Page:Adventures of Jack Okham & Tom Splicewell (2).pdf/4

(4) after several methods had been proposed between them, and all fell to the ground: Jack boldly crie -’Sblood, Tom! I have a good mind to write a letter for him to the King myself. I am told, no body else can pardon him; and I fancy that would be the most likely way to do the business; only I cannot tell who to get to carry it, and deliver it to him. Zoons! cries the other, I like your scheme, Jack! and if you can write it, I will go along with you, and we will carry it to him ourselves, and then we will be sure that he will nave it, for I never saw the King in my life. Nor I neither, replies the other, and, by G—d, Tom if you will go with me to him, I will write a letter immediately; the other consenting, Jack called immediately for a pen ink, and paper; but as he was going to begin his polite epistle, a great blotch of ink dropped from his pen, upon the top of his paper. Jack never called for any more; but wiping it with his finger along the sheet, he began, and wrote as follows:

An please your Kingship,

is to let you no that messmate Tom Splicewell, is condemned to be hanged: for you must no, that he was foolish chuff to fit out a privateering without applying to the admirality for leave; and the first prize he took, gave some intelligence of his course; so that he was chased by a hole squadron, and soon after taken and carried into port However, he's a very onest fellow, I assure you and by good as a good seaman as ever slept between stem and stern He shall not and splice, reef and handle a sail, steer and rig a ship, with eer a man in the navce and that's a bould word And if youle be so kind as to order his discharge I dare swear, heel never be guilty of such a nother cryme, as long as he lives, which will half very much oblyge,

From the ship Alehouse Wapping.Your humble 

Witness, Tom, Fliplove, Shipmate. JACK OKHAM