"Hurrah in the bow!" said the men,
cheering him on. "Well crowed!" "Never say die, while there's a shot
in the locker!" Nat tried to close with him, knowing his advantage,
but the mate stopped that, saying there should be fair play, and no
fingering. Nat then came up to the mark, but looked white about the
mouth, and his blows were not given with half the spirit of his first.
He was evidently cowed. He had always been his master, and had nothing
to gain, and everything to lose; while the other fought for honor
and freedom, under a sense of wrong. It would not do. It was soon
over. Nat gave in; not so much beaten, as cowed and mortified; and
never afterwards tried to act the bully on board. We took George
forward, washed him in the deck-tub, complimented his pluck, and
from this time he became somebody on board, having fought himself into
notice. Mr. Brown's plan had a good effect, for there was no more
quarrelling among the boys for the rest of the voyage.
Wednesday, January 6th. Set sail from Monterey, with a number of
Spaniards as passengers, and shaped our course for Santa Barbara.
The Diana went out of the bay in company with us, but parted from us
off Point Pinos, being bound to the Sandwich Islands.
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