Think not you are now in your own land of fair play, where men speak before they strike, and shake hands ere they cut throats.

Danger in our land walks openly, and with his blade drawn, and defies the foe whom he means to assault; but here he challenges you with a silk glove instead of a steel gauntlet, cuts your throat with the feather of a turtle-dove, stabs you with the tongue of a priest's brooch, or throttles you with the lace of my lady's boddice.

Go to--keep your eyes open and your mouths shut--drink less, and look sharper about you; or I will place your huge stomachs on such short allowance as would pinch the stomach of a patient Scottish man." The yeomen, abashed and mortified, withdrew to their post, and Neville was beginning to remonstrate with his master upon the risk of passing over thus slightly their negligence upon their duty, and the propriety of an example in a case so peculiarly aggravated as the permitting one so suspicious as the marabout to approach within dagger's length of his person, when Richard interrupted him with, "Speak not of it, Neville--wouldst thou have me avenge a petty risk to myself more severely than the loss of England's banner?
It has been stolen--stolen by a thief, or delivered up by a traitor, and no blood has been shed for it .-- My sable friend, thou art an expounder of mysteries, saith the illustrious Soldan--now would I give thee thine own weight in gold, if, by raising one still blacker than thyself or by what other means thou wilt, thou couldst show me the thief who did mine honour that wrong.
What sayest thou, ha ?" The mute seemed desirous to speak, but uttered only that imperfect sound proper to his melancholy condition; then folded his arms, looked on the King with an eye of intelligence, and nodded in answer to his question.
"How!" said Richard, with joyful impatience.

"Wilt thou undertake to make discovery in this matter ?" The Nubian slave repeated the same motion.
"But how shall we understand each other ?" said the King.

"Canst thou write, good fellow ?" The slave again nodded in assent.
"Give him writing-tools," said the King.