I wish I had the vagabonds here,' said the captain wrathfully.

Beg your pardon, sir,' said Wilkins, 'but - '

But what? Eh?' roared the captain; and following the timid glance of

Wilkins, his eyes encountered the wheel-barrow and Mr Pickwick.

Who are you, you rascal?' said the captain, administering several

pokes to Mr Pickwick's body with the thick stick. 'What's your name?'

Cold punch,' murmured Mr Pickwick, as he sank to sleep again.

What?' demanded Captain Boldwig.

No reply.

What did he say his name was?' asked the captain. 'Punch, I think,

sir,' replied Wilkins.

'That's his impudence - that's his confounded impudence,' said

Captain Boldwig. 'He's only feigning to be asleep now,' said the

captain, in a high passion. 'He's drunk; he's a drunken plebeian.

Wheel him away, Wilkins, wheel him away directly.' 'Where shall I

wheel him to, sir?' inquired Wilkins, with great timidity.

Wheel him to the devil,' replied Captain Boldwig.

Very well, sir,' said Wilkins.

Stay,' said the captain.

Wilkins stopped accordingly.

Wheel him,' said the captain - 'wheel him to the pound; and let us see

whether he calls himself Punch when he comes to himself. He shall

not bully me - he shall not bully me. Wheel him away.'

Away Mr Pickwick was wheeled in compliance with this imperious

mandate; and the great Captain Boldwig, swelling with indignation,

proceeded on his walk.

Inexpressible was the astonishment of the little party when they

returned, to find that Mr Pickwick had disappeared, and taken the

wheel-barrow with him. It was the most mysterious and

unaccountable thing that was ever heard of For a lame man to have

got upon his legs without any previous notice, and walked off, would

have been most extraordinary; but when it came to his wheeling a

heavy barrow before him, by way of amusement, it grew positively

The Pickwick Papers