They were on return from the market--for it was afternoon--and once more climbing a steep hill; this time not the _Cat's_ but the _Kymin_--the old Roman Road (Camen), which, crossing the Wye at Monmouth (Blestium), led up to the Forest table-land by Staunton. The ascent commences at the bridge, winding for miles through romantic woods and scenery unsurpassed in England. The bridge as then was a quaint, massive structure, having a towered gate on its _tete de pont_, with portcullis, draw-arch, and guard-house. A guard of Royalist soldiers were stationed on it; for ever since the breaking out of the war Monmouth had been kept for the King. But the cadgers had found no difficulty in passing this guard, either at going in, or coming out. It was market day, and Jinkum was laden with marketable commodities--a motley collection of farmyard fowls--hens, ducks, and geese--making a very pandemonium in the panniers. Had the soldiers upon the bridge but known what the little limping man carried inside his wooden leg, like enough they would have pitched him over the parapet. It was after getting clear of them, and well uphill, that the brother and sister were unburthening themselves to one another, as above described. The dialogue had commenced by Jack chuckling over the way they had outwitted the bridge guards, and referring back to how they had done the same, some fifteen months before, with the "Cavalieres," encountered on the Bristol road by Berkeley. He was in high glee, jesting about and praising his artificial leg--which had proved worth more to him than the real one-- again in pleasant anticipation of a like remunerative result. The sister, however, was not joyous as he; her thoughts just then dwelling on that poor young lady described by Rob Wilde as having been "well-nigh deestract." That was it which had turned their conversation into the channel it had taken. There was a short interregnum of silence after Winny's assenting rejoinder. Broken by Jack with an observation bearing on the same topic of discourse, but about a different place and time. "'Twor a pity the Captain goed back to Hollymead wi' so few o' his sodgers along. I cud a tolt he that wan't safe, seein' the Colonel Lingen ha' his quarters so near by, in Goodrich Castle. Him be a dangerous neighbour, an' master o' all round about theer now." "Ye be right, Jack; 'twor a pity," she answered, echoing his first reflection. "But theer wor a good reason for 't, Rob's gied me. Seems Master Powell had somethin' at Hollymead--him wanted gettin' to Glo'ster, so's to be safer theer. 'Twor a thing o' great value him had hid away, fores leavin' for Bristol that time, an' the Captain volunteered like to go for it. How could him know o' the danger frae Goodrich? That wor brought about by treezun; one o' his men, who stepped away in the night an' warned the Colonel Lingen. So him got tooked by surprise."