k I have every reason to be content. I can travel wherever I like,
see whatever I want to see, and enjoy most of the good things of life."

"And hould your own in a scrimmage," Mr. Ryan put in laughing. "I can
answer for that."

"If I am pushed to it," Mr. Atherton said modestly, "of course I try to
do my best."

"Have you seen Mr. Atherton in a scrimmage?" Tom Allen asked the mate.

"I have; and a sharp one it was while it lasted."

"There is no occasion to say anything about it, Ryan," Mr. Atherton said
hastily.

"But no reason in life why I should not," the mate replied. "What do you
say, ladies and gentleman?"

There was a chorus of "Go on please, do let us hear about it," and he
continued:

"I don't give Mr. Atherton the credit of saving our ship in the squall,
but it would have gone badly with us if he hadn't taken part in the row
we had. You see, we had a mixed crew on board, for the most part
Chinamen and a few Lascars; for we were three years in the China Seas,
and English sailors cannot well stand the heat out there, and besides
don't like remaining in ships stopping there trading. So when, after we
arrived at Shanghai, we got orders to stop and trade out there, most of
them took their discharge, and we filled up with natives. Coming down
from Japan that voyage there was a row. I forget what their pretext was
now, but I have no doubt it was an arranged thing, and that they
intended to take the ship and run her ashore on some of the islands,
take what they fancied out of her, and make off in boats, or perhaps
take her into one of those nests of pirates that abound among the
islands.

"They felt so certain of overpowering us, for there were only the three
officers, the boatswain, and two cabin passengers, that instead of
rising by night, when they would no doubt have succeeded, they broke
into mutiny at dinner-time--came aft in a body, clamouring that their
food was unfit to eat. Then suddenly drawing weapons from beneath their
clothes they rushed up the gangways on to the poop; and as none of us
were armed, and had no idea of what was going to take place, they would
have cut us down almost without resistance had it not been for our
friend here. He was standing just at the top of the poop ladder when
they came up, headed by their seraing. Mr. Atherton knocked the
scoundrel down with a blow of his fist, and then, catching him by the
ankles, whirled him round his head like a club and knocked the fellows