t down an innocent maid
in a boatful of nasty Holland fishers, and leave her to her fate. I was
thinking something of the same; took the mate upon one side, arranged
with him to send on my chests by track-scoot to an address I had in
Leyden, and stood up and signalled to the fishers.

"I will go ashore with the young lady, Captain Sang," said I. "It is all
one what way I go to Leyden;" and leaped at the same time into the boat,
which I managed not so elegantly but what I fell with two of the fishers
in the bilge.

From the boat the business appeared yet more precarious than from the
ship, she stood so high over us, swung down so swift, and menaced us so
perpetually with her plunging and passaging upon the anchor cable. I
began to think I had made a fool's bargain, that it was merely
impossible Catriona should be got on board to me, and that I stood to be
set ashore at Helvoet all by myself and with no hope of any reward but
the pleasure of embracing James More, if I should want to. But this was
to reckon without the lass's courage. She had seen me leap with very
little appearance (however much reality) of hesitation; to be sure, she
was not to be beat by her discarded friend. Up she stood on the bulwarks
and held by a stay, the wind blowing in her petticoats, which made the
enterprise more dangerous and gave us rather more of a view of her
stockings than would be thought genteel in cities. There was no minute
lost, and scarce time given for any to interfere if they had wished the
same. I stood up on the other side and spread my arms; the ship swung
down on us, the patroon humoured his boat nearer in than was perhaps
wholly safe, and Catriona leaped into the air. I was so happy as to
catch her, and the fishers readily supporting us, escaped a fall. She
held to me a moment very tight, breathing quick and deep; thence (she
still clinging to me with both hands) we were passed aft to our places
by the steersman; and Captain Sang and all the crew and passengers
cheering and crying farewell, the boat was put about for shore.

As soon as Catriona came a little to herself she unhanded me suddenly
but said no word. No more did I; and indeed the whistling of the wind
and the breaching of the sprays made it no time for speech; and our crew
not only toiled excessively but made extremely little way, so that the
_Rose_ had got her anchor and was off again before we had approached the
harbour mouth.

We were no sooner in smooth wat