CHAPTER XVI--RECEIVING A CHALLENGE
"No mine drill to-day," sang out a boatswain's mate, as he passed alongthe forecastle. "Water too rough. If the weather quiets down, however,there may be something else doing."
Instead of a day in the small boats laying mines, as had been planned,the men were to have another field day, painting ship, after the deckshad been scrubbed down. Gun crews got out their pots and brushes, thencrawled through the narrow openings into the gun-turrets, first havingthrown open the hatches on top of the turrets, to let in enough light toenable them to see where to paint.
Walls were painted white, floors red, jackies both red and white. Danand Sam--the latter having been released from the brig after serving hissentence--not belonging to a gun crew, were put to work in a corridor onthis occasion. They were in great good humor, having gained thedistinction of being ordered to report for wig-wag signal duty duringthe mine practice, both being experts with the signal flag. The boyswere talking over their good fortune when the captain came hurryingthrough. Instantly the boys came to attention.
"Good morning, lads," greeted the commanding officer.
"Fresh paint beside you, sir," warned Dan.
"Very careless of me not to have observed it. I see I have gatheredquite a quantity of it already," he added, examining his trim braidedblouse that was now streaked with white.
"May I speak, sir?" asked Dan.
"Certainly, my lad. What is it?"
"Let me rub the paint off while it is still fresh?"
"How?"
"This way, sir."
Dan examined the sleeve of his jacket critically. Having found a cleanplace he approached the captain and began rubbing his own sleeve overthe soiled spot on the sleeve of the commanding officer. This done hewent at the left side of the blouse where there was a larger blotch ofwhite. In a few moments he had so thoroughly cleaned the blue blouse, byrubbing it violently with the goods of his jacket, that all traces ofthe white paint had disappeared.
Dan stepped back, saluting respectfully.
"Why, you have taken it all off, but you will have the trouble ofcleaning your own jacket."
"I shall have to do that anyway, sir."
"Thank you, my lad."
The captain saluted and passed on.
"That boy is as graceful and self-possessed as if he had spent years inthe service. I must keep my eye on him. I predict that he will be doingsomething worth while some of these days."
Dan's face was flushed. He was pleased with himself. Sam glanced over athim and winked gravely.
"I wish I knew how to do things the way you do," he said. "Somehow myfeet and hands don't fit the rest of my anatomy. I'm a thickhead and alandlubber, all in one."
"You are all right, if you would only think so," replied Dan.
After the noonday mess the boys were resting on the forward deck whenSam called the attention of his companion to a group of sailors on theport side, leaning against the rail engaged in earnest conversation. Thespokesman was no other than Bill Kester. Bill was gesticulating. Asailor appeared to be opposing him in something.
"I wonder what's up?" mused Dan.
"Quarreling again, I guess," decided Sam, rising and strolling forwardwhere he leaned over the bow of the ship, gazing thoughtfully down intothe turbulent sea. Now and then a thin shower of spray would mount highin the air and dash over him, the anchored ship having swung about untilits bow was headed into the half-gale that was blowing up the coast.
After a time two jackies strolled over to where Dan was sitting, andleaned indolently against the forward twelve-inch turret.
"How's the shipmate to-day?" inquired one.
"Very well, thank you."
"Feeling fit as a fiddle, eh?"
"Never better, though I do feel as if I had been eating paint all mylife. I'm all red on the outside and white on the inside. My walls donot need any more dressing," laughed Dan.
"Then we've got a proposition to make to you."
"A what?"
"Proposition."
"What is it?"
"It's usual on shipboard, when one party gets a grouch on againstanother, to meet according to rules and fight it out."
"Well, what of it?"
"How'd you like to fight, matey?"
"No, thank you," Dan replied, with considerable emphasis, the memory ofhis previous trouble still being fresh in mind. "Whom do you want me tofight?"
"We haven't said we wanted you to fight anybody. We ain't very strong onhaving you fight somebody. Somebody wants to fight you, and we've beenappointed a committee to come over and consult with you."
"Some one wishes to fight me, is that it?" questioned Dan.
"That's about it, shipmate."
Dan gazed at them inquiringly.
"Who?"
"Bill Kester."
"I might have known it."
"It's only fair to tell you, Mr. Dynamite, that he's about thescrappiest scrapper on board the 'Long Island.' We've been thinking ofgetting one of the men from aboard the 'Michigan' to come over and whalethe daylights out of him some of these days. He's got to get it beforehe'll quit picking trouble with other folks. You're under-size andlighter than Bill, even if you did lay him out the other day. Butbecause of your size you've got a right to refuse, if you want to,"continued the sailor.
It was plain, however, that he secretly hoped Dan would accept thechallenge to do battle with the ship's bully.
"No, boys, I have had one fight, though it wasn't much of a fight afterall. You know what happened? I was called before the mast and let gowith a warning. Next time they would put me ashore and tell me to gohome. I wish to stay in the service. When I fight, let it be under theFlag I serve."
"Nothing of the sort. Bill will be telling, all over the ship, that youare afraid to meet him, and maybe he'll call you a coward. Of course wefellows know you ain't, Dynie." ("Dynie," since Dan's first outburstwith Kester, had become a favorite nickname for the boy.)
"He had better not," Dan made answer in a low, tense voice, a dull flushsuffusing his cheeks. "If he does that, I may be tempted to use amarline spike on him."
"Then you'd sure get out of the service," replied the sailor.
"You tell him to keep away and let me alone. If he doesn't I'll defendmyself, as I did before, that is, if I can. I am not looking fortrouble, but I'll face it if it comes."
"Shall we tell him that?"
"Tell him by all means, if you think best. He does not interest me atall."
"You think it over, Dynie. We'll talk with you later. We'll tell Billsomething to satisfy him till you make up your mind."
"I have made up my mind. I won't fight."
The committee returned to the group, where they talked for some moments,Dan observing that Kester was scowling more ferociously than usual andhis voice rising higher.
"He's a quitter! He's a coward!" exclaimed Bill.
Dan rose hastily and walked away.
"Trouble seems to be getting right in my way. If I don't try to push itout of the way I fall over it. What's a fellow to do?"
"What's wrong, Dan?" questioned Sam, overtaking his companion at thatmoment. He had observed Dan's troubled face.
"Oh, nothing much. They want me to fight that fellow Kester."
"Have they told you so?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Just now. Two of the boys came to me to ask if I would fight him."
"What did you say?"
"I told them I wouldn't do it, unless he forced me to do so inself-defense, and that then I'd use a marline spike on him."
Sam shook his head thoughtfully.
"It doesn't seem to surprise you any," complained Dan.
"No, I can't say that it does. I had suspected something of the sort wasin the wind. Are you afraid of him, Dan?"
"Afraid of him?"
"Yes."
"No, I am not afraid of him," answered the lad in a quiet voice. "But Ihave had my little lesson through your fate, you
know. Bread and waterdon't agree with my digestive organs. Why, what do you think wouldhappen to me were I to get mixed up in that sort of a row?"
"Nothing."
"What do you mean?"
"I hear that when men on board these ships have a misunderstanding, theyare permitted to fight it out under proper conditions."
"They do?"
"Yes. But the battles, I have heard, don't amount to much. The fightersare provided with boxing gloves and the fight is more of a boxing matchthan a battle. When it has gone far enough it is stopped, the winnerbeing the one who has scored the most points. One of the men was tellingme about it. It isn't very different from the boxing matches you used totake part in when we were in the High School, is it?" suggested Sam.
"No," answered Dan somewhat doubtfully. "But this Kester is a loafer,and I do not like to trust him. I am not timid, but I want to winpromotion in the service."
"The others will see that you have fair play."
"You advise me to meet him then?" questioned Dan.
"Of course I do. I wish he had challenged me to fight him. I owe himone."
"I am surprised at you, Sam. You forget you have recently been introuble for fighting and now you turn around and urge me to go in for about with a fellow who intends to knock my head off if he is able to doit."
"Not a fight, a boxing match, Dynie," grinned Sam.
Dan laughed.
"A nice gentlemanly, hand-shaking sort of a bout, eh? Well I'll see."
"Are you going to meet him?"
"I will let you know in a few minutes whether I shall or not."
"What are you going to do?"
"Find out where I am at first," answered Dan, turning away and hurryingbelow. He went directly to the quarters of the boatswain's mate, and,after calling out his own name at the door, was told to enter.
"What is it, my lad?"
Dan briefly related the story of the proposition that had been made tohim to fight Kester. The mate listened gravely until he had finished.
"Well, what are you going to do about it?"
"That is what I have come to ask you, sir. You told us to consult youwhen we were in doubt or needed advice."
"I certainly did."
"I am in need of advice right now--very much in need of it, sir."
"There is bad blood between you two, is there not?"
"You might call it that. I cannot say that I have any feeling eitherway. You know my chum was sent to the brig for having a mix-up withKester. I might share the same fate."
"Tell me the details of that trouble. I have not heard the inside."
Dan did so briefly.
"The coward!" muttered the boatswain's mate, upon hearing how Kester hadknocked Sam Hickey down. "Meet him, by all means."
"But, sir, shall I not be disciplined for so doing?"
"No, lad. Fighting, it is true, is severely punished on board the shipsof the Navy, but boxing is encouraged. We are all fighting men;therefore we should all know how to fight, under proper regulations. Youwill get fair play; the men will see to that."
"I think I shall be able to take care of myself," smiled Dan. "I want tobe sure that I shall not get into disgrace, that's all."
"No danger. But I do not like to see a boy so young pitted against anexperienced man like Kester. It isn't fair. However, if you are greatlyovermatched, the bout will be promptly stopped. You will have shown yourgrit."
"Thank you very much. You have relieved my mind."
Dan made his way back to the forecastle where he found Sam waiting forhim.
"Well, how about it?"
"It's all right. I will meet him if the terms are satisfactory. Will yoube my second, Sam?"
"Of course. You do not have to ask that. I'll go consult Kester'sseconds now."
Later on Sam rejoined his companion.
"How is it going to be carried off?" questioned Dan.
"The men are going to pick out a referee. You and Kester are to box witheight ounce gloves until the referee stops you, or either of you decideyou have had enough. You will get a fair show, the boys say. They won'tstand for Bill's punishing you brutally. They admire your pluck inmeeting him. If you could thrash him, Dan Davis, I'd be willing to go tothe brig again, and feed on bread and water for a month."
"I'm lucky if I do not get there myself," grinned Dan. "When is it totake place?"
"At seven bells this evening, half-past seven. There goes the bugle. Wemust get at our painting again."