THE TWENTY-THIRD CHAPTER
How Apuleius carried away the Gentlewoman, and how they were taken
againe by the theeves, and what a kind of death was invented for them.
Y and by the theeves came home laden with treasure, and many of them
which were of strongest courage (leaving behind such as were lame and
wounded, to heale and aire themselves) said they would returne backe
againe to fetch the rest of their pillage, which they had hidden in
a certaine cave, and so they snatched up their dinner greedily, and
brought us forth into the way and beate us before them with staves.
About night (after that we had passed over many hilles and dales) we
came to a great cave, where they laded us with mighty burthens, and
would not suffer us to refresh our selves any season but brought us
againe in our way, and hied so fast homeward, that what with their haste
and their cruell stripes, I fell downe upon a stone by the way side,
then they beate me pittifully in lifting me up, and hurt my right thigh
and my left hoofe, and one of them said, What shall we do with this lame
Ill favoured Asse, that is not worth the meate he eats? And other said,
Since the time that we had him first he never did any good, and I thinke
he came unto our house with evill lucke, for we have had great wounds
since, and losse of our valiant captaines, and other said, As soone as
he hath brought home his burthen, I will surely throw him out upon the
mountaine to be a pray for wild beasts: While these gentlemen reasoned
together of my death, we fortuned to come home, for the feare that I was
in, caused my feet to turne into wings: after that we were discharged
of our burthens, they went to their fellowes that were wounded, and
told them of our great tardity
