Part 30 (1/2)

The man doubled his fist, and made a sharp blow at Jeed, and retorted, planting his fist in the fellow's chest, and sending hi back

The man's eyes blazed as he recovered hi his first ier since he left school, forgot fair play for the moment, and doubled his fists to help Jem

”No, no, Mas' Don; I can tackle him,” cried Jem; ”and I feel as if I should like to now”

But there was to be no encounter, for a couple of the other sailors seized theirand threatening all manner of evil to the sturdy little prisoner, as standing on his defence

”No, no, est of the party; ”it's like hitting a le, but the brute was half thrust to the ladder, and directly after the trap was closed again, and the bolt shot

”Well, I never felt sobefore--leastwise not since I thrashed old Mike behind the barrel stack in the yard,” said Je his coat, which he had thrown off

”Did you fight Mike in the yard one day?” said Don wonderingly ”Why, Jem, I remember; that's when you had such a dreadful black eye”

”That's right, my lad”

”And pretended you fell down the ladder out of floor nurinning

”Then that was a lie?”

”Well, I don't know 'bout it's being a lie, ht call it a kind of a sort of a fib”

”Fib? It was an untruth”

”Well, but don't you see, it would have looked so bad to say, 'I got that eye a-fighting?' and it was only a little while 'fore I was ht our Mike?”

”Why, of course; I remember now, Mike was ill in bed for a week at the sa; ”and he erry ill You see, he coed him on, and he was drunk as a fiddler--not as ever I see a fiddler that way And then, i'stead o' doing his work, he was nasty, and began cussing He cussed everything, froht up to your uncle, whoseo' you, Mas' Don; and I told hient as got him work; and no sooner had I said that than I found ”

”Well?” said Don, as deeply interested

”Well, Mas' Don, that's all”

”No, it isn't, Jeht Mike”

”Well, I s'pose I did, Mas' Don”

”'Suppose you did'?”