on deck, as I had tried to force myself
to do, I hurried to the captain's cabin.

The captain said, "Come in!" to my knock. He was sitting, of all things,
in dirty pajamas, at a desk ... though it was mid-day ... his flabby,
grey-white belly exuded over his tight pajama waist-string ... the
jacket of the pajamas hung open, with all but one button off.

I complained to the captain of the bully--repeated how he had bellowed
at me to tell the unmentionable skipper he would receive his bumps
bloody well, too, if the latter did not stick to his own part of the
ship.

I saw fright in the captain's face....

"It's up to the chief engineer."

"Either that fellow goes off this ship or I do. You'll have to hire
another third cook."

The boat was sailing in an hour.

I walked back for my few effects. But, on the way back, I took hold of
myself and determined to stick by my guns. I made up my mind that I
would not leave the boat, and that, at the first hostile move of the
bully I would oppose him--besides, what had the fellow done, so far,
besides chucking a bluff?

My opportunity to live up to my resolve came at mess for supper. There
was a smoking platter of cabbage set before the boys.

"What the hell! Who wants to eat bloody cabbage."

And snatching up a handful of the dripping, greasy vegetable, he was
about to fling it into the face of one of the men opposite, when,
without giving myself a chance to hesitate, I stepped up quickly and
grabbed the "bad man's" wrist. The cabbage went high and spattered all
over the opposite wall.

The bully glared like an enraged bull at me.

"I'll--"

Quaking in my boots, I made my eyes glare level with his.

"Listen to me, bo," I bluffed, "I ain't much on guff, and I don't want
specially to fight ... but I'm waiter in this mess room and you don't
pull anything like this here, unless you do it over my dead body."

"That's just what I will do ... I'll--I'll--" and the chap, pale with
what seemed insane rage, started to his feet.

"Ah, sit down!" I commanded, marvelling at my nerve, and pushing him
violently by the shoulders back on the bench ... then, deliberately, I
turned my back, and walked away, expecting any moment to have him on me
like a clawing wild cat.

With seeming calm and nonchalance I made the kitchen. With a semblance
of outward serenity I picked up a rag and returned to wipe off the wall.
I was vastly relieved to find that the bluff had worked.

The Canuc