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The men brought out in this way would fall suddenly upon some stray British force that was off its guard, and utterly destroy it. The British would at once send a strong body of troops to punish the daring patriots, but the redcoat leader would look in vain for anybody to punish. The patriots could scatter and hide as quickly as they could come together.
Fans huge as sails set little breezes going; there was wise neutrality of speech, King Ombre being on the throne and everybody happy. Meanwhile I set my young women laughing with an account of how a Quaker looked in on them through the window at the redcoat ball, but of the incident in the garden I said nothing, nor was it known beyond those immediately concerned.
"And then he sends his redcoat soldiers to hold our fort from us and man our great guns and be a threat and a danger forever to our peace and make us slaves to the fear of the great cannon! Yo-he-wah!
"I had a hideous vision of Washington and the rest of us in a huge battle picture, in which a redcoat stood on every squirming variety of continental uniform, while a screeching eagle flew off with the Declaration of Independence.
"To the divil with you," roared Terrence. "We've downed one redcoat in fair light; what more do ye want, bad luck to ye?" The officer spoke to some one behind him, and a musket was handed him. Terrence sprang to the stern saying: "Now look out! lay low, ye lubbers! the blackguard's goin' to shoot!" The officer raised his musket, and a moment later a puff of smoke issued from the muzzle.
A blade's length at my right where I was standing in front of the tavern, three redcoat officers lounged at ease; and to one of them my lady tossed a nod of recognition, half laughing, half defiant. I turned quickly to look at the favored one. He stood with his back to me; a man of about my own bigness, heavy-built and well-muscled.
Indeed, he made for my aunt some pretty sketches of the fall woods, and, as I have said, was welcome where no other redcoat could enter. My aunt was soon easier in mind, but my own condition was not to be envied.
Then to the old black, who had stood by, saucer-eyed and speechless, the while: "Anthony, do you be as big a numbskull as you were born to be, and hold these redcoat gentlemen in palaver till we can win out at the back." The old majordomo nodded his good-will, but now my slow wit came in play. "We've done it now," said I. "The horses will go out as they came in, or not at all.
Redcoat held up his right wing and sure enough there was a little stick projecting from both sides close up to the shoulder. The wing was bleeding a little. "Oh, dear, whatever shall I do, Peter Rabbit? Whatever shall I do?" sobbed Redcoat. "Does it pain you dreadfully?" asked Peter. Redcoat nodded. "But I don't mind the pain," he hastened to say. "It is the thought of what MAY happen to me."
From this time onward Wood, a clever and observant boy, kept both his ears and eyes open, and accumulated from all quarters materials for his narrative which covers fifty years, the most interesting and important half century in the history of Oxford. "Your orthodox historian puts In foremost rank the soldier thus, The redcoat bully in his boots That hides the march of men from us."
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