ready seated on either side of
the captain's breakfast-table--Black Dog next to the door, and sitting
sideways, so as to have one eye on his old shipmate, and one, as I
thought, on his retreat.

He bade me go, and leave the door wide open. "None of your keyholes for
me, sonny," he said; and I left them together, and retired into the bar.

For a long time, though I certainly did my best to listen, I could hear
nothing but a low gabbling; but at last the voices began to grow higher,
and I could pick up a word or two, mostly oaths, from the captain.

"No, no, no, no; and an end of it!" he cried once. And again, "If it
comes to swinging, swing all, say I."

Then all of a sudden there was a tremendous explosion of oaths and other
noises--the chair and table went over in a lump, a clash of steel
followed, and then a cry of pain, and the next instant I saw Black Dog in
full flight, and the captain hotly pursuing, both with drawn cutlasses,
and the former streaming blood from the left shoulder. Just at the door
the captain aimed at the fugitive one last tremendous cut, which would
certainly have split him to the chine had it not been intercepted by our
big signboard of Admiral Benbow. You may see the notch on the lower side
of the frame to this day.

That blow was the last of the battle. Once out upon the road, Black Dog,
in spite of his wound, showed a wonderful clean pair of heels, and
disappeared over the edge of the hill in half a minute. The captain, for
his part, stood staring at the signboard like a bewildered man. Then he
passed his hand over his eyes several times, and at last turned back into
the house.

"Jim," says he, "rum;" and as he spoke he reeled a little, and caught
himself with one hand against the wall.

"Are you hurt?" cried I.

"Rum," he repeated. "I must get away from here. Rum! rum!"

I ran to fetch it; but I was quite unsteadied by all that had fallen out,
and I broke one glass and fouled the tap, and while I was still getting
in my own way, I heard a loud fall in the parlour, and, running in,
beheld the captain lying full-length upon the floor. At the same instant
my mother, alarmed by the cries and fighting, came running down-stairs to
help me. Between us we raised his head. He was breathing very loud and
hard; but his eyes were closed, and his face a horrible colour.

"Dear, deary me," cried my mother, "what a disgrace upon the house! And
your poor father sick!"

In the meantime, we had n