ay he managed to
give Frank a push which sent him down through a trap-door, though he
luckily escaped unhurt. Another time, a similar trick hurled him into
the well in which the ship's pump worked, and he only avoided serious
injury by clinging to the shaft.

At last, as Frank was serving out stores one afternoon, Monkey suddenly
darted off with a bar of soap, and being pursued into the engine-room by
Austin, declared that the latter had been about to sell it to one of the
men, and that _he_ had just come in time to prevent him--a statement
confirmed by the sailors. In vain poor Frank denied the charge; he was
roughly ordered to hold his tongue, and give up the store-room keys to
their former possessor, Monkey.

This was hard indeed; but, as the proverb says, "It is a long lane that
has no turning," and our hero's affairs suddenly took a turn which
neither he nor any one else could have foreseen.

The pride of a steamer is her machinery, and at all hours of the day men
may be seen polishing it with balls of cotton "waste," till it shines
like silver; but if you venture to touch the glittering surface, you
find it burning hot, and scorch your fingers pretty smartly. One day
Frank was polishing the broad round top of the cylinder, protected by a
thick rope mat from the burning metal, when Monkey, sneaking up behind,
suddenly jerked away the mat, throwing him right on to the hot surface.
Smarting with pain, Austin sprang to his feet, and regardless of his
enemy's superior bulk and strength, flew at him like a tiger. The two
grappled, and rolled on the floor, Frank undermost.

[Illustration: FRANK'S FIGHT WITH "MONKEY."]

Monkey's small, cunning eyes gleamed wickedly as he saw that they were
close to the edge of the "crank-pit" (the space in which the crank of
the shaft revolves), and he exerted all his strength to fling Austin
into it. But the latter, who had not played foot-ball for nothing,
suddenly wrenched himself free, and dodging round behind his enemy,
sprang upon his back, and grasped his throat like a vise. Down went the
valiant Monkey upon the hard grating with a whack that made his big
mouth swell up bigger than ever; and, pinned beneath Frank's knee, he
howled shrilly for help.

His cries were answered by a loud laugh from the sky-light above,
through which several of the crew had been watching the combat. At the
same moment the second engineer appeared on the scene.

"What! fighting? You young imps, is