"The watermen were immediately taken up by some of their own
friends, who, far from yielding any assistance to the catchpoles,
kept aloof, and exulted in their calamity. In short, two of the
five went to the bottom, and never saw the light of God's sun, and
the other three, with great difficulty, saved themselves by laying
hold on the rudder of a dung-barge, to which they were carried by
the stream, while Tom, with great deliberation, swam across to the
Surrey shore. After this achievement, he was so much dreaded by the
whole fraternity, that they shivered at the very mention of his
name; and this character, which some people would think an advantage
to a man in debt, was the greatest misfortune that could possibly
happen to him; because no tradesman would give him credit for the
least trifle, on the supposition that he could not indemnify himself
in the common course of law."
The parson did not approve of Mr. Hackabout's method of escaping,
which he considered as a very unchristian attempt upon the lives
of his fellow-subjects. "It is enough," said he, "that we elude
the laws of our country, without murdering the officers of justice.
Pages:
1322
1323
1324
1325
1326
1327
1328
1329
1330
1331
1332
1333
1334
1335
1336
1337
1338
1339
1340
1341
1342
1343
1344
1345
1346