d if he is not dead it is not our fault. We are well aware that there
is no law for a sailor before the mast, so at times the sailor has to
take the law in his own hands. Now me and my mates are willing to work
ship under you and the first mate but you must keep that brute out of
sight providing he recovers."

The captain made another speech to the sailors in which he promised them
that they would not again be molested by the second mate. He also
stated that Paul could take the port watch and he would take the
starboard watch. The men appeared well satisfied with this arrangement
and turned to with a will. The captain and Paul walked up and down the
quarter deck talking over the situation. The determined attitude of the
men seemed to have caused a change in the captain's opinion, so much so
that he gave Paul a long lecture on the duty of superior officers to
treat their men kindly.

An examination of the second mate proved that he had been cut in five
different places. All the simple remedies in the sea-chest were applied
to relieve him from his sufferings. Neither the captain nor Paul had
sufficient medical knowledge to know whether he was seriously wounded
or not. They ad the steward wash the cuts which they covered liberally
with plasters to stop the bleeding. The captain then insisted on giving
the wounded man a tumblerful of strong whisky, saying "that it was the
best thing in the world to kill a fever." They came to the conclusion
that there was no danger of the mate passing away quickly owing to the
savage kick he made while laying in his bunk, at the head of the
inoffensive steward who was doing all he could to help him. But his
wounds proved so severe that he was not able to leave his bunk until the
vessel reached Philadelphia. Owing to the new arrangement, everything
went well. There was no more fighting, cursing, or driving and the work
on board was done promptly and cheerfully.

In a conversation with one of the two young fellows who were the special
victims of the wounded mate's ferocity, Paul ascertained that he was a
delicate and well educated youth from Hartford, Connecticut, whose
romantic dream for years had been to go to sea. He ran away from home
and fell into the hands of the master of a sailor's boarding house who
robbed him of all he could and put him aboard a ship bound for Hull.
The captain and officers of this ship proved humane, and though not
absolutely ill-treated or bea