Idonia: A Romance of Old LondonWallis, Arthur Frederick
History
Idonia: A Romance of Old London
Wallis, Arthur Frederick
Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 -- Fiction; London (England) -- Fiction
I never saw men so immediately fall into confusion as did all of them,
but chiefly the rearward, that, every man of them, fled hither and
thither with little squealing pitiful cries; some running beneath the
waggon or behind it; others leaping off the causeway amidst the fenny
ooze and peat-bogs that it wends through in these parts, where they
were fain to shelter themselves in the grasses and filthy holes that
everywhere there abound. I caught a sight of Sir Matthew, on the
instant, exceedingly white, and his sword half drawn; but he then
losing a stirrup (as he told me afterwards he did) was borne from the
conflict unwillingly a great way down the road ere he could recover
himself. Only the younger serving man, whose name was Jenning, and Mr.
Jordan, retained their courages, and both came at once to my
assistance, which in truth was not too soon. For the footman (that is
the villain with the pike) ran in under my guard and dealt me a keen
thrust into the thigh which sore troubled although it did not unhorse
me. I returned upon him with my pistol, discharging it close to his
body, and hurt him in the shoulder, as I knew, because he dropped his
pike and clapped his hand there, grinning at me the while like a dog.
Just then I heard the click of a snaphance, and perceived that the
caliver that Jenning carried had hung fire; and following upon this, a
great laughter from the elder man, whose name was Day, a hard-favoured
fellow, having a wicked pursed mouth and little dull green eyes.
"Shouldst 'a looked to thy priming, Master Jenning," he called out
mockingly; by which I saw that he had tampered with the poor man's
piece while we lay at the inn in Glastonbury; and this much said, he
raised his own piece and fired directly at him, who fell at once all
huddled upon his horse's neck, stark dead. Before I could draw forth
my second pistol, Mr. Jordan had rid forward very boldly, though armed
but with his antique broadsword, and laid about him with good swinging
blows, the one of which happening upon his opponent's mare, it cut into
her cheek with a great gash, at the same time bursting the rein and
headstall, to the end she was quite unmanageable, and despite of Day's
furious restraint (who, to do him credit, would have continued the
contest, two to one), charged away at a great pace, carrying him with
her along the road until they were fairly out of sight.
When I had satisfied myself that the villain would certainly not
return, I drew my sword and looked about for his companion, the
pikeman, whom I had wounded; but whether he had crept into the
concealment of the high bog grass, as the most part of the guard had
done, or else had gone backward down the road, I could not get any
certainty; and Sir Matthew who now rode up said he had not gone that
way, else he would assuredly have met and slain him, which, seeing that
the man was disabled, is likely; and so I gave over the search.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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