's hand, and turned away without
waiting for a reply. The seaman looked after him in open amazement. That
evening he worked on the socket of the steel hook, and in two days he had
the job finished. Then he returned the pipe to Darrow with some growling
of thanks.

"That's all right," said the young man, smiling full at him. "Now what
are you going to fight?"

V

THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE

Captain Selover received as his due the most absolute and implicit
obedience imaginable. When he condescended to give an order in his
own person, the men fairly jumped to execute it. The matter had evidently
been threshed out long ago. They did not love him, not they; but they
feared him with a mighty fear, and did not hesitate to say so,
vividly, and often, when in the privacy of the forecastle. The
prevailing spirit was that of the wild beast, cowed but snarling
still. Pulz and Thrackles in especial had a great deal to say of what
they were or were not going to do, but I noticed that their resolution
always began to run out of them when first foot was set to the
companion ladder.

One day we were loafing along, everything drawing well, and everybody
but the doctor on deck to enjoy the sun. I was in the crow's-nest for
my pleasure. Below me on the deck Captain Selover roamed here and
there, as was his custom, his eye cocked out like a housewife's for
disorder. He found it, again in the evidence of expectoration, and
as Perdosa happened to be handiest, fell on the unfortunate Mexican.

Perdosa protested that he had had nothing to do with it, but Captain
Selover, enraged as always when his precious deck was soiled, would
not listen. Finally the Mexican grew sulky and turned away as though
refusing to hear more. The captain thereupon felled him to the deck,
and began brutally to kick him in the face and head.

Perdosa writhed and begged, but without avail. The other members of
the crew gathered near. After a moment, they began to murmur. Finally
Thrackles ventured, most respectfully, to intervene.

"You'll kill him, sir," he interposed. "He's had enough."

"Had enough, has he?" screeched the captain. "Well, you take what's
left."

He marked Thrackles heavily over the eye. There was a breathless
pause; and then Thrackles, Pulz, the Nigger, and Perdosa attacked at
once.

They caught the master unawares, and bore him to the deck. I dropped
at once to the ratlines, and commenced my descent. Before I had
reached the deck