m into the water. It was so shoal that he found no difficulty in
getting in again, escaping with only a thorough ducking. It was now
_sauve que peut_, and the three addressed themselves, so far as their
bewildered faculties would permit, to the business of escape.

Thus closed the adventures of that disastrous night. All the way home,
Primus kept groaning over the loss of his leg, the only consolation
he could extract out of the calamity, being that it was easier to mend
than one of flesh, and cheaper, and upbraiding Basset with his haste
and carelessness. Gladding insisted on being landed in order to
prevent, by exercise, taking cold, threatening in his turn the
constable, that if his clothes were spoiled he should come upon him
for the damage. Poor Basset, quite confounded by these harrowing
events, had not a word to answer, and replied only by shrugging
and twisting his shoulders with pain. The departure of Tom made it
necessary for him to assist the negro in rowing back the boat, which
he did with a handkerchief tied about his head, which Primus lent him
and wincing with the soreness of his bones, the negro interspersed
his moans with expressions of sorrow over their ill luck and of wonder
whether it was Holden or the ghost of the fisherman that assaulted the
constable vowing he would "hab satisfacshum for de loss ob de leg."

CHAPTER XIV.

_Celia_.--Here comes Monsieur Le Beau,
_Rosalind_.--With his mouth full of news.

AS YOU LIKE IT.

"You strike dreadful hard, Missa Gladding. If you can't write, I guess
you can make you mark," said the General, rubbing his shoulders.

"I was larned to do one, and t'other come natural," said Tom,
laughing; "but I didn't lay it on a bit too hard. You see I had to
bring him a pretty good polt, so as to lay him flat, else he might ha'
found it all out, the good-for-nothing son-of-a-gun, to go to sarve a
warrant on an old man, just for speaking his mind in meeting. I go
in for liberty. And then to insult you and me, Prime, by asking us
to help him! But I didn't mean to strike you, except in the way of
friendship."

"You friendship too smart for me, Missa Gladding, and s'pose I break
my neck in de fall, what you friendship good for den?"

"But you hain't broke nothing but your leg, and I see you've got
another rigged, and the half dollar Basset give you will more'n pay
for that; though, if I was you, I'd come down upon him in damages for
the loss--'twas in his