By this time he and his two horses had engrossed the attention of the
whole crowd: while some admired the elegant proportion and uncommon
spirit of the two animals, the rest contemplated the surprising
appearance of their master, whom before they had only seen en
passant; and at length, one of the gentlemen, accosting him very
courteously, signified his wonder at seeing him in such an equipage,
and asked if he had not dropped his companion by the way. "Why look
ye, brother," replied the commodore, "mayhap you think me an odd
sort of a fellow, seeing me in this trim, especially as I have lost
part of my rigging; but this here is the case, d'ye see: I weighed
anchor from my own house this morning, at ten A.M. with fair
weather, and a favourable breeze at south-south-east, being bound
to the next church on the voyage of matrimony: but howsomever, we
had not run down a quarter of a league, when the wind shifting,
blowed directly in our teeth; so that we were forced to tack all
the way, d'ye see, and had almost been up within sight of the port,
when these sons-of-b--s of horses, which I had bought but two days
before (for my own part, I believe they are devils incarnate),
luffed round in a trice, and then, refusing the helm, drove away
like lightning with me and my lieutenant, who soon came to anchor
in an exceeding good berth.
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