Assure him, with my compliments--" He was interrupted by the clatter of hoofs, and two gentlemen on horseback came cantering up the road and drew rein suddenly.
"Hey! What have we here ?" demanded a foreign voice.
The soldiers turned and presented arms in a flurry.

The taller of the two horsemen was an extremely handsome cavalier in a nut-brown peruque and scarlet riding-suit on which several orders glistened.
He bestrode a black charger of remarkable size and beauty; and seemed, by his stature and presence, to domineer over his companion, a small man with a hooked nose and an extremely emaciated face, who wore a plain habit of dark purple and rode a sorrel blood-mare of no especial points.

Nevertheless it was this little man who had spoken, and at the sound of his voice a whisper ran through the crowd: "The King!" It was, in fact, his Majesty King William III., who, tired of the slow jolting of the royal coach along the abominable road of that period, had exchanged that equipage for his favourite mare and cantered ahead of his escort, refreshing his senses in the strong breeze that swept from seaward across the level country.
"Sir, will you be good enough to explain ?" he demanded again, addressing the unfortunate officer, who had picked himself up from the road and stood covered with shame and swellings.
"Your Majesty, the two prisoners here were engaged in obstructing your Majesty's high-road." "They seem to be still doing so." "And knowing that your Majesty was shortly expected to pass, I proceeded to remove them." "But what is this?
A company of my foot-guards in confusion! One-two-three-four of them wounded--if, indeed, one is not killed outright! Do you tell me that this old man and this boy have done it all, besides bruising the faces of a dozen more ?" "They and a swarm of cursed bees, your Majesty." "This is incredible!.

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