hen, Jacob, for I never could get up that wall."

I was up in a moment, and gaining my feet, was about to spring to the
help of the young man, when four servants, with lights and with arms in
their hands, made their appearance, hastening down the lawn. The lady
had fainted on the grass; the elderly gentleman and his antagonist were
down together, but the elderly gentleman had the mastery, for he was
uppermost. Perceiving the assistance coming, he called out "Look to the
watermen, secure them." I perceived that not a moment was to be lost.
I could be of no service, and Mr Turnbull might be in an awkward
scrape. I sprang into the boat, shoved off, and we were in the stream
and at thirty yards' distance before they looked over the wall to see
where we were.

"Stop, in that boat! stop!" they cried.

"Fire, if they don't," cried their master.

We pulled as hard as we could. A musquetoon was discharged, but the
shot dropped short; the only person who fell was the man who fired it.
To see us he had stood upon the coping bricks of the wall, and the
recoil tumbled him over into the river: we saw him fall, and heard the
splash; but we pulled on as hard as we could, and in a few minutes the
scene of action was far behind us. We then struck across to the other
side of the river, and when we had gained close to the shore we took
breath.

"Well," said Mr Turnbull, "this is a spree I little looked for; to have
a blunderbuss full of shot sent after me."

"No," replied I, laughing, "that's carrying the joke rather too far on
the river Thames."

"Well, but what a pretty mess we are in: here we have property belonging
to God knows whom; and what are we to do with it?"

"I think, sir, the best thing we can do is, for you to land at your own
house with the property, and take care of it until we find out what all
this is about; and I will continue on with the sculls to the hard. I
shall hear or find out something about it in a day or two; they may
still follow up the pursuit and trace us."

"The advice is good," replied Mr Turnbull, "and the sooner we cut over
again the better, for we are nearly abreast of my place."

We did so. Mr Turnbull landed in his garden, taking with him the
tin-box (it was what they call a deed-box) and the lady's cloak. I did
not wait, but boating the oars, took my sculls and pulled down to Fulham
as fast as I could. I had arrived, and was pulling gently in, not to
injure the other boats, when