, we leaps aboard.

"Surrender!" orders the gen'ral in a commandin' voice, but the scrappy
little man he wouldn't. He yelled somethin' at his crew, and they got
behind him. And there were four of them against me an' the gen'ral, for
our brigantine started to drift away soon as we left her, and our
spiggity crew couldn't get her alongside again.

There we were, us two heroes, marooned on the enemy's deck, in the most
magnificent uniforms, but not another blessed thing to fight with except
a couple o' gold-plated swords. But the little captain and his crew had
only what loose things they could grab in a hurry--oars, deck-swabs,
marlin-spikes, and one thing or another; but with them, without wastin'
any flourishes, they came at me an' the gen'ral, and we draws our
swords.

"What d' y' say, will we have at 'em, gen'ral?" I says.

"As you say, senor admiral, have at 'em!" answers the gen'ral, and we
haves at 'em.

But I soon begin to see we wasn't havin' at 'em in any great shape. Our
swords had two backs but no edge. It was like hittin' 'em with
barrel-staves. Fine grand echoes, but the echoes wasn't knockin' 'em
down. And the gold-mounted uniforms were in the way, too--in my way,
anyway. My gold-mounted collar was gettin' so tight after I'd warmed up
to the work that I 'most choked.

"Have at 'em!" the gen'ral cried again, "but have great care for the old
gentleman."

I was just goin' to welt the little captain a good one when I heard
that. "Not hurt him!" I says. "A hell of a battle this where we have to
play fav'rites among th' enemy. And why won't I hurt him, senor
gen'ral, an' him the best scrapper o'the lot?"

"You must not. No, no! He is the father of the lady."

"So that's it? And where's the fair lady?" I asks.

"I know not. I trust she is on this ship, but I know not. But have at
'em, as you say, senor admiral, once more, and possibly we shall
discover."

"All right, but let's have at 'em right," I says, and down on the deck I
throws my grand sword, and with it the very fine scabbard which I'd been
holdin' with one hand to keep from givin' myself the leg. And I sheds
the gold-embroidered coat on top of it. I kept wearin' the gold-mounted
shappo because the sun was hot, but the rest of me was stripped to the
waist. And I felt better, and then I says: "Come on, gen'ral, unhook
that golden armor and be free an' easy in y'ur motions like me."

"No, no, senor admiral. I shall wear my uniform, even though