John Stich, with Mistress Betty beside him, had watched these proceedings from the other end of the green, fully prepared to come to Miggs’s assistance and to disclose the latter’s identity at once if the horse-play became at all too rough. He now pushed his way through the group of soldiers, and good-naturedly taking hold of the bewildered shepherd’s arm, he led him to the porch of the Royal George.
"You’d like to wet your gullet after this, eh, Jock?" he said, as he ordered a tankard of steaming ale to be brought forthwith to the dripping man.
The soldiers, somewhat shamefaced, had pressed into the bar-parlour of the inn: presently there would be a few broken heads in the village as a result of the morning’s work, but for the moment the yokels had not begun to chaff: ’twas Jock who was the centre of attraction outside in the porch, sitting on a bench and sipping large quantities of hot ale.
"Let’s all drink a glass of ale to the health of Jock Miggs, the highwayman!" came in merry accents from one of the gaffers.
"Hurrah for Jock Miggs, the highwayman!" was the universal gleeful chorus.
"Be gy! Don’t he look formidable!" quoth one of the villagers, pointing at the shepherd’s scared figure on the bench.
"Let me perish!" said another in mock alarm, "but I’se mightily afeeard o’ him."
Mistress Betty too had mixed with the throng, and was eyeing Jock, with irrepressible laughter dancing in her saucy little face.
"Lud! ’tis that funny bit of sheep’s wool!" she said gaily. "Faith! and you do look sadly, Jock Miggs, and no mistake! Have you been in the pond?"
"How did ’e foind that out?" queried Miggs, vaguely. "Aye! they dumped Oi in t’ pond, they did ... and nearly throttled Oi ... ’tis a blamed shame!"
He had sipped huge tankards of hot ale until he felt thoroughly warm, and was steaming now like a great loaf just out of the oven.
"Dumped ye in the pond?" laughed Mistress Betty. "You were no beauty before, Jock Miggs ... but now ... Oh! Gemini! ... Why, what had you done?"
"I’d done nowt!" retorted the bewildered shepherd. "A foine gentleman he took a fancy to me old smock, he did ... he put a pistol to my head ... then he give me his own beautiful coat for to make me look decent ... and I were just puttin’ it on when them soldiers fell on me ... and nigh throttled me, and clapped me in the pound they did..."