. He
anticipated the best results, for himself, from such a line of
conduct--and was mistaken. Such natures forget that under extreme
provocation men will be just--whether they want to be so or not. Donkin's
insolence to long-suffering Mr. Baker became at last intolerable to us,
and we rejoiced when the mate, one dark night, tamed him for good.

It was done neatly, with great decency and decorum, and with little
noise. We had been called--just before midnight--to trim the yards, and
Donkin--as usual--made insulting remarks. We stood sleepily in a row with
the forebrace in our hands waiting for the next order, and heard in the
darkness a scuffly trampling of feet, an exclamation of surprise, sounds
of cuffs and slaps, suppressed, hissing whispers:--"Ah! Will you!"...
"Don't!... Don't!"... "Then behave."... "Oh! Oh!..." Afterwards there
were soft thuds mixed with the rattle of iron things as if a man's body
had been tumbling helplessly amongst the main-pump rods. Before we
could realise the situation, Mr. Baker's voice was heard very near and
a little impatient:--"Haul away, men! Lay back on that rope!" And we did
lay back on the rope with great alacrity. As if nothing had happened,
the chief mate went on trimming the yards with his usual and
exasperating fastidiousness. We didn't at the time see anything of
Donkin, and did not care. Had the chief officer thrown him overboard,
no man would have said as much as "Hallo! he's gone!" But, in truth, no
great harm was done--even if Donkin did lose one of his front teeth. We
perceived this in the morning, and preserved a ceremonious silence: the
etiquette of the forecastle commanded us to be blind and dumb in such
a case, and we cherished the decencies of our life more than ordinary
landsmen respect theirs. Charley, with unpardonable want of savoir
vivre, yelled out:--"'Ave you been to your dentyst?... Hurt ye, didn't
it?" He got a box on the ear from one of his best friends. The boy was
surprised, and remained plunged in grief for at least three hours. We
were sorry for him, but youth requires even more discipline than age.
Donkin grinned venomously. From that day he became pitiless; told Jimmy
that he was a "black fraud"; hinted to us that we were an imbecile lot,
daily taken in by a vulgar nigger. And Jimmy seemed to like the fellow!

Singleton lived untouched by human emotions. Taciturn and unsmiling, he
breathed amongst us--in that alone resembling the rest of the crowd.
W