Besides, I ain't goin' to
die. I'm goin' to finish this voyage, an' sue the owners when I get
to Seattle. I know my rights an' the law. An' I got witnesses."
Truly, I was divided between admiration for the courage of this
wretched sailor and sympathy for Mr. Pike thus bearded by a sick man
he could not bring himself to strike.
Nevertheless he sprang upon the man with calculated fury, gripped him
between the base of the neck and the shoulders with both gnarled
paws, and shook him back and forth, violently and frightfully, for a
full minute. It was a wonder the man's neck was not dislocated.
"I call on you to witness, sir," Davis gasped at me the instant he
was free.
He coughed and strangled, felt his throat, and made wry neck-
movements indicative of injury.
"The marks'll begin to show in a few minutes," he murmured
complacently as his dizziness left him and his breath came back.
This was too much for Mr. Pike, who turned and left the room,
growling and cursing incoherently, deep in his throat. When I made
my departure, a moment later, Davis was refilling his pipe and
telling Mr.
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