r at either of the men
in the saloon. He stumbled toward the companionway, reaching his hands
in front of him after the fashion in which a man gropes in the dark.

"Are you letting a nigger--and a crazy one at that--decide the biggest
thing in my life?" raged Bradish.

"I know what I'm doing," Captain Downs assured him. But the skipper was
manifestly amazed by the expression he saw on Mayo's face.

"I won't stand for it! Here, you!" Bradish rushed across the room and
intercepted Mayo.

"Come away from that man!" commanded the skipper.

But Bradish was not in a mood to obey authority. "There's something
behind this and I propose to be let in on it! Stop, you!" He pushed
Mayo back, but the latter's face did not change its expression of dull,
blank, utter despair which saw not and heard not. Mayo recovered himself
and came on again, looking into vacancy.

"If you have a grudge against me, by the gods, I'll wake you up and make
you explain it!" shouted Bradish. He drew back his arm and drove a quick
punch squarely against the expressionless face. The blow came with a
lurch of the vessel and Mayo fell flat on his back. He went down as
stiffly as he had walked, with as little effort to save himself as a
store dummy would have made.

But he was another man when he came upon his feet.

Bradish had awakened him!

The master of the _Alden_ hurried around the table, roaring oaths, and
tried to get between them, but he was an unwieldy man on his short legs.
Before he was in arm's-length they were at each other, dodging here and
there.

Bradish was no shrimp of an adversary; he was taller than his
antagonist, and handled his fists like a man who had been trained as an
amateur boxer.

They fought up and down the cabin, battering each other's face.

The indignant master threatened them with an upraised chair, tried to
strike down their hands with it, but they were in no mood to mind a
mediator. They fought like maddened cats, banging against the cabin
walls, whirling in a crazy rigadoon to find an opening for their fists;
Captain Downs was not nimble enough to catch them. Uttering awful
profanity, he threatened to shoot both of them and rushed into the main
saloon, unlocking the door.

"I'm coming back with a gun!" he promised. But the fight ended suddenly
in a wrestling trick.

Mayo closed in, got Bradish's right hand in a grip, and doubled the arm
behind his adversary's back. Then he tripped the city man and laid