Neither was this the worst of it; for Jeremy made no doubt but what (if he could only get the militia to turn out in force) he might manage, with the help of his own men, to force the stronghold of the enemy; but the truth was that the officers, knowing how hard it would be to collect their men at that time of the year, and in that state of the weather, began with one accord to make every possible excuse.  And especially they pressed this point, that Bagworthy was not in their county; the Devonshire people affirming vehemently that it lay in the shire of Somerset, and the Somersetshire folk averring, even with imprecations, that it lay in Devonshire.  Now I believe the truth to be that the boundary of the two counties, as well as of Oare and Brendon parishes, is defined by the Bagworthy river; so that the disputants on both sides were both right and wrong.

Upon this, Master Stickles suggested, and as I thought very sensibly, that the two counties should unite, and equally contribute to the extirpation of this pest, which shamed and injured them both alike.  But hence arose another difficulty; for the men of Devon said they would march when Somerset had taken the field; and the sons of Somerset replied that indeed they were quite ready, but what were their cousins of Devonshire doing?  And so it came to pass that the King’s Commissioner returned without any army whatever; but with promise of two hundred men when the roads should be more passable.  And meanwhile, what were we to do, abandoned as we were to the mercies of the Doones, with only our own hands to help us?  And herein I grieved at my own folly, in having let Tom Faggus go, whose wit and courage would have been worth at least half a dozen men to us.  Upon this matter I held long council with my good friend Stickles; telling him all about Lorna’s presence, and what I knew of her history.  He agreed with me that we could not hope to escape an attack from the outlaws, and the more especially now that they knew himself to be returned to us.  Also he praised me for my forethought in having threshed out all our corn, and hidden the produce in such a manner that they were not likely to find it.  Furthermore, he recommended that all the entrances to the house should at once be strengthened, and a watch must be maintained at night; and he thought it wiser that I should go (late as it was) to Lynmouth, if a horse could pass the valley, and fetch every one of his mounted troopers, who might now be quartered there.  Also if any men of courage, though capable only of handling a pitchfork, could be found in the neighbourhood, I was to try to summon them.  But our district is so thinly peopled, that I had little faith in this; however my errand was given me, and I set forth upon it; for John Fry was afraid of the waters.

Knowing how fiercely the floods were out, I resolved to travel the higher road, by Cosgate and through Countisbury; therefore I swam my horse through the Lynn, at the ford below our house (where sometimes you may step across), and thence galloped up and along the hills.  I could see all the inland valleys ribbon’d with broad waters; and in every winding crook, the banks of snow that fed them; while on my right the turbid sea was flaked with April showers.  But when I descended the hill towards Lynmouth, I feared that my journey was all in vain.