a fellow was ever more thoroughly sucked in than Master Condor
when he undertook the job."

Condor had to go on the sick-list half an hour after the fight was over.
His eyes were almost closed, his face was enormously swollen, and he had
lost three teeth--the effect of the blow that had brought the conflict
to a close.

"Did you know how it was going to be, Wilkinson?" one of the other
seniors said as they went up on the deck again.

"I guessed pretty well, from what Blagrove was telling Sir Sidney when
he dined with him, that Condor would meet his match, but I did not think
that it was going to be a hollow thing like that."

"What do you mean, sir, by skulking below?" the second lieutenant
angrily asked one of the midshipmen of his watch as he returned on deck.

"I just slipped below for a few minutes, sir," the lad said.

"Well, you had better be careful, or you will find yourself at the
mast-head," the lieutenant said sharply.

"I fancy there has been a fight," the first lieutenant said as Mr.
Knight passed him, grumbling to himself. "I noticed just now that there
were only two midshipmen on deck. Do you see, they are coming up the
hatchway, one by one, looking as innocent as a cat that has been at the
cream-jug. They seem to be pretty nearly all here now, but I don't see
any signs in any of their faces that they have been in trouble.

"Well, well, midshipmen are only boys, and boys will quarrel. I expect
we both had our share of it before we got our epaulettes."

The other laughed. "I suppose so," he said; "and after all it does them
no harm, and it is much better, if two boys do quarrel, that they should
fight it out and have done with it, instead of always wrangling."

"I thought it might have been Blagrove," the first lieutenant said. "A
new hand generally has a fight before he has been on board a fortnight.
After that he finds his level. However, it is not him, for there he is,
looking as cool as a cucumber. It must have been some sort of meeting to
discuss some fancied grievance. I daresay we shall hear something about
it sooner or later."

Half an hour afterwards the doctor came on deck. There was a smile on
his face as he went up to the first lieutenant.

"One of your officers is on the sick list, Mr. Canes."

"What is the matter with him?"

"I should say that it would come under the head of contusions."

The lieutenant laughed.

"Bad contusions?"

"Rather more serious than is usual in the