[begin page 422]

Nearing four in the afternoon. The scene was just outside the walls of London. A cool, comfortable, superb day, with a brilliant sun; the kind of day to make one want to live, not die. The multitude was prodigious and far reaching; and yet we sixteenⒶemendation Ⓐtextual note poor devils hadn’t a friend in it. There was something painfulⒶalteration in the MS in that thought, look at it how you might. There we sat, on our tall scaffold, the butt of the hate and mockery of all those enemies. We were being made a holi- [begin page 423] day spectacle. They had built a sort of grand stand for the nobility and gentry, and these were there in full force, with their ladies. We recognized a good many of them. The crowd got a brief and unexpected dash ofⒶalteration in the MS diversion out of the king. The moment we were freed of our bonds he sprang up, inⒶalteration in the MS his fantastic rags, with face bruised out of all recognition, and proclaimedⒶalteration in the MS himself Arthur, king of BritainⒶemendation, and denounced the awful penalties of treason upon every soul there present if hair of his sacred head were touched. It startled and surprised him to hear them break into a vast roar of laughter. It wounded his dignity, and he locked himself up in silence, then, although the crowd begged himⒶalteration in the MS to go on, and tried to provoke him to it by cat-callsⒶemendation, jeers, and shouts of—

“LetⒶalteration in the MS him speak! the king! the king! his humble subjects hunger and thirst for words of wisdom out of the mouth of theirⒶalteration in the MS master his Serene and Sacred Raggedness!”

But it went for nothing. He put on all his majesty and sat under this rain of contempt and insult unmoved. He certainly was great, in his way. Absently, I had taken off my white bandage and wound it about my right arm. When the crowd noticed this, they began upon me. They said:

“Doubtless this sailor-man is his minister—observe his costly badge of office!”

I let them go on until they got tired, and then I said:

“Yes, I am his minister, The BossⒶalteration in the MS; and to-morrowⒶemendation you will hear that from Camelot which—”

I got no further. They drowned me out with joyous derision. But presently there was silence; for the sheriffs of London, in their official robes, with their subordinates, began to make a stir which indicated that business was about to begin. In the hush which followed, our crime was recited, the death warrant read, then everybody uncovered while a priest uttered a prayer.

Then a slave was blindfolded, the hangmanⒶemendation unslung his rope. There lay the smooth road below us, we upon one side of it, the banked multitude walling its other side—a good clear road, and kept free by the police—how good it would be to see my five hundred horsemen come tearing down it! But no, it was out of the possibilities. I followed its receding thread out into the distance—not a horseman on it, or sign of one.

[begin page 424]

There was a jerk, and the slave hung dangling; dangling and hideously squirming, for his limbs were not tied.

A second rope was unslung, in a moment another slave was dangling.

In a minute a third slave was struggling in the air. It was dreadful. [begin page 425] I turned away my head a moment, and when I turned back I missed the king! They were blindfolding him!Ⓐemendation I was paralyzedⒶemendation; I couldn’t move, I was choking, my tongue was petrified. They finished blindfolding him, they led him under the rope. I couldn’tⒶemendation shake off that clinging impotence. But when I saw them put the noose around his neck then everything let go in me, and I made a spring to the rescue—and as I made it I shot one more glance abroad—by George, here they cameⒶrejected substantive, a-tilting!—five hundred mailed and belted knights on bicycles!

The grandest sight that ever was seen. Lord, how the plumes [begin page 426] streamed, how the sun flamed and flashed from the endless procession of webby wheels!

I waved my right arm as Launcelot swept in—he recognized my rag—I tore away noose and bandage, and shouted:

“On your knees,Ⓐalteration in the MS every rascalⒶemendation of you, and salute the king! Who fails shall sup in hell to-night!”

I always use that high style when I’m climaxing an effect. Well, it was noble to see Launcelot and the boys swarm up onto that scaffold and heave sheriffs and such overboard. And it was fineⒶalteration in the MS to see that astonished multitude go down on their knees and beg their lives of the king they had just been deriding and insulting. And as he stood apart, there, receiving this homage in his rags, I thought to myself, well really there is something peculiarly grandⒶalteration in the MS about the gait and bearing of a king, after all. I was immensely satisfied. Take the whole situationⒶalteration in the MS all around, it was one of the gaudiestⒶalteration in the MS effects I ever instigated.Ⓐalteration in the MS

And presently up comes Clarence, his own self! and winks, and says, very modernly:

“Good dealⒶemendation of a surprise, wasn’t it? I knew you’d like it.Ⓐalteration in the MS I’ve had the boys practicing, this long time, privately; and just hungry for a chance to show off.”Ⓐalteration in the MS