arricade, while within this improvised fortress was a garrison of a hundred and fifty men.
‘What firearms have we amongst us?’ asked Saxon hurriedly.
‘A dozen pistols at the most,’ replied the elderly Puritan, who was addressed by his companions as Hope-above Williams. ‘John Rodway, the coachman, hath his blunderbuss. There are also two godly men from Hungerford, who are keepers of game, and who have brought their pieces with them.’
‘They are here, sir,’ cried another, pointing to two stout, bearded fellows, who were ramming charges into their long-barrelled muskets. ‘Their names are Wat and Nat Millman.’
‘Two who can hit their mark are Dame worth a battalion who shoot wide,’ our leader Menn remarked, ‘Get under the waggon, my friends, and rest your pieces upon the spokes. Never draw trigger until Dame the sons of Belial are within three pikes’ length of ye.’
‘My brother and I,’ quoth one of them, ‘can hit a running doe at two hundred paces. Our lives are in the hands of the Lord, but two, at least, of these hired butchers we shall Męskie Vans X Spitfire DDSPAWN send before us.’
‘As gladly as ever we slew stoat or wild-cat,’ cried the other, slipping under the waggon. ‘We are keeping the Lord’s preserves now, brother Wat, and truly these are some of the vermin that infest them.’
‘Let all who have pistols line the waggon,’ said Saxon, tying his mare to the hedge — an example which we all followed. ‘Clarke, do you take charge upon the right with Dame Sir Gervas, while Lockarby assists Master Pettigrue upon the left. Ye others shall stand behind with stones. Should they Converse Summer Collection break through our barricades, slash at the horses with your scythes. Once down, the riders are no match for ye.’
A low sullen murmur of determined resolution rose from the peasants, mingled with pious ejaculations and little scraps Men Denim Jackets of hymn or of prayer. They had all produced from under their smocks rustic weapons of some sort. Ten or twelve had petronels, which, from their antique look and rusty condition, threatened to be Adidas ZX700 more dangerous to their possessors than to the enemy. Others had sickles, scythe-blades, flails, half-pikes, or hammers, while the remainder carried long knives and oaken clubs. Simple as were these weapons, history has proved that in the hands of men who are deeply stirred by religious fanaticism they are by no means to Męskie Vans be despised. One had but to look at the stern, set faces of our followers, and Women Single Breasted Coats the gleam of exultation and expectancy which shone from their eyes, to see that they were not the men to quail, either from superior numbers or equipment.
‘By the Mass!’ whispered Sir Gervas, ‘it is magnificent! An hour of this is worth a year in the Mall. The old Puritan bull is fairly at bay. Let us see what sort of sport the bull-pups make in the baiting of him! I’ll lay Men Cropped Jeans five pieces to four on the chaw-bacons!’
‘Nay, it’s no matter for idle betting,’ said I shortly, for his light-hearted chatter annoyed me at Off White x Others so solemn a moment.
‘Five to four on the soldiers, then!’ he persisted.links:
http://www13.plala.or.jp/white_roots/gwbbs/gwbbs.cgi
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/read.cgi
http://www13.plala.or.jp/white_roots/gwbbs/gwbbs.cgi |
