vI.] THE RED BARON. 311

 

other, to see who can get the best of it, and little good
comes of jawing, any day in the week. As for his
white flag, I didn’t care a rush about that, and if I
had thought there was any danger of my followers
being beaten by his, I should very likely have taken
advantage of his folly in bearing the white flag him-
self, let him come near and then captured him as a
hostage for the behaviour of his men. But I saw at
"a glance that we were as strong as they, and I was
impatient to be at them; so I paid no respect to his
flag or him, but gave the word to charge at once.

‘At it we went ding dong. The other chaps fought
like mad, for they were in their own country, and as
your English proverb says, “ Every cock fights best on
his own dunghill.” But my cocks were more of the
game breed than they were, and after about a quarter
of an hour, they gave way and fled in every direction.
My blood was up by this time, and I laid about me
right and left, cutting and slashing the beggars like any-
thing, until at last I encountered the baron himself.
He would fain have avoided the battle even then.

““ What have I done?” he cried. “Why are you
thus attacking me and my poor people?”

‘TI only laughed in his face, and rode him down
forthwith, for I was better mounted and a stronger
man withal. Then I pursued his men and knocked
as many of them on the head as I could, after which I
had him bound with his legs under his horse’s belly,
and rode forward in triumph to his castle, which, being
ill defended, soon yielded to my victorious army. Oh!
we had a rare time of it then! We sacked the old
place from top to bottom, and my fellows said they