nd in a moment she was seized by a dozen of them, who
dragged her to the table. Mrs Skrimmage struggled in vain, and there
appeared every chance of the threat being put in force.
"Oh,--is this the way to treat a lady?--Skrimmage! help, help!"
Skrimmage who had been battered almost to stupefaction, roused by the
call of his frightened wife, darted to her, and throwing his arm round
her waist,--"Spare her, gentlemen, spare her for mercy's sake, spare
her,--or," continued he, in a faltering voice, "if you will cobb her,
let it be _over all_."
The appeal in favour of modesty and humanity had its due weight; and Mr
and Mrs Skrimmage were permitted to leave the gun-room without further
molestation. The lady, however, as soon as she had obtained the outside
of the gun-room door, forgetting her assumed gentility, turned back, and
shaking her fist at her persecutors, made use of language, with a
repetition of which we will not offend our readers,--and then,
arm-in-arm with her husband quitted the gun-room.
"`Mrs Skrimmage's compliments to the gentlemen of the gun-room mess,'"
cried one of the midshipmen, mimicking, which was followed by a roar of
laughter, when the quarter-master again made his appearance.
"Gentlemen, the first-lieutenant says, that all those who are waiting
for a passage round to Plymouth, are to be on deck with their traps
immediately. There's a frigate ordered round--she has the blue-peter
up, and her top-sails are sheeted home."
This put an end to further mischief, as there were at least twenty of
them whose respective ships were on that station. In the meantime,
while they were getting ready, Mr Skrimmage having restored the
precision of his apparel, proceeded to the quarter-deck and made his
complaint to the first-lieutenant; but these complaints had been
repeatedly made before, and Mr Phillips was tired of hearing them, and
was aware that he deserved his fate. Mr Skrimmage was therefore
silenced with the usual remark--"How can I punish these young men, if
they are in the wrong, who slip through my fingers immediately?--the
parties you complain of are now going down the side. _Why don't you
give up the caterership_?"
But this, for the reasons before stated, did not suit Mr Skrimmage, who
returned below. For a day or two, the mess was better supplied, from
fear of a repetition of the dose; after that, it went on again as
before.
CHAPTER FORTY ONE.
All desperate hazards coura
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