Before Peregrine had time to answer this remonstrance, the lieutenant
interposed, and taking cognizance of the case, established a truce,
until he and the other second should discuss and decide upon the
merits of the case. They accordingly retired to a small distance;
and after having conferred a few minutes, Hatchway returned and
pronounced the commodore vanquished by the chance of war.
Never was rage more than that which took possession of old Hannibal,
when he heard the sentence: it was some time before he could utter
aught, except the reproachful expression, "You lie!" which he repeated
more than twenty times, in a sort of delirious insensibility. When
he recovered the further use of speech, he abused the arbitrators
with such bitter invectives, renouncing their sentence, and appealing
to another trial, that the confederates began to repent of having
carried the joke so far; and Peregrine, in order to appease his
choler, owned himself overcome.
This acknowledgment calmed the tumult of his wrath, though he could
not for some days forgive the lieutenant; and the two young gentlemen
rode back to Tunley's, while Hatchway, taking the commodore's
horse by the bridle, reconducted him to his mansion, growling all
the way to Jack for his unjust and unfriendly decree; though he
could not help observing, as how he had made his words good, in
making his adversary to strike his top-sails: "And yet," said he,
"before God! I think the fellow's head is made of a wood-pack: for
my shot rebounded from his face like a wad of spun-yarn from the
walls of a ship.
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