f the merchant service requires
that when a man is shanghaied on board an outward-bound ship he remains
silent, does what is told him cheerfully, and submits to fate until the
passage ends; but we cannot bring ourselves to do so. We were struck
down in a dark spot last night,--sandbagged, I should say,--and we do
not know what happened afterward, though we must have been kept
unconscious with chloroform or some such drug. We wakened this morning
in your forecastle, dressed in these clothes, and robbed of everything
we had with us."

"Where were you slugged?"

"In Cherry Street. The bridge cars were not running, so we crossed from
Brooklyn by the Catherine Ferry, and foolishly took a short cut to the
elevated station."

"Well, what of it?"

"What--why--why, captain, that you will kindly put us aboard the first
inbound craft we meet."

"Not much I won't," answered the captain, decidedly. "You belong to my
crew. I paid for twenty men; and you two and two others skipped at the
dock. I had to wait all day in the Horseshoe. You two were caught dead
drunk last night, and came down with the tug. That's what the runners
said, and that's all I know about it. Go forrard."

"Do you mean, captain----"

"Go forrard where you belong. Mr. Knapp, set these men to work."

Captain Bacon turned his back on them, and walked away.

"Get off the poop," snarled the mate. "Forrard wi' you both!"

"Captain, I advise you to reconsider----"

The words were stopped by a blow of the mate's fist, and the speaker
fell to the deck. Then a hoarse growl of horror and rage came from his
companion; and Captain Bacon turned, to see him dancing around the
first officer with the skill and agility of a professional boxer,
planting vicious blows on his hairy face and neck.

"Stop this," roared the captain, as his right hand sought the pocket of
his coat. "Stop it, I say. Mr. Hansen," he called down the skylight,
"on deck, here."

The huge mate was getting the worst of the unexpected battle, and
Captain Bacon approached cautiously. His right hand had come out of his
pocket, armed with large brass knuckles; but before he could use them
his dazed and astonished first officer went down under the rain of
blows. It was then, while the victor waited for him to rise, that the
brass knuckles impacted on his head, and he, too, went down, to lie
quiet where he fell. The other young man had arisen by this time,
somewhat shocked and unsteady in movement, an