ichabod , on the contrary , had to win his way to the heart of a country coquette , beset with a labyrinth of whims and caprices , which were forever presenting new difficulties and impediments ; and he had to encounter a host of fearful adversaries of real flesh and blood , the numerous rustic admirers , who beset every portal to her heart , keeping a watchful and angry eye upon each other , but ready to fly out in the common cause against any new competitor .