While Tommy was thus revenging the affronts he imagined he had received,
and chasing the vanquished about the court, the unusual noise and uproar
which ensued reached the ears of Mr Barlow, and brought him to the door.
He could hardly help laughing at the rueful figure of his friend, with
the water dropping from every part of his body in copious streams, and
at the rage which seemed to animate him in spite of his disaster. It was
with some difficulty that Tommy could compose himself enough to give Mr
Barlow an account of his misfortunes, which, when he had heard, he
immediately led him into the house, and advised him to undress and go to
bed. He then brought him some warm diluting liquors, by which means he
avoided all the bad effects which might otherwise have arisen from so
complete a drenching.
The next day Mr Barlow laughed at Tommy in his usual good-natured
manner, and asked him if he intended to ride out in the Kamtschatkan
manner; adding, however, that he should be afraid to attend him, as he
had the habit of beating his companions. Tommy was a little confounded
at this insinuation, but replied, "that he should not have been so
provoked if they had not laughed at his misfortunes, and he thought it
very hard to be wetted and ridiculed both." "But," replied Mr Barlow,
"did their noise or laughter do you any great damage, that you
endeavoured to return it so roughly?" Tommy answered, "that he must own
it did not do him any hurt, or give him any pain." "Why, then," said Mr
Barlow, "I do not see the justice of your returning it in that manner."
"But," said Tommy, "it is so provoking to be laughed at!" "There are two
ways of remedying that," replied Mr Barlow, "either not doing such
things as will expose you to ridicule, or by learning to bear it with a
little more patience." "But," said Tommy, "I do not think that anybody
can bear it with patience." "All the world," said Mr Barlow, "are not
quite so passionate as you are. It is not long ago that you were
speaking of the poor Greenlanders with great contempt, and fancying them
much inferior to yourself; yet those poor _barbarians_, as you called
them, that live upon fish, and are not brought up like gentlemen's sons,
are capable of giving you a lesson that would be of the greatest service
if you would but observe it." "What is that, sir?" inquired Tommy.
"They are brought up to so much moderation and self-command," said Mr
Barlow, "that they never give way to those sudden impulses of passion
that are common among the Europeans; and when they observe their violent
gestures, their angry words, their countenances inflamed with wrath,
they feel for them the greatest contempt, and say they must have been
very badly educated. As to themselves, if any person think himself
ill-used by another, without putting himself into any passion upon the
occasion, he defies his foe to meet him at a particular time, before all
their mutual acquaintance."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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