Scotland/Scots > Man of the world > Volume 2

THE MAN OF THE WORLD. 187
by a part of tfie fhrouds of our floating
main-maft, to which I bore him. In our
paflage to the fhore on this flender float,
he was feveral times obliged to quit his
hold, from his flrength being exhaufled;
but I was always fo fortunate as to be able
to replace him in his former fituation,
till, at laft, we were thrown upon the
beach, near to the bottom of that bay at
the mouth of which our fhip had ftruck.
I was not fo much fpent by my fatigue,
but that I was able to draw the mate fafe
out of the water, and advancing to a
crowd of people whom I faw affembled
near us, began to entreat their afliftance
for him in very pathetic terms ; when, to
my utter aftonifhment, one of them ftri^gk
at me with a bludgeon, while another mak¬
ing up to my fellow-fufferer, would have
beat out his brains with a ftone, if I had
not run up nimbly behind him, anddafhed
it