ing. At
last we ship'd a dash of water over the boat's head, and the
spry of it wetted me a little, and I started up again as if I
had been asleep; 'Waterman,' says I, 'what are you doing? what,
did you ship a sea?' 'Ay,' says the waterman, 'and a great one
too; why it blows a frett of wind.' 'Well, well,' says I, 'come,
have a good heart; where are we now?' 'Almost in Gallions,' says
he, 'that's a reach below Woolwich.'

"Well, when we got into the Gallions reach, there the water was
very rough, and I heard him say to his man, 'Jack, we'll keep
the weather-shore aboard, for it grows dark and it blows a
storm.' Ay, thought I, had I desir'd you to stand in under
shore, you would have kept off in meer bravado; but I said
nothing. By and by his mast broke, and gave a great crack, and
the fellow cry'd out, 'Lord have mercy upon us!' I started up
again, but still spoke cheerfully; 'What's the matter now?' says
I. 'L--d, Sir,' say's he, 'how can you sleep? why my mast is
come by the board.' 'Well, well,' says I, 'then you must take a
goose-wing.' 'A goose-wing! why,' says he, 'I can't carry a knot
of sail, it blows a storm.' 'Well,' says I, 'if you can't carry
any sail, you must drive up under shore then, you have the tide
under foot:' and with that I lay down again. The man did as I
said. A piece of his mast being yet standing, he made what they
call a goose-wing sail, that is, a little piece of the sail out,
just to keep the boat steddy, and with this we got up as high as
Blackwall; the night being then come on and very dark, and the
storm increasing, I suffer'd myself to be persuaded to put in
there, though five or six mile short of London; whereas, indeed,
I was resolv'd to venture no farther if the waterman would have
done it.

"When I was on shore, the man said to me, 'Master, you have been
us'd to the sea, I don't doubt; why you can sleep in a storm
without any concern, as if you did not value your life; I never
carry'd one in my life that did so; why, 'twas a wonder we had
not founder'd.' 'Why,' says I, 'friend, for that you know I left
it all to you; I did not doubt but you would take care of
yourself;' but after that I told him my other reason for it, the
fellow smil'd, but own'd the thing was true, and that he was the
more cautious a great deal, for that I took n