Page:Adventures of Roderick Random.pdf/71

 the officers, dressed themselves in their clothes, and drank their liquors without ceremony. During this I clothed myself in my best apparel, girded on my hanger, stuck my pistols loaded in my belt, disposed of all my valuable moveables about me, and came upon the deck. Crampley finding his efforts to get the ship off ineffectual, took the boat, and the ship's company followed so fast, she would have sunk by the ship's side, had not one cut the rope and put off: I pulled out one of my pistols from my belt, and swore I'd shoot the first who would oppose my entrance. So saying, I leapt on board the boat. In my descent, I chanced to overturn Crampley, who got up, and struck several times at me with his cutlas and ordered the men to throw me overboard. Though the boat was very deeply laded and the sea terrible high, we made shift to get upon dry land in less than an hour. My indignation then broke out against Crampley, whom I immediately challenged to singe combat, offering him his choice of my pistols: He took one without hesitation and before I could cock the other, fired in my face, throwing the pistol after the shot. I felt myself stunned and imagining the bullet had entered my brain, discharged mine as