favourite with the Captain. In the dog-watches,
Rose-water and May-day were repeatedly summoned into the lee waist to
tilt at each other, for the benefit of the Captain's health.

May-day was a full-blooded "_bull-negro_," so the sailors called him,
with a skull like an iron tea-kettle, wherefore May-day much fancied
the sport. But Rose-water, he was a slender and rather handsome
mulatto, and abhorred the pastime. Nevertheless, the Captain must be
obeyed; so at the word poor Rose-water was fain to put himself in a
posture of defence, else May-day would incontinently have bumped him
out of a port-hole into the sea. I used to pity poor Rose-water from
the bottom of my heart. But my pity was almost aroused into indignation
at a sad sequel to one of these gladiatorial scenes.

It seems that, lifted up by the unaffected, though verbally unexpressed
applause of the Captain, May-day had begun to despise Rose-water as a
poltroon--a fellow all brains and no skull; whereas he himself was a
great warrior, all skull and no brains.

Accordingly, after they had been bumping one evening to the Captain's
content, May-day confidentially told Rose-water that he considered him
a "_nigger_," which, among some blacks, is held a great term of
reproach. Fired at the insult, Rose-water gave May-day to understand
that he utterly erred; for his mother, a black slave, had been one of
the mistresses of a Virginia planter belonging to one of the oldest
families in that state. Another insulting remark followed this innocent
disclosure; retort followed retort; in a word, at last they came
together in mortal combat.

The master-at-arms caught them in the act, and brought them up to the
mast. The Captain advanced.

"Please, sir," said poor Rose-water, "it all came of dat 'ar bumping;
May-day, here, aggrawated me 'bout it."

"Master-at-arms," said the Captain, "did you see them fighting?"

"Ay, sir," said the master-at-arms, touching his cap.

"Rig the gratings," said the Captain. "I'll teach you two men that,
though I now and then permit you to _play_, I will have no _fighting_.
Do your duty, boatswain's mate!" And the negroes were flogged.

Justice commands that the fact of the Captain's not showing any
leniency to May-day--a decided favourite of his, at least while in the
ring--should not be passed over. He flogged both culprits in the most
impartial manner.

As in the matter of the scene at the gangway, shortly after the Cape
Horn theat