Go
for'ard! What you waitin' for?'

"Well, it turned out that he didn't like to leave that cockpit. I was
mad.

"'Go for'ard there and light them lights!' I yelled, hangin' to the
steerin' oar and keepin' the ark runnin' afore the wind.

"'I won't!' he says, loud and emphatic. 'Think I'm a blame fool? I sure
would be a jack rabbit to climb over them seats the way they're buckin'
and light them lamps. You're talkin' through your hat!'

"Well, I hadn't no business to do it, but, you see, I was on salt water,
and skipper, as you might say, of the junk we was afloat in; and if
there's one thing I never would stand it's mutiny. I hauled in the oar,
jumped over the cockpit rail, and went for him. He see me comin', stood
up, tried to get out of the way, and fell overboard backwards. Part of
him lit on one of the floats, but the biggest part trailed in the water
between the two. He clawed with his hands, but the planks was slippery,
and he slid astern fast. Just as he reached the last plank and slid off
and under I jumped after him and got him by the scruff of the neck. I
had hold of the lashin' end with one hand, and we tailed out behind the
ark, which was sloppin' along, graceful as an elephant on skates.

"I was pretty well beat out when I yanked him into that cockpit
again. Neither of us said anything for a spell, breath bein' scurce as
di'monds. But when he'd collected some of his, he spoke.

"'Pard,' he says, puffin', 'I'm much obleeged to you. I reckon I sure
ain't treated you right. If it hadn't been for you that time I'd--'

"But I was b'ilin' over. I whirled on him like a teetotum.

"'Drat your hide!' I says. 'When you speak to your officer you say sir!
And now you go for'ard and light them lights. Don't you answer back!
If you do I'll fix you so's you'll never ship aboard another vessel!
For'ard there! Lively, you lubber, lively!'

"He went for'ard, takin' consider'ble time and hangin' on for dear life.
But somehow or 'nuther he got the lights to goin'; and all the time
I hazed him terrible. I was mate on an Australian packet afore I went
fishin' to the Banks, and I can haze some. I blackguarded that shover
awful.

"'Ripperty-rip your everlastin' blankety-blanked dough head!' I roared
at him. 'You ain't wuth the weight to sink you. For'ard there and get
that fog horn to goin'! And keep it goin'! Lively, you sculpin! Don't
you open your mouth to me!'

"Well, all night we sloshed along, straight acrost the