BRITISH SPORT PAST AND PRESENT 



' Sandy in fact not only stamped and screamed, but swore 



that he was dreadfully brunt with the pieces of charcoal and 



drops of flaming pitch which insinuated themselves between 



his shirt and cape of his jacket behind ; whereat Tom Purdie, 



who was a considerate and humane man, took up the scoop 



which was used for ladling out the boat, and, filling that 



capacious utensil with water to the extent of its capacity, came 



behind the aggrieved, and emptied the whole contents down 



his back. " And now Sandy, mon," says he, " I hae made ye 



qviite comfortable, and ye owe me, a gude turn." But, who 



would have thought it ? The blood of the Trummels Avas up ; 



and seizing a firebrand in a style that did little honour to his 



gratitude, the diluted one rushed forward intent on vengeance. 



Grim looked Tom Purdie, and, charging with his leister, he 



held the foeman at bay. Who can say what Homeric deeds 



might not have been done, had not Charlie, first whispering 



to the master to stand fast, given the boat a sudden whirl 



round with the stroke of an oar, which laid Tom Purdie flat 



upon his back at the bottom of the boat, and canted Sandy 



Trummel fairly overboard ? He fell in rather a picturesque 



attitude, for which I cannot in candour give him much credit, 



as the affair seemed to be quite involuntary and too sudden for 



him to study effect. His right hand held the torch aloft for a 



moment, Marmion fashion, which soon fell and hissed in the 



current with a train of smoke which trailed along the surface 



of the water. Sandy's feet were actively employed in kicking 



his best, by which means he agitated the water in such a manner 



that, with the assistance of the light, it made a very brilliant 



and imposing appearance. The stream here being very shallow, 



he soon began to emerge, and about two-thirds of his fair 



proportions rose up from the channel ; his mouth seemed 



full of water and abuse ; he soon got rid of the one ; but before 



he could vent the other, he was anticipated by the boat's crew, 



who all shouted out shame upon him for his awkwardness, 



and for having nearly upset the boat in his fall, and endangered 



the lives of several worthy individuals. Thus a sort of balance 



176 



