"It was not. It was tough, but I had to do it," replied Dan moodily. "I just had to do it to save myself. He would have given me a terrible beating had I not finished him. I saw that early, and tried to get him to call it a draw. He refused, so there was nothing left for me except to finish it right there. I am glad he did not go overboard. That would have been terrible. Is he still unconscious?"
"I have been too busy to look," grinned Sam.
All at once the jackies seemed to have recovered from their surprise.
"Dynamite! Dynamite!" they roared.
Making a concerted rush at the Battleship Boy, they hoisted him to their shoulders and began marching about the deck shouting and singing, though Dan much preferred not to have his victory celebrated in this manner.
There was no restraining the jackies, however. From a raw recruit Dan Davis had, in a few moments, won his way into the heart of every jackie, except Kester, on board the "Long Island." Dan had suddenly grown from boyhood to manhood in their estimation.
As soon as he could release himself from their hospitable shoulders the lad made his way to the ring, where Kester"s seconds had just succeeded in restoring him to consciousness.
"I"m sorry, Kester. I hope I have not hurt you," said Dan in a tone of deep concern. To this the fellow made no reply.
"Won"t you shake hands with me and let us be friends?"
"No!"
"Bill, Bill, don"t be a grouch-don"t be a sorehead. Dynie licked you fair and square," urged one of the man"s companions.
"I"ll even up with you for this, you-you cub!"
Dan drew himself up proudly.
"Very well. I have tried to do the manly thing. If you refuse to have it that way, it surely is not my fault. But I give you fair warning. Keep away and let me alone hereafter. Until you are willing to make friends, I want nothing more to do with you. When you are, I shall be glad to meet you half way."
"That"s the talk, Dynie," chorused several voices approvingly. "You had better not fool with the fire any more, Bill. It burns. You ain"t in the same cla.s.s with that stick of dynamite. He"s got you anch.o.r.ed with both port and starboard anchors and the chains not half out."
"Please do not stir him up," begged Dan. "I am ashamed of myself for what I have done as it is."
"What? Ashamed for licking the ship"s bully?"
"Yes."
"Well, ain"t that a joke, mates?"
The sailors laughed loudly. In the meantime, Kester"s seconds had gotten him up, and were helping him to a sheltered part of the superstructure, where they a.s.sisted him to get into his clothes. The big man was still very unsteady on his feet, and his face was streaked with blood from the unfortunate nose.
"You"ll have to go to Pills to get fixed up."
"Yes, my nose hurts."
Once more the surgeon was called upon to dress Bill Kester"s face and bolster up the flattened nose.
"You"ve been in a fight again, my man," rebuked the surgeon. "I shall have to make a report of it to the captain. Who hit you!"
"Davis."
"It will go hard with him, then," muttered the surgeon. "That young man must have an awful punch."
The surgeon"s report was duly made to the captain. The latter called his executive officer at once.
"See here, Coates, what"s this about Kester having been in another fight?" he demanded after the executive officer had responded to his summons.
"It wasn"t a fight, sir."
"Not a fight?"
"No, sir. That is, it was a boxing match on the forecastle. One of the regular set-tos. It was all regular and proper, but it was pretty rough, I understand."
"Who did it?"
"Ordinary Seaman Davis."
"The red-headed boy?"
"No, his friend."
"You don"t mean to tell me that that slim youngster put a man of Kester"s build in such shape that he had to report at sick bay, do you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Why, I thought Kester was known as a bully?"
"He was, sir. He will not be any longer, I imagine."
The captain gazed at his executive officer; then, leaning back in his chair, he laughed and chuckled to himself for a full minute.
While fighting and brawling were sternly suppressed on board the "Long Island," the commanding officer believed that fighting men should be allowed to fight under proper conditions. It had become an unwritten law on board, therefore, that the jackies were to be allowed to settle their difficulties with the gloves, sparring under a referee and with no brutality. This enabled the sailor lads to enjoy many a fine sparring match on the forward deck. In fact, bouts were put on regularly every Sat.u.r.day night. In doing this the men managed occasionally to pit against each other men who had a grudge to settle. This made the sport more real.
Kester had demanded the match with Davis, and the latter had no way to avoid the meeting without laying himself open to a charge of cowardice.
Dan Davis was not a coward, neither was he a bully. He wished to be let alone, and he had gone into the fight with reluctance, as the reader already knows. Now that it was over, he was heartily ashamed of himself for his part in the battle.
"Did any of our officers see the fight, Coates?" asked the captain.
"Yes, sir. Ensigns Brant and c.o.c.krill watched it from the bridge. They tell me it was perfectly regular. I made inquiry. They say the recruit, Davis, put it over the big fellow like a deck awning, though the young fellow evidently was reluctant to fight."
"I am glad to hear that."
"I think Kester was to blame for the previous trouble with the other boy."
"No doubt. I shall make inquiry into that matter as well. I want to make sure that that fellow is trying to stir up trouble on board. When I am certain we will give him a quick trial and put him ash.o.r.e one of these days."
"You will take no official action on this last fight, then?"
"Certainly not, since you say it was entirely regular."
"It was, sir."