the horse-play being at an end was not gratified, for a
few minutes after I saw the two men whisper together, and the big fellow
took out his knife and tried the edge.

"Hullo!" whispered Esau, "he ain't going to cut his head off, is he?"

I did not answer, though I seemed to divine what was about to take
place, and the blood flushed into my cheeks with the annoyance I felt.

My ideas were quite correct, for directly after the second of the two
men lounged up quietly behind the Chinaman, and before he was aware of
it, he too cleverly undid the tail, but kept hold of it and drew it away
tight.

"Hallo!" he shouted, so as to be heard above the roars of laughter which
arose, "why what's all this ere?"

The little fellow put up his hands to his head, and bent down, calling
out piteously, while the big passenger took a step or two forward with
the open knife hidden in his hand. Then clapping his left on the
Chinaman's head, he thrust it forward, so that the tail was held out
tightly, and in another moment it would have been cut off close to the
head, if in my excitement I had not suddenly made a leap forward,
planting my hands on the man's chest, and with such good effect
consequent upon my weight being entirely unexpected, that he staggered
back some yards, and then came down heavily in a sitting position on the
deck.

I was as much astonished at the result as he was, and as there was a
roar of laughter from all on deck, he sat there staring at me and I at
him, till I could find words to say indignantly--

"Let the poor fellow be. It's a shame!"

The next minute the man sprang up, and Quong, as he called himself,
cowered behind me, the other having in his astonishment loosened the
poor fellow's tail and set him free.

"Why, you young cockerel," roared the big fellow, striding up to me, and
bringing his left hand down heavily upon my shoulder. "Not to cut off
that yallow scoundrel's tail, arn't I?"

"No," I cried stoutly, though I felt anything but brave; "let him
alone."

"Will I? Look here, I'm going to have off that tail; and just to give
you a lesson, I'm going to try the edge o' my knife first on one of your
ears."

I wrested myself away, but he was as quick as I was, and had me again
directly, holding the knife in a threatening way as if he really
intended to fulfil his threat.

"Get hold of the knife, Esau," I shouted; but it was not his hand and
arm which interposed, for Gunson forced himself be