There was some reason to augur such a conclusion of the adventure,
for the bonny Scot had already accosted the younger Samaritan,
who was hastening to his assistance, with these ireful words:
"Discourteous dog! why did you not answer when I called to know
if the passage was fit to be attempted? May the foul fiend catch
me, but I will teach you the respect due to strangers on the next
occasion."

This was accompanied with that significant flourish with his pole
which is called le moulinet, because the artist, holding it in
the middle, brandishes the two ends in every direction like the
sails of a windmill in motion. His opponent, seeing himself thus
menaced, laid hand upon his sword, for he was one of those who on
all occasions are more ready for action than for speech; but his
more considerate comrade, who came up, commanded him to forbear,
and, turning to the young man, accused him in turn of precipitation
in plunging into the swollen ford, and of intemperate violence in
quarrelling with a man who was hastening to his assistance.

The young man, on hearing himself thus reproved by a man of advanced
age and respectable appearance, immediately lowered his weapon,
and said he would be sorry if he had done them injustice; but, in
reality, it appeared to him as if they had suffered him to put his
life in peril for want of a word of timely warning, which could be
the part neither of honest men nor of good Christians, far less of
respectable burgesses, such as they seemed to be.

"Fair son," said the elder person, "you seem, from your accent and
complexion, a stranger; and you should recollect your dialect is