but if he fared no worse, he certainly fared no better than the lieutenant. in a little while the old man came in and asked for a penny. he let it fall as soon as he got it; gone it was and could not be found. so he asked the captain to help him to find it, and the captain, without giving a thought, bent down to look for it. but no sooner was he on his knees than the cripple began belabouring him with his crutches, and every time the captain tried to rise, he got a blow which sent him reeling. when the others came home in the evening, he still lay on the same spot and could neither see nor speak.