"Fair enough for me, Thirkle, and fair enough for ye it'll be when ye
come out."

"What do ye mean by that, Buck?" demanded Thirkle, speaking over my
shoulder; and then he whispered to Petrak: "Give it to him, Red--now's
yer chance. Quick, lad!"

"Soon enough ye'll find out what I mean, Thirkle; that's what. If the two
of ye think yer going to side together ag'in' me, well and good; but look
out for Bad Buckrow, I say. I'll make my meanin' blasted clear, too. Mind
that."

"My jaw's broke!" cried Petrak, struggling to his feet, breathing hard.
Then without warning he sprang on Buckrow's back with a snarl like an
animal, and the two of them went down in the narrow passage.

"Gawd a'mighty!" screamed Buckrow, with every bit of air in his lungs,
and I heard Petrak strike again.

"Red--he got me--he--"

"Good!" said Thirkle into my ear, as if speaking to me. "I never thought
the little chap had the innards for it, but he did as long as he could
strike from behind."

Petrak was holding Buckrow down, and his victim was breathing hard and
writhing under him, with his face buried in the ground. He coughed twice,
as if there was something caught in his throat, and then was still.

"Did ye get him Petrak?"

"I done for him, Thirkle. I done for him good. That's the last of Bucky.
Mind how I fooled him, Thirkle? Said my jaw was broke."

"Good work, Reddy, lad. Good work, but be sure or he'll wing ye yet. Sure
he ain't playing chink with ye?"

"Oh, he's done right enough. That leaves two of us--hey, Thirkle? Ye know
Bucky would a done for ye but for me--wouldn't he, Thirkle? Ye know
that's right--don't ye, Thirkle?"

"That's right, Reddy," said Thirkle. "It's a good job he's done for--and
now there is two of us, you and me, Reddy. I never did like Bucky; but I
like you, Red. He wanted his fight, and he got it. I knew ye wouldn't
take that from him. No man could stand for such as that in here."

"That leaves all the more for us--don't it, Thirkle?"

"All the more for us, Reddy. Drag him out, and now we'll settle this
navvy's job. It's one man less in the fo'c'sle mess, and dead men tell no
tales; and now we'll have to do the work a bit short-handed; but we can
clean it up between us now, and no more fighting going on."

Petrak pulled the body out after him, and Thirkle helped him carry it
into the brush, where they dumped it without ceremony, and Thirkle found
another bottle of brandy and offered it to Petrak.