Suddenly, however, on the road making a slight turning, Iperceived him right before me, moving at a tolerably swift pace, having by this time probably overcome the resistance of the animal.Putting my horse to a full gallop, I shouted at the top of my voice, "Get off that donkey, you rascal, and give her up to me, or I'll ride you down." The fellow hearing the thunder of the horse's hoofs behind him, drew up on one side of the road."What do you want?" said he, as Istopped my charger, now almost covered with sweat and foam close beside him."Do you want to rob me?" "To rob you?"said I."No! but to take from you that ass, of which you have just robbed its owner." "I have robbed no man," said the fellow; "I just now purchased it fairly of its master, and the law will give it to me; he asked six pounds for it, and I gave him six pounds." "Six stones, you mean, you rascal," said I; "get down, or my horse shall be upon you in a moment;" then with a motion of my reins, I caused the horse to rear, pressing his sides with my heels as if I intended to make him leap."Stop," said the man, "I'll get down, and then try if I can't serve you out." He then got down, and confronted me with his cudgel; he was a horrible-looking fellow, and seemed prepared for anything.Scarcely, however, had he dismounted, when the donkey jerked the bridle out of his hand, and probably in revenge for the usage she had received, gave him a pair of tremendous kicks on the hip with her hinder legs, which overturned him, and then scampered down the road the way she had come."Pretty treatment this,"said the fellow, getting up without his cudgel, and holding his hand to his side, "I wish I may not be lamed for life.""And if you be," said I, "it will merely serve you right, you rascal, for trying to cheat a poor old man out of his property by quibbling at words." "Rascal!" said the fellow, "you lie, I am no rascal; and as for quibbling with words -suppose I did! What then? All the first people does it!
The newspapers does it! the gentlefolks that calls themselves the guides of the popular mind does it! I'm no ignoramus.Iread the newspapers, and knows what's what." "You read them to some purpose," said I."Well, if you are lamed for life, and unfitted for any active line - turn newspaper editor; Ishould say you are perfectly qualified, and this day's adventure may be the foundation of your fortune," thereupon Iturned round and rode off.The fellow followed me with a torrent of abuse."Confound you," said he - yet that was not the expression either - "I know you; you are one of the horse-patrol come down into the country on leave to see your relations.Confound you, you and the like of you have knocked my business on the head near Lunnon, and I suppose we shall have you shortly in the country." "To the newspaper office," said I, "and fabricate falsehoods out of flint stones;" then touching the horse with my heels, I trotted off, and coming to the place where I had seen the old man, Ifound him there, risen from the ground, and embracing his ass.
I told him that I was travelling down the road, and said, that if his way lay in the same direction as mine he could do no better than accompany me for some distance, lest the fellow who, for aught I knew, might be hovering nigh, might catch him alone, and again get his ass from him.After thanking me for my offer, which he said he would accept, he got upon his ass, and we proceeded together down the road.
My new acquaintance said very little of his own accord; and when I asked him a question, answered rather incoherently.Iheard him every now and then say, "Villain!" to himself, after which he would pat the donkey's neck, from which circumstance I concluded that his mind was occupied with his late adventure.After travelling about two miles, we reached a place where a drift-way on the right led from the great road; here my companion stopped, and on my asking him whether he was going any farther, he told me that the path to the right was the way to his home.
