第169章

said I.'Can't say I be,'said the voice;'not yet at any rate;but who are you?I don't know you.''A traveller whom you and your partner were going to run over in this dark lane;you almost frightened me out of my senses.''Frightened!'said the voice,in a louder tone;'frightened!oh!'and thereupon I heard somebody getting upon his legs.This accomplished,the individual proceeded to attend to his horse,and with a little difficulty raised him upon his legs also.'Aren't you hurt?'said I.'Hurt!'said the voice;'not I;don't think it,whatever the horse may be.I tell you what,my fellow,I thought you were a robber,and now I find you are not;I have a good mind-''To do what?''To serve you out;aren't you ashamed-?''At what?'said I;'not to have robbed you?Shall I set about it now?''Ha,ha!'said the man,dropping the bullying tone which he had assumed;'you are joking-robbing!who talks of robbing?I wonder how my horse's knees are;not much hurt,I think-only mired.'The man,whoever he was,then got upon his horse;and,after moving him about a little,said,'Good night,friend;where are you?''Here I am,'said I,'just behind you.''You are,are you?Take that.'I know not what he did,but probably pricking his horse with the spur the animal kicked out violently;one of his heels struck me on the shoulder,but luckily missed my face;I fell back with the violence of the blow,whilst the fellow scampered off at a great rate.

Stopping at some distance,he loaded me with abuse,and then,continuing his way at a rapid trot,I heard no more of him.

'What a difference!'said I,getting up;'last night I was feted in the hall of a rich genius,and to-night I am knocked down and mired in a dark lane by the heel of Master Wise's horse-I wonder who gave him that name?And yet he was wise enough to wreak his revenge upon me,and I was not wise enough to keep out of his way.

Well,I am not much hurt,so it is of little consequence.'

I now bethought me that,as I had a carriage of my own,I might as well make use of it;I therefore got into the cart,and,taking the reins in my hand,gave an encouraging cry to the pony,whereupon the sturdy little animal started again at as brisk a pace as if he had not already come many a long mile.I lay half reclining in the cart,holding the reins lazily,and allowing the animal to go just where he pleased,often wondering where he would conduct me.At length I felt drowsy,and my head sank upon my breast;I soon aroused myself,but it was only to doze again;this occurred several times.Opening my eyes after a doze somewhat longer than the others,I found that the drizzling rain had ceased,a corner of the moon was apparent in the heavens,casting a faint light;I looked around for a moment or two,but my eyes and brain were heavy with slumber,and I could scarcely distinguish where we were.I had a kind of dim consciousness that we were traversing an uninclosed country-perhaps a heath;I thought,however,that I saw certain large black objects looming in the distance,which I had a confused idea might be woods or plantations;the pony still moved at his usual pace.I did not find the jolting of the cart at all disagreeable,on the contrary,it had quite a somniferous effect upon me.Again my eyes closed;I opened them once more,but with less perception in them than before,looked forward,and,muttering something about woodlands,I placed myself in an easier posture than I had hitherto done,and fairly fell asleep.