I could beat thee now, John.' Jeremy Stickles was a man of courage, and presence of mind, and much resource: otherwise he would not have been appointed for this business; nevertheless he trembled greatly when he heard what I had to tell him.

But I took good care to keep back the name of young Marwood de Whichehalse; neither did I show my knowledge of the other men; for reasons of my own not very hard to conjecture.
'We will let them cool their heels, John Ridd,' said Jeremy, after thinking a little.

'I cannot fetch my musketeers either from Glenthorne or Lynmouth, in time to seize the fellows.

And three desperate Doones, well-armed, are too many for you and me.

One result this attempt will have, it will make us attack them sooner than we had intended.