."

"And the pistol cocked itself, jumped up into his hand, and then went
off and wounded Dale. Is it much, doctor?" said Mr Brymer.

"No, only his ear cut, fortunately," said Mr Frewen, holding a
handkerchief to my head. "An inch more and our amiable, treacherous
young friend would have had to be tried for murder. Who's that?"

"Me," growled Neb Dumlow. "Want help, sir?"

"No. Go and tell the captain there's nothing the matter, and Miss
Denning that there's no cause for alarm. Lock up the wild beast,
Brymer! I thought he was a little weak and wanted feeding up. Leave
him to me, and I'll feed him down."

Mr Brymer gave a sharp look round, and then closed the door and locked
it, while following Mr Frewen into the next cabin, he put a few
stitches in my injured ear and then strapped it up.

"Feel sick?" he said.

"Pretty well," I said, and I looked dismally at my knuckles.

"Like a light, and a glass to see your face?"

"Eh? No," I cried, as I recalled all that had taken place. "Does it
look very bad?"

"Not half so bad as it will to-morrow," said Mr Frewen, coolly. "You
had a tidy fight then, you two?"

"Oh yes; don't talk about it, please, sir. He made me feel so wild
after I found out that he was only shamming."

"Humph! Well, don't let Miss Denning see you. If you had been knocked
about like this in a struggle with those scoundrels under the hatch you
would have won her sympathy; but a lad who goes and indulges in
fisticuffs till his face looks like a muffin which has tumbled into the
slop-basin, can't show himself in ladies' society till he has grown
well."

"Oh, I say, Mr Frewen!" I cried.

"It's a fact," he said, laughing at my dismal face.

"But can't you put some stuff on it to make it look better?"

"No, nothing," he said coolly. "I only know of one thing that will help
you out of your difficulty," he continued quietly.

"Yes," I said. "What?"

"You must wait till we have another fight with the men forward, and then
if you get knocked about, all those bruises will go to the same
account."

I was busily bathing my face and hands as he spoke, and then, as I began
dabbing myself gently with a towel, there was an alarm from forward
which suggested that, though I was getting stiffer and more sore every
moment, the time had already come for the doctor's remedy to be put in
force, for there was a pistol-shot followed by several more, and a loud
shouting which sounded like cries