across the cabin table was spread the big, inaccurate chart of the west coast of africa, on which captain north had penciled the rat-infested island and the river.

seeing it now for the first time since he had returned to the brig, gleazen planted one finger on the picture of the spot where we had found the wrecked ship with the bones of the drowned slaves still chained to her timbers. "pfaw!" he growled. "if only she was afloat! there was a ship for you! given her at sea again, handsome and handy, two good men would never 'a' lost their lives. given that she was not beyond repair, and we might yet kedge her off and plank her and caulk her and rig her anew."

"she's done," said matterson languidly. "forget her." he laid his head on the table and closed his eyes.

"molly!" there was a new note of concern in gleazen's voice. he leaned over and shook the man.

"let me be," said matterson.

"gentlemen," gideon north interposed, "we are dodging the issue."

"well?" gleazen angrily raised his head. "there is no issue. we'll sail for the rio pongo, lay off and on till the first dark night, then take the cargo that a friend of ours will have ready. thence, captain north, we'll sail for cuba. i'll give the orders now, and you'll carry them out."

"how long," i cried hotly, "have you been giving orders on board this vessel?"

he turned and glared at me. "if you want facts, joe,[pg 322] i'll give them to you: i've been giving orders aboard this vessel from the day we sailed from boston until now—aye, and seeing that they were obeyed, too, you young cub. but if you want fancies, such as are suitable for the young, i've owned the brig only since seth upham went mad and got himself killed."

"you own the brig?"

"yes, i own the brig."

"you lie!"

that he merely laughed, enraged me more than if he had hit me.

"you lie!" i repeated.

"next," said he, "you'll be telling me that seth upham owned her."

"that i will, indeed, and it is a small part of what i'll be telling you."

"well, he didn't."

the man's effrontery left me without words to retort.

"he didn't," gleazen said again. "him and i went into this deal share alike. half to him and half to me and my partners. ain't he dead? well, then i keep my half and molly, here, who is all the partner i've got left now, gets the other half. ain't that plain? of course it is. it would be plain enough if we'd got clear with the fortune that was ours by rights. and because we lost the fortune, it's all the plainer that we ought to get something for our trouble."

"but, mr. gleazen," arnold interposed, "supposing there were a grain of truth in what you say,—which there isn't,—the rest of us, joe and abe and i, still have a sixth part in it all."

"that," cried matterson, bursting into the controversy before gleazen could find words to meet this new argument, "that is stuff. the sixth part was to come out[pg 323] of seth upham's lay; and seth upham is dead, so he gets no lay. therefore you get not a bit more than the wages you signed on for; and if you signed on for no wages, you get nothing."

"i can promise you, matterson," gideon north said with a smile, "that nothing of that kind goes down under my command."

"then you're likely not to keep your command."

the trader, glancing shrewdly from one to another, had edged over beside gleazen, but now arnold spoke, as ever, calmly and precisely:—

"let all that go. about that we do not as yet care. it is a matter to be argued when the time comes. but—what will you take on board for a cargo at rio pongo?"

as if arnold's question implied permission for him also to have his say, the trader spread both hands in a gesture of despair at such ignorance as it manifested.

"'what weel you get?' ah, me—"

"yes, what will you get?" arnold reiterated, quietly smiling at the irony of his question.

"we'll get a cargo all right when we get there," gleazen asserted. "we'll let it go at that. captain north, bring the brig about on a course, say, of approximately west by north." he bent over the chart. "that will be about right. as for the wind—"

"captain north," said i, "you will do nothing of the kind. unless we can get an honest cargo, you will head straight back to boston and sell the adventure for what she'll bring."

"'what weel you get?'" the still amazed trader cried again. "you weel get—"

"as for you, joe,—" gleazen momentarily drowned out the man's voice,—"you'll get into trouble if you're not careful."

[pg 324]

"for you, mr. gleazen, i don't care the snap of my finger. i'll have my property handled in the way i choose."

for a moment gleazen glared at me in angry silence, and in that moment, the trader found opportunity to finish his sentence, which he did with an air of such pleasure in the tidings he gave, and all the time so completely unconscious of the subtler undercurrents of our quarrel, that to an unprejudiced observer it would have been ludicrous in the extreme.

"you weel get—niggers! such prime, stout, strong niggers! it ees a pleasure always to buy niggers at rio pongo. such barracoons! such niggers!"

although for a long time we had very well known the hidden real object of gleazen's return to topham and of the mad quest on which he had led us, this was the first time that anyone had frankly put it into so many words. the anger and defiance with which our two parties eyed each other seemed moment by moment to grow more intense.

"well, there's no need to look so glum about it," said gleazen at last. "half the deacons in new england live on the proceeds of rum and notions, and they know well enough what trade their goods are sold in. you may talk all you will of the gospel; they take their dollars, when their ships come home. your englishman may talk of his cruisers on the coast and his laws that parliament made for him; but when the bills come back on london for his birmingham muskets and liverpool lead and manchester cotton, he don't cry bad money and turn 'em down. why, then, should we? where there's niggers, there'll be slaves. it's in the blood of them."

"be that as it may," i retorted, "not a slave shall board this vessel."

[pg 325]

"it appears," gleazen slowly returned, "that this brig, which is a small craft at best, is not big enough for both of us."

"not if you think you can give yourself the airs of an owner."

"hear that, you! 'airs of an owner!' well, i am owner, i think—yes, i will give you a greater honor than you deserve." suddenly he leaned over and roared at me, "get down on your knees and apologize, or, so help me, i'll strike you dead on the spot."

quicker than a flash i reached out and slapped him on the face—and as i did so i remembered the time when o'hara had slapped seth upham.

with his hand half drawn back as if to seize a chair for a cudgel, he stopped, smiled, spun round and reached for the pair of swords on the bulkhead. extending the two hilts, he smiled and said, "i shall take pleasure in running you through, my friend."

"not so fast!" it was arnold who spoke. "i, sir, will take first a turn at the swords with you."

"in your turn, mr. lamont," gleazen retorted with an exaggerated bow. "meanwhile, if you please, you may act as second to mr. woods."

"come, enough of this nonsense," cried honest gideon north, "or i'll clap you both into irons. dueling aboard my vessel, indeed!" he looked appraisingly from one of us to the other.

"i will fight him," i coolly replied.

"you will, will you?"

"i will."

soberly gideon north looked me in the eye. already gleazen, matterson, arnold, and the others were moving toward the companionway. this happened, you must remember, in '27; dueling was not regarded then as it is now.

[pg 326]

"i am afraid, my boy, it will not be a fair fight."

"it will be fair enough," i replied.

rising, captain north brought out his medicine chest.

i followed the others on deck, as if the little world in which i was moving were a world of unreality. all that i knew of swordsmanship, i had learned from cornelius gleazen himself; and though i felt that at the end of our lessons i had learned enough to give him a hard fight, it was quite another matter to cross swords that carried no buttons, and to believe that one of us was to die.

there was only starlight on deck, and captain north stepped briskly forward to arnold and matterson, who were standing together by a clear space that they had paced off.

"gentlemen," said he, "if they were to wait until morning—"

"there would be more light, to be sure," arnold returned, "but the disadvantage is common to both."

gleazen grumbled something far down in his throat, and i cried out that i would fight him then as well as any time.

"if a couple of lanterns were slung from the rigging," matterson suggested. he moved slowly and now and then touched the hot skin around his wound; but although it still troubled him, he appeared to be gaining strength.

the words were scarcely out of his mouth when two men came running aft in response to captain north's sharp order. lanterns were lighted and slung, and cornelius gleazen and i, with sword in hand, faced each other across a length of clean white deck.

it was a long way from friendly combat on the village green at topham to the bout i now waited to begin, and both for cornelius gleazen and for myself the intervening[pg 327] months had piled up a formidable score to be settled. waiting in silence for our seconds, arnold and matterson, to clear away some coiled ropes, we watched each other with a bitter hate that had been growing on his part, i am convinced, since the days when first he had seen me working in my uncle's store, and on mine, certainly, ever since i had become aware of the growing conviction that the friendship he had so loudly professed for me was absolutely insincere.

he had cheated, robbed, browbeaten, and, to all practical ends, killed, my uncle. he stood there now, scheming by every means in his power to kill and rob me in my turn. and if he succeeded!—i thought of the girl to whom gideon north had given up his stateroom. how much did she know of all that was going forward? there had been only one door between her and the quarrel in the cabin. and what fate would be left for her, if i should fall—if gleazen should override gideon north and arnold lamont? truly, i thought, i must fight my best.

"and, sir," i heard arnold saying, "if you are able to bear arms after your bout with mr. woods, it is to be my turn and you shall so favor me."

"that i will," gleazen replied with a wry smile.

i know truly, although i do not understand the reason for it, that after an unusually dramatic experience it is likely to be some trifling, irrelevant little thing that one remembers most vividly. and singularly enough it is a tiny patch on arnold's coat that i now most clearly recall of all that happened then. i noticed it for the first time when arnold was speaking; i do not remember that i ever noticed it again. yet to this day i can see it as clearly as if i had only to turn my head to find it once more before my eyes, slightly darker than the body of the coat and sewed on with small neat stitches.

[pg 328]

now arnold was beside me. "steady your blade, my boy," he said. "fence lightly and cautiously."

the two swords circled, flashing in the lantern-light, and we came on guard in a duel such as few men have fought. the rolling deck at best gave us unsteady footing. as the lantern swung, the shadows changed in a way that was most confusing. now we were all but in darkness; now the light was fairly in our eyes.

this, i thought, can never be the old neil gleazen with whom i used to fence. he was craftier, warier, more cautious now than i had ever seen him, and i took a lesson from him and restrained the impetuousness of the attack i should have launched had foils been our weapons. now he lunged out like a flash, and all but came in past my guard. i instantly replied by a riposte, but failed to catch him napping. again he lunged and yet again, and for the third time i succeeded in parrying, but all to no purpose so far as opening the way for a counter-attack was concerned.

now i saw the spectators only as black shadows standing just out of the range of my vision. with every sense i was alert to parry and lunge. now it seemed very dark except for the light of the lanterns, although before we began to fence, the starlight had seemed uncommonly bright and clear. the whole world appeared to grow dark around me as i fought, until only cornelius gleazen was to be seen, as if in the heart of a light cloud. now i all but eluded his guard. now i drew blood from his arm—i was convinced of it. i pressed him closer and closer and got new confidence from seeing that he was breathing harder than i.

for a moment,—it is a thing that happens when one has concentrated his whole attention on a certain object for so long a time that at last it inevitably wavers,—for[pg 329] a moment i was aware of those around me as well as of the man in front of me. i even heard their hard breathing, their whispered encouragement. i saw that matterson was standing on my right, midway between me and gleazen. i saw a sudden opening, and thrusting out my arm, drove my blade for it with all the speed and strength of my body. that thrust, too, drew blood; there was no doubt of it, for gleazen gave a quick gasp and let his guard fall. victory was mine; i had beaten him. my heart leaped, and lifting my sword-hand to turn off his blade, i attempted a reprise. i knew by the frantic jerk of gleazen's guard that he was aware that i had beaten him. i was absolutely sure of myself. but when i attempted to spring back and launch the doubled attack something held my foot.

i gave a quick jerk,—literally my foot was held,—i lost my balance and all but went over. then i felt a burning in the back of my shoulder and sat down on deck with the feeling that the lanterns were now expanding into strange wide circles of light, now concentrating into tiny coals of fire.

first i knew that gideon north was bending over me with his medicine chest; then i took a big swallow of brandy and had hard work to keep from choking over it; then i felt cool hands, so firm and small that i knew they could belong to only one person in the adventure; then i saw arnold lamont, sword in hand, facing cornelius gleazen.

now why, i wondered, had i been unable to withdraw my foot. matterson had been all but in my way. he must have thrust out his own foot!

"arnold," i cried incoherently, "beware of matterson! he tripped me!"

arnold looked down at me and smiled and nodded.

[pg 330]

"sir," i heard him saying, as if miles away, "you have beaten a man years younger than yourself by a foul and treacherous trick. i shall kill you."

"kill me?" gleazen arrogantly roared. "it would take a swordsman to do it."

to that arnold replied in a foreign tongue, which even then i knew must be spanish. i was no competent witness of what was taking place; but cloudy though my mind was, i did not fail to see that arnold's taunt struck home, for both gleazen and matterson angrily swore.

"in spanish, eh?" gleazen sneered. "so this is the leaky spigot! no more tales, my fine fellow, shall trickle out through your round mouth, once i have measured your vitals with cold steel."

into my spinning brain there now came a sudden memory of my bout with arnold long, long ago, when i had gone at him just as arrogantly as ever neil gleazen was doing now. i tried to cry out again and could not. i laughed, which was all my strength permitted, and wearily leaned back, and through eyes that would almost close in spite of me, saw arnold advance under the swinging lantern so swiftly that his sword was like a beam of light flashed by a mirror.

his blade sped through gleazen's guard: gleazen dropped his sword, staggered, and fell with a crash.

i heard arnold say, "sir, i am more clumsy than i knew. the rolling deck has saved your miserable life, since i cannot kill a wounded man. but if my hand were in practice, no ship that ever rolled would have turned that thrust."

then a great uproar ensued, and i knew nothing more until i opened my eyes in the cabin, where a hot argument was evidently in progress, since oaths were bandied back and forth and there were hard words on all sides.

[pg 331]

"as representatives of josiah woods, who owns this brig," i heard arnold say, "gideon north and i will not permit you, sir, or any other man, to ship such a cargo."

the reply i did not understand, but i again heard arnold's voice, hot with anger.

"we will not sail again to that den of pirates and slavers and the iniquitous of all the nations of the world, havana. if you do not wish to go to boston,—" he hesitated,—"we will use you better than you deserve. for a profitable voyage, we might compromise, say, on south america."

of what followed i have no memory, for i was weaker than i realized, from loss of blood. the cabin went white before my eyes. the voices all dwindled away to remote threads of sound. i seemed to feel myself sway with the motion of the ship, and opened my eyes again and saw that i was being carried. then i once more felt cool hands on my forehead, and leaning back, seemed to sink into endless space. i forgot topham and all that had happened there; i forgot africa and every event of our ill-fated venture; i even forgot the brig and the duel, and i almost forgot my own identity. but as i existed in a sort of dream-land or fairyland somewhere between waking and sleeping, i did not forget the girl who had come with me out of africa; and even when i could not remember my own name, i would find myself struggling in a curiously detached way to connect the name faith, which persisted in my memory, with a personality that likewise persisted, yet that seemed a thing apart from all the world and not even to be given a name.