tions, even when he swore,
in the most solemn manner, that if they would cease tormenting him, he
would forget and forgive what was past, and depart in peace to his own
habitation; and continued the game till they were fatigued with the
exercise.

Ravine being dismissed in a most melancholy plight, brought an action
of assault and battery against the commodore, and subpoenaed all the
servants as evidences in the cause; but as none of them had seen what
happened, he did not find his account in the prosecution, though he
himself examined all the witnesses, and, among their questions, asked,
whether they had not seen him come in like another man? and whether they
had ever seen any other man in such condition as that in which he
had crawled off. But this last interrogation they were not obliged
to answer, because it had reference to the second discipline he bad
undergone, in which they, and they only, were concerned; and no person
is bound to give testimony against himself.

In short, the attorney was nonsuited, to the satisfaction of all who
knew him, and found himself under the necessity of proving that he had
received, in course of post, the letter which was declared in court a
scandalous forgery, in order to prevent an indictment with which he was
threatened by the commodore, who little dreamt that the whole affair had
been planned and executed by Peregrine and his associates.

The next enterprise in which this triumvirate engaged, was a scheme to
frighten Trunnion with an apparition, which they prepared and exhibited
in this manner: to the hide of a large ox, Pipes fitted a leathern vizor
of a most terrible appearance, stretched on the jaws of a shark, which
he had brought from sea, and accommodated with a couple of broad glasses
instead of eyes. On the inside of these he placed two rushlights, and,
with a composition of sulphur and saltpetre, made a pretty large fusee,
which he fixed between two rows of the teeth. This equipage being
finished, he, one dark night chosen for the purpose, put it on, and,
following the commodore into a long passage, in which he was preceded by
Perry with a light in his hand, kindled his firework with a match, and
began to bellow like a bull. The boy, as it was concerted, looked behind
him, screamed aloud, and dropped the light, which was extinguished
in the fall; when Trunnion, alarmed at his nephew's consternation,
exclaimed, "Zounds! what's the matter?" and turning about to see the
c