long laid up in store; in short,
I could not spare him, and only saved him, as a cat does a mouse, to
torment him.

Murphy acknowledged his obligations, and said the terrors of death were
upon him; but in a few days forgot all I had done for him, consummated
his own disgrace, and raised my character on the ruins of his own. On
some frivolous occasion he threw a basin of dirty water in my face as I
passed through the steerage; this was too good an opportunity to gratify
my darling passion. I had long watched for an occasion to quarrel with
him; but as he had been ill during our passage from Gibraltar to Malta,
I could not justify any act of aggression. He had now recovered, and
was in the plentitude of his strength, and I astonished him by striking
the first blow. A set-to followed; I brought up all my scientific
powers in aid of my strength and the memory of former injuries. I must
do him the justice to say he never showed more game--but he had
everything to contend for; if I was beaten I was only where I was
before, but with him the case would have been different. A fallen
tyrant has no friends. Stung to madness by the successful hits I
planted in his face, he lost his temper, while I was cool; he fought
wildly, I stopped all his blows, and paid them with interest. He stood
forty-three rounds, and then gave in with his eyes bunged up and his
face so swollen and so covered with blood, as not to be known by his
friends, if he had had any.

I had hardly a mark; most of our midshipmen were absent in prizes; but
the two seniors of our berth, an old master's mate past promotion, and
the surgeon's assistant, who had held my wrist when I was cobbed, were
present as the supporters of Murphy during the combat. I always
determined, whenever I gained a battle, to follow it up. The shouts of
victory resounded in the berth--the youngsters joined with me in songs
of triumph, and gave great offence to the trio. The young Esculapius, a
white-faced, stupid, pock-marked, unhealthy-looking man, was fool enough
to say that although I had beaten Murphy, I was not to suppose myself
master of the berth. I replied to this only by throwing a biscuit at
his head, as a shot of defiance; and, darting on him before he could get
his legs from under the table, I thrust my fingers into his neckcloth,
which I twisted so tightly, that I held him till he was nearly choked,
giving his head, at the same time, two or three good thumps against t