A March on London Author:George Alfred Henty Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: would turn back were it on the march against an enemy, if a hare ran across the road they were following; I say not that there may not be something in such porte... more »nts, though even of this I have doubts. Still, like dreams, they may be sent to warn us, but assuredly man has naught to do with their occurrence, and I would, were I not a peaceful man, draw my sword as readily against the most famous enchanter as against any other man of the same strength and skill, with his weapon.'" " I could see that the good knight was shocked at the light way in which I spoke of Magicians; and, indeed, the power of superstition over men, otherwise sensible, is wonderful. However, he took his leave without saying more than that he and the men-at-arms would be ready if I sent for them." CHAPTER III. WAT TYLER. THAT evening Mr. Ormskirk continued the subject of his talk of the afternoon. " You looked surprised, Edgar, when I said that I told Sir Ralph I had made some preparations for defence, and that some of the compounds in my laboratory are as dangerous as the common people regard them, although that danger has nought to do with any magical property. You must know that many substances, while wholly innocent in themselves, are capable of dealing wide destruction when they are mixed together; for example, saltpetre, charcoal, and sulphur which, as Friar Bacon discovered, make, when mixed together, a powder whose explosive power is well- nigh beyond belief and which is now coming into use as adestructive agent in war. Many other compounds can be produced of explosive nature, some indeed of such powerful and sudden action that we dare not even make experiments with them. " Many other strange things have been discovered, some of which may seem useless at present, but may, upon further e...« less