erved by any living being.

I had just satisfied myself of this, and had become depressed
accordingly, when I heard a step behind me. I turned round quickly, to
find that the man John had come up to the poop. He was in his oilskins,
for there was some sea shipped for'ard, and he greeted me with a savage
ferocity which was meant to be pleasant.

"Keeping a watch on your own hook, my fine gentleman, eh?" said he;
"and after my orders for you to be abed--that's pretty discipline, I
reckon."

I made no sort of answer, but turned my back on him, and continued to
watch the twinkling lights of Deal. This appeared to irritate him, for
he put his hand on my shoulder roughly, and hissed savagely--

"Oh, I guess; you've got your fine coat, ain't you, and your pretty
airs! Darn me if I don't take you down a peg, skipper or no skipper!"

His great hand was almost on my throat, and he shook me with fearful
grip, so that I hit him with my right hand just below his heart, and
bent him double like a reed. His terrible gasps for breath were so
alarming that I thought at first he would never recover his wind; but
when he did he drew his knife, and raised his arm to take aim at my
throat. It is probable that my life had been ended there and then had
not another watched the scene and suddenly clutched the extended wrist.
Captain Black had come to us with noiseless step; and he gave me then
my first knowledge of his prodigious physical strength, for he held
John's arm as in a vice, and, giving the ruffian's wrist a peculiar
turn, he sent the knife flying in the air, and it stuck quivering in
the deck twenty feet from where we stood.

"You long-jawed bully, what d'ye mean by that?" cried the skipper,
white with anger; and then he twisted the fellow's arm until I thought
he would have broken it. Nor did he let him go until he had kicked him
the length of the poop, and tumbled him, torn and bleeding, upon the
main hatch below.

"Lay your finger on the boy again, and I'll give you six dozen," he
said quietly; and then he came to my side, and he stood for a long
while leaning on the bulwarks and gazing over towards the receding
shore. He spoke to me at last, but in a more gentle tone than I had
ever heard from him--indeed, there was almost kindliness in his voice.

"Do you make out anything of a big ship yonder?" he asked, pointing
almost abaft.

"I see nothing but the hull of a collier?" said I.

"Then it's my sight that's plaguing m