I looked in I laughed from sheer surprise. The house was full of
ponies, mules, and even donkeys, which had been driven in and tethered
together tightly behind barricades of tables and chairs. Now seeing
us, they stood there all eyes and ears, and with prolonged whinnies
and gruntings plainly welcomed this diversion. With glee we drove them
out and counted them up--ten more animals!

It was with disgust, however, that I remembered that there was neither
harness nor carts; but to my surprise, now that the animals had been
discovered, my men were running busily around searching every likely
hiding-place of the huge straggling courtyards. Like rats, they ran
into every corner, turned over everything, pulled up loose floorings,
and presently the body of a cart was found hidden in a loft in the
most cunning way. But it was only the body of a cart; there were no
wheels. And yet the wheels could not be far off. Five more minutes'
search had discovered them suspended down a well, under a bucket,
which itself contained a mass of harness; and then in every impossible
place we discovered the inn property cleverly stored away. In the end,
we had all the animals hitched up, and the carts themselves full of
fodder. Then, by employing the same tactics as before, just outside
drivers were discovered and induced to follow us, and now, with a
heavy caravan to protect against all comers, we sallied forth. This
time we would have our work cut out.

An hour and more had elapsed since we had been on the open streets,
and it being near midday, and everything still quiet, we were
surprised to see people of the lower classes moving cautiously about
on the main streets, but disappearing quickly at the mere sight of
other people whose business they could not divine. That, too, was
soon explained; for, seeing one rapscallion trying to run away with a