"I will go ashore with the young lady, Captain Sang," said I. "It
is all one what way I go to Leyden;" and leaped at the same time
into the boat, which I managed not so elegantly but what I fell
with two of the fishers in the bilge.
From the boat the business appeared yet more precarious than from
the ship, she stood so high over us, swung down so swift, and
menaced us so perpetually with her plunging and passaging upon the
anchor cable. I began to think I had made a fool's bargain, that
it was merely impossible Catriona should be got on board to me, and
that I stood to be set ashore at Helvoet all by myself and with no
hope of any reward but the pleasure of embracing James More, if I
should want to. But this was to reckon without the lass's courage.
She had seen me leap with very little appearance (however much
reality) of hesitation; to be sure, she was not to be beat by her
discarded friend. Up she stood on the bulwarks and held by a stay,
the wind blowing in her petticoats, which made the enterprise more
dangerous, and gave us rather more of a view of her stockings than
would be thought genteel in cities.
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