FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120  
121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   >>  
vast sport to a mob of small craft that gathered round, and the people in which covered me with ridicule and abuse, calling me a Thames Bilk, and advising the waterman to hold me over the side of the boat by the scruff of the neck and give me a Ducking. I was in a great Quandary, and knew not what to do. Meanwhile the heavy wherry, which had kept close in our offing, pulled almost on board of us, and the coxswain hailed us to know what was the matter. "Here's a Holiday Tailor that would seek to stump a poor waterman of his fare," quoth the false scoundrel who was striving to rob me. "'Tis a base lie!" I cried out; "I gave him a shilling at Westminster stairs to row me to the Tower wharf." "Fare's only fourpence. Shame! shame!" cried one part of the people in the small craft. "He's a Bilk," yelled another part of 'em. "Duck him, Goodman Crabs, duck him." "Stop," cries the coxswain of the wherry, standing up. "It _is_ a shame. The poor fellow shan't be put upon. Here, young man, step on board this, and we'll land you at the Tower wharf for nothing; and here, waterman, take this shilling and be d--d to you, and sheer off before you can cry Poor John." The wherry by this time had got so close on our quarter that, thanking the blue-frocked gentlemen for their politeness, I was able to step on board the wherry without any difficulty. My thief of a waterman took the shilling which was flung to him, and again sticking his tongue in his cheek, and grinning in a more unblushing manner than before, pulled away. The crowd in the small craft set up a cheer, that had more of derision than approbation in it, and I once more heard the cry of "Blue Bottles." These Blue Bottles, however, were as good as their word, for five minutes afterwards I was landed safe and sound at the Tower wharf. I thanked them all very heartily; but, as I had not enough money to treat them all, made bold to confess the narrowness of my means to the coxswain, begging that he, at least, would do me the honour to take a mug of flip--which could be had, double allowance, for fourpence. He clapped me, in reply, on the shoulder in the most friendly manner, and said, roast him, that he would not see me put upon; that I was evidently a lad of mettle and spirit, and that I should go with him to the "Admiral Benbow," on Little Tower Hill, close by, where he would himself stand treat for as many mugs of flip or Punch as ever I liked. He would take
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120  
121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   >>  



Top keywords:

waterman

 

wherry

 

coxswain

 

shilling

 

Bottles

 
pulled
 

fourpence

 

people

 

manner

 
minutes

sticking

 
tongue
 

difficulty

 

grinning

 

derision

 

approbation

 

unblushing

 

spirit

 

mettle

 

Admiral


evidently

 

friendly

 

Benbow

 

Little

 

shoulder

 

confess

 

heartily

 

thanked

 

narrowness

 

double


allowance

 
clapped
 

begging

 

honour

 

landed

 
matter
 

Holiday

 

Tailor

 

hailed

 

offing


striving

 

scoundrel

 

Meanwhile

 

ridicule

 

calling

 

Thames

 
covered
 

gathered

 

advising

 

Ducking