It was but a small place.
"Not much to rob here," his host said grimly.

"They have taken my two cows, and all my poultry.

My horse only escaped because they did not think him fit for anything.
"This is a stranger, wife," he went on, as a woman rose, in some alarm, from a stool upon which she was crouching by the fire.

"He will stop here for the night and, though there is little enough to offer him, at least we can make him welcome." He took a torch from the corner of the room, lighted it at the fire, and went out.
"You are right about your horse, my friend," he said; "and it is small chance you would have of taking him back with you, if any of these fellows set eyes on him.

I see your saddlery hardly matches with your horse." Fergus had indeed, before starting, taken off his saddle and other military equipments; and had replaced them with a common country saddle and bridle, adding a pair of rough wallets and the commonest of horse cloths, so as to disguise the animal as much as possible.
"I am sorry that I cannot give you a feed for the animal," the man went on; "but I have none, and my horse has to make shift with what he can pick up." "I have one of my wallets full.