“There was no need to call any one. They
were all there leaning on their guns and
spears round the clearing in the centre of
the pine wood. A deputation of priests went
down to the little temple to bring up the
girl, and the horns blew up fit to wake the
dead. Billy Fish saunters round and gets
as close to Daniel as he could, and behind
him stood his twenty men with matchlocks.
Not a man of them under six feet. I was
next to Dravot, and behind me was twenty
men of the regular Army. Up comes the
girl, and a strapping wench she was, covered
with silver and turquoises but white as death,
and looking back every minute at the priests.

“‘She’ll do,’ said Dan, looking her over.
‘What’s to be afraid of, lass? Come and
kiss me.’ He puts his arm round her. She
shuts her eyes, gives a bit of a squeak, and
down goes her face in the side of Dan’s flaming
red beard.

“‘The slut’s bitten me!’ says he, clapping
his hand to his neck, and, sure enough, his
hand was red with blood. Billy Fish and
two of his matchlock-men catches hold of
Dan by the shoulders and drags him into the
Bashkai lot, while the priests howls in their