, being inquisitive about my birth, no sooner understood that I was
descended of a good family, than he discovered a particular good-will to
me on that account, deducing his own pedigree in a direct line from the
famous Caractacus, king of the Britons, who was first the prisoner,
and afterwards the friend of Claudius Caesar. Perceiving how much I
was reduced in point of linen, he made me a present of two good
ruffled shirts, which, with two more of check which I received from Mr.
Thompson, enabled me to appear with decency.
Meanwhile the sailor, whom Mr. Morgan had sent to the doctor, brought a
prescription for his messmate, which when the Welshman had read, he got
up to prepare it, and asked, "if the man was dead or alive." "Dead!"
replied Jack; "if he was dead, he would have no occasion for doctor's
stuff. No, thank God, death han't as yet boarded him. But they have
been yard-arm and yard-arm these three glasses." "Are his eyes open,"
continued the mate. "His starboard eye," said the sailor, "is open, but
fast jammed in his head: and the haulyards of his under jaw have given
way." "Passion of my heart!" cried Morgan, "the man is as pad as one
would desire to be! Did you feel his pulses!" To this the other replied
with "Anan!" Upon which this Cambro Briton, with great earnestness and
humanity, ordered the tar to run to his messmate, and keep him alive
till he should come with the medicine, "and then," said he, "you shall
peradventure pehold what you shall see."
The poor fellow, with great simplicity, ran to the place where the sick
man lay, but in less than a minute returned with a woful countenance,
and told us his comrade had struck. Morgan, hearing this, exclaimed,
"Mercy upon my salvation! why did you not stop him till I came?" "Stop
him!" said the other; "I hailed him several times, but he was too far on
his way, and the enemy had got possession of his close quarters; so that
he did not mind me." "Well, well," said he, "we all owe heaven a teath.
Go your ways, you ragamuffin, and take an example and a warning, look
you, and repent of your misteets." So saying, he pushed the seaman out
of the berth.
While we entertained us with reflections suitable to this event, we
heard the boatswain pipe to dinner; and immediately the boy belonging
to our mess ran to the locker, from whence he carried off a large wooden
platter, and, in a few minutes, returned with it full of boiled peas,
crying "Scaldings" all the way as h
|