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They were not the men to forget a thing like that, or fail to be impressed by the fine courage Holy Joe had exhibited when he faced the angry mate. Now there was a curious thing. The decent men in the crew gave Holy Joe unstinted admiration; his bravery that day clinched his authority over the squareheads.
The stiffs were useless aloft on such a night, and the fore and main were given the handful of squareheads and the two tradesmen. When we jumped for the sheer pole we passed within a foot of a figure lounging across the rail at the poop break, and we knew it was Swope. There had been no word from him since the initial order. It was so dark we did not see his face.
I went into the port foc'sle to look at him and he looked bad, lying there unconscious. The squareheads had washed his face, but had not ventured to touch his arm. His face was in a shocking state, and I feared his body might be broken, as was Nils' body.
As you know, it very nearly was only the parson's courage averted trouble in the dog-watch, and but a little while ago I had to quiet a storm. But the danger is passed now, I think. The little fellow's mates are naturally quiet, law-abiding fellows." "The squareheads may be kept quiet," I said, "but how about the stiffs? How about Boston and Blackie?"
The squareheads knew why Holy Joe had suffered because of them, because of Nils. Because of Newman, too, but they did not guess that. Then, the knowledge that Newman was trapped was a heavy blow to sailors and stiffs alike. They had all, consciously or unconsciously, depended upon Newman's sane strength. With him taken from them they felt every man-jack that their backs were to the wall.
Aye, the mate had at last struck fire from his squareheads! They were on the verge of open rebellion. The stiffs of the port watch had fallen to one side, and stood quaking and irresolute, but the squareheads, all of them, were bunched squarely between the mate and the foc'sle door, and to the mate's stream of curses they interposed a wall of their own oaths.
But, after all, he was no surgeon, and there was little he could do for the lad. Newman undressed him the squareheads had not been able to accomplish this feat, because of the pain their rough handling caused and bared the poor broken body to view. The squareheads cursed deeply and bitterly at the sight of the shocking bruises on the white flesh.
He was much worse off than I; for he had not my iron muscles, to withstand hard knocks, nor my skill in rough-and-tumble fighting, which had enabled me to protect the vital parts of my body. "We'll have to get him aft, where the lady can attend to him or else get her for'ard," I declared. "No chance," answered Boston. "If we take him aft dey ban kill him," asserted one of the squareheads.
It was a full-mouthed promise to avenge, that sentence. As we left, I became aware that Boston and Blackie had followed Newman and me, and had witnessed the scene. Said Boston to his mate, in a low voice that I just caught, "If the kid croaks we'll have the squareheads with us." Captain Swope did not emerge from the cabin that day, nor the next day, nor the next.
"Lindquist must be nearly finished. I will carry out my plan at any hazard. Common decency demands we should not let the boy be cast into the sea by the very men who murdered him." At the door we were met by Olson, one of the squareheads, come to tell Newman that all was ready for the burial.
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