Devonshire Characters and Strange EventsBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Devonshire Characters and Strange Events
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Devon (England) -- Biography; Devon (England) -- History
“The Master, that I thought I had killed in his Cabbin, coming to
himself, and hearing they had hold of me, came out of his Cabbin, and
also took hold of me with both his Hands about my Middle. Then one of
the Men that had hold of my right Arm let go, and put his Back to my
Breast, and took hold of my left Hand and Arm, and held it close to
his Breast, and the Master let go from my Middle, and took hold of my
right Arm, and he with the other that had hold of my right Arm did
strive to get me off my Legs; but knowing that I should not be long in
one piece if they got me down, I put my right Foot against the Ship’s
side, on the Deck, for a support, and with the assistance of God, I
kept my Feet, when they three and one more did strive to throw me down,
for the Man at the Helm that the Boy knocked down rose up and put his
Hands about my Middle and strove to hawl me down. The Boy seeing that
Man rise and take hold of me, cried out, fearing then that I should be
overcome of them, but did not come to help me, nor did not Strike one
Blow at any of them neither all the time.
“When I heard the Boy cry out, I said, ‘Do you cry, you Villain, now
I am in such a condition! Come quickly, and knock this Man on the Head
that hath hold of my left Arm’; the Boy perceiving that my Heart did
not fail me, took some courage from thence, and endeavoured to give
that man a Blow on the Head, with the Drive-Bolt, but struck so faintly
that he mist his Blow, which greatly enraged me against him.
“I, feeling the Frenchman that held about my middle hang very heavy, I
said to the Boy, ‘Do you miss your Blow, and I in such a Condition? Go
round the Binkle and knock down that Man that hangeth upon my Back,’
which was the same Man the Boy knock’t down at the Helm. So the Boy
did strike him one Blow upon the Head, which made him fall, but he
rose up again immediately, but being uncapable of making any further
resistance, he went out upon Deck staggering to and fro, without any
further Molestance from the Boy. Then I look’t about the Beams for a
Marlin-Speek, and seeing one hanging with a strap to a nail on the
Larboard Side, I jerk’t my right Arm forth and back, which clear’d the
two Men’s Hands from my right Arm, and took hold of the Marlin-Speek,
and struck the Point four times, about a quarter of an inch deep into
the Skull of that man that had hold of my left Arm, before they took
hold of my right Arm again. And I struck the Marlin-Speek three times
into his Head after they had hold of me, which caused him to Screech
out, but they having hold of me, took off much of the force of the
three Blows, and being a strong-hearted Man, he would not let go his
hold of me, and the two men, finding that my right Arm was stronger
than their four Arms were, and observing the Strap of the Marlin-Speek
to fall up and down upon the back of my Hand, one of them let go his
right Hand and Took hold of the Strap and hawl’d the Marlin-Speek
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account