"
"Will the police meet them before they reach this?"
"There is none: my missus says that not a man John of them is
to be seen. The Hell-cats as they call themselves halt at
every town and offer fifty pounds for a live policeman."
"I'll tell you what," said the second pikeman. "I'll stop my
stint and go up the shaft. My heart's all of a flutter, I
can't work no more. We'll have a fair day's wage for a fair
day's work yet."
"Come along, I'm your man; if the doggy stop us, we'll knock
him down. The People must have their rights; we're driven to
this, but if one shilling a day is dropped, why not two?"
"Very true; the People must have their rights, and eight
hours" work is quite enough."
In the light of day, the two miners soon learnt in more detail
the news which the wife of one of them earlier in the morning
had given as a rumour. There seemed now no doubt that the
people of Wodgate, commonly called the Hell-cats, headed by
their Bishop, had invaded in great force the surrounding
district, stopped all the engines, turned all the potters out
of the manufactories, met with no resistance from the
authorities, and issued a decree that labour was to cease
until the Charter was the law of the land.
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