tuation like this you used any weapon
you could find. Schwenky was a deadly weapon.

Gene laid a hand on Schwenky's massive shoulder. "Hold it man! You'll
kill him!"

Schwenky turned a face, red and popeyed, to Gene. "The Captain make a
mistake. He try to knock Schwenky down. No man do that to Schwenky."

"When he comes to, he'll lock you in the brig, put you on bread and
water...."

Suddenly Schwenky realized the enormity of his offense. It was obvious
from his face that he considered himself already dead. "Nah, my friend
Gene! Now they kill Schwenky. Bad! But what I do?"

Gene eyed him carefully. "Put the Captain in the brig, of course. What
else? Then he _can't_ kill you."

"Lock him up, eh? Good idea! Then we think, you and I, what we do next.
Maybe something come to us, eh?"

Gene bent over the Captain's body, found the pistol in his hip pocket,
put it in his own. He took the ring of keys from the belt.

"Bring him along, Schwenky. If we meet anyone, I'll use this." Gene
patted the gun. "I won't let them hurt my friend, Schwenky."

"Damn! let them come! I fix them! Don't have to shoot them. I got
fists!"

"I'd rather be shot, myself," said Gene, watching the ease with which
the giant freight handler lifted the huge body of the Captain, tossing
it over his shoulder like a sack of straw.

"I'll go ahead," said Frank Maher. "If I run into Perkins, the First,
I'll whistle once. If I run into Symonds, the Second, I'll whistle
twice. I don't think there's another soul aboard we need worry about.
All we got to do is slap the Cap in the brig, round up Perkins and
Symonds, and the ship is ours. What worries me, Gene, then what do we
do?"

"It's Schwenky's mutiny," grinned Gene. "Ask him."

"Nah!" said Schwenky hastily. "I don' know. Maybe we just sail on till
we find good place, leave ship, go look for job."

Maher said, "Me with my lumpy face? And the Chief with hair on his
cheekbones and double eyeballs? And Heinie with fingernails growing
where his collar button should be? I wonder what we _can_ do, if we get
free?"

* * * * *

They got down the first stairwell, but passing along the rather lengthy
companionway to the next stairhead, they heard Maher whistle twice.
Schwenky put the Captain down, conked him with one massive fist to make
sure he stayed out, then stood there, waiting. The Second came up out of
the stairwell, turned and started toward them. Gene put his han