rman ... a
good point legally, as the canny Franz had foreseen.

His clothes were almost torn from his body.

Miller accidentally showed up, coming back from shore. And he joined in.

"Come back with us, you verfluchte _Alsatz_-Lothringer."

The Englishmen from the _Lord Summerville_ now began calling out, "Let
him alone!" and "I say, give the lad fair play!"

Some of them leaped down on the dock in a trice.

"Who the hell let him out?" roared the mate.

I stood on deck, holding my breath, and ready to bolt in case Franz
betrayed me. But nevertheless my blood was running high and happy over
the excitement I had caused by unlocking the door.

"No one let me out. I picked the lock. Will that suit you?" lied Franz,
protecting me.

"What's the lad been and done?" asked the mate of the _Lord
Summerville_.

"I was shanghaied in New York," put in Franz swiftly, "and I demand
English justice."

"And you shall get it, my man!" answered the mate proudly, "for you have
been assaulted on English ground, as I'll stand witness."

A whistle was blown. Men came running. Soon Franz was outside the
jurisdiction of Germany.

* * * * *

The next day Captain Schantze stalked about, hardly speaking to Miller.
He was angry and laid the blame at the latter's door.

"Miller, why in the name of God didn't you guard that fellow better? An
English court ... you know what _they'll_ do to us!"

Miller spread his hands outward, shrugged his shoulders expressively,
remained in silence. The two mates and the captain ate the rest of their
supper in a silence that bristled.

The ship was detained for ten days more after its cargo had been
unloaded.

At the trial, during which the "old maids" and The Sailors' Aid Society
came to the fore, Captain Schantze roared his indignant best--so much so
that the judge warned him that he was not on his ship but on English
ground....

Franz got a handsome verdict in his favour, of course.

And for several days he was seen, rolling drunk about the streets, by
our boys, who now looked on him as a pretty clever person.

* * * * *

It was my time to run away--if I ever intended to. Within the next day
or so we were to take on coal for the West Coast. We were to load down
so heavily, the mate, who had conceived a hatred of me, informed me,
that even in fair weather the scuppers would be a-wash. Significantly he
added there would be m