d vilified them
with foul-mouthed abuse, until they had borne them off the poop,
forward along the main deck, and to the vicinity of the forecastle,
where the two victims, subdued and quiescent, were willing to dart for
cover, when the two mates gave over and went aft.

Rogers at the wheel had watched the scene, at first with a smile; but
the smile grew less as he saw the battered men hurled right and left
under the blows of the mates, and when at last the punishment was ended
his face was serious and resentful. Some criminals do not lose the
qualities of forgiveness and mercy. His mood was increased when the big
skipper faced him and said:

"A fugitive from justice, are you? Well, I'll see that the Consul at
Melbourne gets you. I want no jailbirds in my ship."

Which gave Rogers occasion to think.

Rogers was relieved at one bell (half-past twelve), and went forward to
his dinner. As he descended the poop steps he met the big first mate,
coming out of the forward companion picking his teeth.

"So," he said to Rogers, "you're a bad man from the West, I hear. Held
up a stage and then killed the man you robbed!"

"You've got things wrong, Sir," answered Rogers respectfully.

"None o' your lip!" thundered the officer. "You may be a bad man from
the West; but I'm a bad man from the East, and I'm here to take the
badness out o' bad men!"

Then, before Rogers could dodge, he launched forth his fist and struck
him. The blow knocked him off his feet, and he rose with nose bleeding
and eyes closing.

"Just to show you," commented the mate, "that I'm a badder man than
you."

Rogers did not answer; in fact, no answer was necessary or wise. He
walked forward, and, partly from his half-blindness, partly from his
disorganized state of mind, passed to windward of Snelling, the second
mate, who was coming aft to dinner. Snelling said nothing in the way of
prelude, but crashed his fist on Rogers's already mutilated face, and
sent him again to the deck. As Rogers struggled to his feet he said:

"You pass to looward o' me when we meet, or I'll make you jump
overboard!"

And again Rogers saw the wisdom of silence and went on to the
forecastle.

The watches had not yet been chosen; but half the crew had eaten, and
he joined the other half, finding in his clothes bag a new sheath knife
and belt, a tin pan, pannikin, and spoon, which articles are always
furnished to a shipped man by the boarding masters, no matter how he
has