2 20 THE EXETER ROAD 



on horseback, resulting in the rather meagre booty 

 of a gold watch, two guineas, and some silver. He 

 then pushed on through Blandford towards Dor- 

 chester, robbing on the way ; all in broad daylight. 

 When night was come he thought it prudent to break 

 off from the Exeter Road and lie 1 )y at Cerne Abbas 

 until the next afternoon, when he regained the 

 highway near Bridport, very soon finding himself 

 in company with a wealthy grazier who was jogging 

 home in the same direction. The grazier found his 

 companion so sociable that he not only expressed 

 himself as glad of his society, but gossiped at length 

 upon the successful day he had experienced at 

 Salisbury market, where he had sold a number of 

 cattle at an advanced price. He was w^ell known, 

 he said, for carrying the finest l^easts to market, and 

 could always command a better price than his 

 neighbours. 



Boulter broke in upon this self-satisfied talk with 

 the wish that he had been so lucky in his way of 

 business. Unhappily, repeated misfortunes had at 

 last reduced him to distress, and he had taken to the 

 road for relieving his distresses, and was glad he had 

 had the fortune to fall in with a gentleman who 

 appeared so well able to assist him. Suiting the 

 action to his words, he pulled out a pistol, and 

 begged he might have the pleasure of easing his 

 companion of some of the wealth he had acquired at 

 Salisbury market. 



The grazier thought this was a joke and supposed 

 that it was done to frighten him ; whereupon Boulter 

 clapped the pistol close to his breast and told him he 



