They also carried their long thick wooden sticks. I ran to the door, because I wanted to go down and try and join them. I thought I could run through the main hall, because the doors might have been opened for the men to get in. But again I had a shock. I discovered that my door was locked on the outside. Then I ran to the window and shouted to the waggon drivers. They looked up at me stupidly and pointed. Then the "head man" of the gypsies came out. He saw them pointing to my window, said something, and they laughed.

After that they would not even look at me. When I called to them or asked them to help me, they just turned away. Their waggons carried large, square boxes, with handles made of thick rope. These must have been empty because the waggon drivers handled them easily, and they made a hollow sound when they were moved.

When the boxes were all unloaded and put in a large heap in one corner, the waggon drivers were given some money by the head man ofthe gypsies. Then, in a relaxed way, each man went and stood by his horse's head. Shortly afterwards, I heard the cracking of their whips die away in the distance.