ne to make them
constantly wish to annoy me.

"Because tha'art a coward and a snaik," said one.

"A spy and a tell-tale," said another.

"Cause you think yourself too good to mix with we, who are a mighty
sight better than you," said another.

"Or else you're afraid we'll find out something of your dirty ways,"
said two or three together.

I felt sick and sad at heart. To mix with these men was bad enough, to
come into such relationship with them as would lead to a brawl was
worse.

"I'm not a coward, a spy, a sneak or a tell-tale," I said quietly. "I
don't think myself too good to mix with any honest man, and I'm not
afraid of your finding out anything about me."

With that the bully placed himself before me and spat in my face. In a
moment my calmness and self-control were gone, and in a minute more we
were engaged in a hand-to-hand fight. The devil that my hatred for my
brother had aroused now showed itself, and I fought with all the fury
of a demon. My opponent was as big as I, and as strong, or would have
been had he not abused his strength by evil habits; and in addition to
this, he knew many tricks of fighting unknown to me. Minute after
minute we fought, he more for the love of fighting than for hatred for
me, I with a mad heart, and with every evil passion aroused. If at
that moment I could in no other way have beaten him save by selling my
soul to the devil, I am sure I should not have hesitated to make the
bargain. I had allowed an evil passion to enter my heart, and it had
poisoned my whole being. Thus it was that I determined to die rather
than be conquered.

A determined man can do almost anything. A mad man is supernaturally
strong. I was both. Thus, at length, by a trick of wrestling, and a
blow that would have felled an ox, I laid him bruised, bleeding and
senseless on the deck. This did not satisfy me. I turned to another
who had been prominent in seeking to quarrel and laid him beside the
first. Then like a mad bull I rushed upon the rest.

I don't know what happened after that, save that there was a terrible
scuffle, and I found myself struggling in the grasp of brawny arms,
after which I felt a heavy stunning blow which rendered me oblivious to
all my surroundings.

When I awoke to consciousness I was in chains, and the captain by my
side.

"Well, Tretheway," said he, "and this is the way you carry on?"

I was silent.

"I took you for a decent lad, perhaps my better