t; come, miss, you won't see me lose."

All this time the two detectives had sat silent. They knew what would
follow, and just when to come in with the sledge hammer part of the
farce. Yes, they were ready in good time to play the anvil chorus on the
heads of the lively gang of insulters. It was just their pie, as the
slang phrase has it.

"You've lost," cried the better.

"Come, come, miss, do you hear what he says? I know you're a beaut.
Raise your veil and give me the laugh on him."

Cad sat mute, and finally the man said:

"I can't lose; I've got to see your face if I lift your veil myself."

"Yes, yes, raise and expose her mugg," cried one; "if she were a beaut
she would'nt let you lose that way. Lift her veil."

It was time for Oscar to interfere and he said:

"That will do, young fellow."

"Will it?" cried the man in a fierce tone.

"Yes."

"What have you got to say about it anyhow?"

"This lady is in my company, under my protection."

"Oh, is she?"

"She is."

"Well, here goes."

The man grabbed Cad's veil and raised it, disclosing her really lovely
face, and at the same instant he uttered a yell of triumph, but the next
moment he roared forth a yell of pain and rage, for Oscar had leaped to
his feet, dealt the man a clipper square on the nose and over he went.
The rest of the gang immediately set up a yell, leaped to their feet and
made a rush, and the next instant there followed a regular young riot,
but the fun of the thing was all on one side. The other officer also
leaped to his feet and started in on the tattoo act. He just swung
around like a revolving wheel with distended cogs, and every time he
revolved down went one of the men, and Cad just stood up on the seat and
laughed. The laugh in fact had bounded over to the opposite side of the
cabin from where it first started. As the men who were downed attempted
to regain their feet they got it again, and got it good. The two
detectives having dropped the rascals with their fists gave them the
balance of their dose with leather, and they did leather them well,
kicking them over the floor of the cabin like stuffed bladders. The deck
hands heard the noise, ran to the doors, and taking in the situation
remained aloof. They were glad to see the rowdies get a whacking; glad
that for once the assailants had run up against the wrong crowd. The
rowdies bled and yelled, bled for their impertinence, yelled in dismay
and terror, for they feared the