed. This helped them somewhat; but in a little while they were just as bad as ever.
"Hutetu!" said one, and shivered and shook.
"Hutetu!" said the old woman, and shivered so, that every tooth in her head chattered. Then she pulled out the flask with brandy in it, and her hand shook so that the spirit splashed about in the flask, and then she took such a gulf, that it went "bop" in her throat.
"What is that you've got in your flask, old girl?" said one of the grooms.
"Oh! it's only a drop of brandy, old man," said she.
"Brandy! Well, I never! Do let me have a drop," screamed the whole twelve, one after another.