The Merry Past 



his boatswain, they three would clear the decks of 

 every man there in two minutes, if the lubbers were 

 twice as numerous as they were. 



The magistrate, however, not being in a boxing 

 humour, nor probably in training to meet such an 

 antagonist in his own way, had other views as to the 

 best way of settling the matter, and calmly began 

 to examine the charge against the gallant commander. 

 The captain, however, grew more and more furious, 

 claiming as an officer and a gentleman the privilege of 

 a private examination. In this, however, he was not 

 indulged, and the Bow Street officer, who saw the 

 assault, proceeded to give his testimony, as well as he 

 could, under a tremendous discharge of oaths, inter- 

 mixed with threats of gangways, round dozens, and 

 double irons. The officer stated that the captain had 

 been extremely riotous in the theatre, to the annoyance 

 of the whole audience, and that he had violently 

 abused a lady in one of the boxes, who from a very 

 coarse illustration in the captain's own phrase, it 

 seemed, was an old Cyprian acquaintance, and 

 eager to lure him to a fresh engagement, which he 

 declined. He was eventually forcibly taken from his 

 moorings in the boxes, and in his way assaulted every- 

 one he met, and amongst others the youth who now 

 came forward. 



The captain was still vociferous and unruly. Find- 

 ing, however, that he could not bring his guns to an 

 effectual bearing in this way, he put about on another 

 tack, and proposed to settle the matter with the 

 magistrate over a bottle of Madeira. The latter 



105 



