Blow the Man Down - A Romance of the Coast

"Come away from that man!" commanded the skipper.

But Bradish was not in a mood to obey authority. "There's something

behind this and I propose to be let in on it! Stop, you!" He pushed

Mayo back, but the latter's face did not change its expression of dull,

blank, utter despair which saw not and heard not. Mayo recovered himself

and came on again, looking into vacancy.

"If you have a grudge against me, by the gods, I'll wake you up and make

you explain it!" shouted Bradish. He drew back his arm and drove a quick

punch squarely against the expressionless face. The blow came with a

lurch of the vessel and Mayo fell flat on his back. He went down as

stiffly as he had walked, with as little effort to save himself as a

store dummy would have made.

But he was another man when he came upon his feet.

Bradish had awakened him!

The master of the Alden hurried around the table, roaring oaths, and

tried to get between them, but he was an unwieldy man on his short legs.

Before he was in arm's-length they were at each other, dodging here and

there.

Bradish was no shrimp of an adversary; he was taller than his

antagonist, and handled his fists like a man who had been trained as an

amateur boxer.

They fought up and down the cabin, battering each other's face.

The indignant master threatened them with an upraised chair, tried to

strike down their hands with it, but they were in no mood to mind a

mediator. They fought like maddened cats, banging against the cabin

walls, whirling in a crazy rigadoon to find an opening for their fists;

Captain Downs was not nimble enough to catch them. Uttering awful

profanity, he threatened to shoot both of them and rushed into the main

saloon, unlocking the door.

"I'm coming back with a gun!" he promised. But the fight ended suddenly

in a wrestling trick.

Mayo closed in, got Bradish's right hand in a grip, and doubled the arm

behind his adversary's back. Then he tripped the city man and laid

him backward over the table and against its edge with a violence that

brought a yell of pain and made Bradish limp and passive. Mayo held him

there.

"My grudge, eh? My grudge!" the victor panted. "Because you wouldn't

tell me how the sneaks ruined me? No! The girl isn't here now. I'll tell

you! It's because you stole her self-respect and her good name, and it

makes you too dirty a dog to be her husband!"