CHAPTER XXXII
I FOUND Rye a snug little town, and so entirely peaceable-looking that when I went out in the morning I was afraid there would be nobody there who would join me in the hazardous task of taking possession of the place of so well-known a man as the Earl of Westport. But I did not know Rye then as well as I do now: it proved to be a great resort for smugglers when they were off duty and wished to enjoy the innocent relaxation of a town after the comparative loneliness of the seacoast, although, if all the tales they tell me are true, the authorities sometimes made the seashore a little too lively for their comfort. Then there were a number of seafaring men looking for a job, and some of them had the appearance of being pirates in more prosperous days.
As I wandered about I saw a most gigantic ruffian, taking his ease with his back against the wall, looking down on the shipping.
"If that man 's as bold as he 's strong," said I to myself, "and I had half a dozen more like him, we 'd hold Brede House till the day there 's liberty in Ireland;" so I accosted him.
"The top o' the morning to you," said I genially.
He eyed me up and down, especially glancing at the sword by my side, and then said civilly:
