After that
into the garden, and walked an hour or two, but found it not so
fine a place as I always took it for by the outside. Capt.
Ferrers and Mr. Howe and myself to Mr. Wilkinson's at the Crowne:
then to my Lord's, where we went and sat talking and laughing in
the drawing-room a great while. All our talk upon their going to
sea this voyage, which Capt. Ferrers is in some doubt whether he
shall do or no, but swears that he would go, if he were sure
never to come back again; and I, giving him some hopes, he grew
so mad with joy that he fell a-dancing and leaping like a madman.
Now it fell out that the balcone windows were open, and he went
to the rayle and made an offer to leap over, and asked what if he
should leap over there. I told him I would give him 40l. if he
did not go to sea. With that thought I shut the doors, and W.
Howe hindered him all we could; yet he opened them again, and,
with a vault, leaps down into the garden:--the greatest and most
desperate frolic that ever I saw in my life. I run to see what
was become of him, and we found him crawled upon his knees, but
could not rise; so we went down into the garden and dragged him
to a bench, where he looked like a dead man, but could not stir;
and, though he had broke nothing, yet his pain in his back was
such as he could not endure.
Pages:
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259