“Yes, sir,” said Perry hesitatingly, for he, like Mark Merrill, did not care to say aught against Clemmons. “It was the youth who was dismissed from the academy, was it not?” “Yes, sir; Breslin.” “What did Merrill pick a quarrel with him for?” “Merrill pick a quarrel with Breslin, sir?” asked Perry, in amazement. “Yes.” “It was the opposite way, sir, for Merrill sought to avoid him; but Breslin stepped directly in his path, and demanded to know if he knew him and meant to cut his acquaintance. Mr. Merrill responded in the affirmative, and Breslin struck at him, but missed, and went down with a suddenness and force that made his teeth rattle. I drew Mr. Merrill quickly away, and that ended it, sir.” Captain De Long was silent for fully a minute. He seemed to be arguing in his own mind the pros and cons of the case. At last he said: “That is all I wished to know, Mr. Perry.” The young sailor bowed, and was disappearing up the companionway when Captain De Long called out: “Send Mr. Clemmons to me, Mr. Perry.” “Ay, ay, sir,” and with another salute Bemis Perry departed from the cabin. He at once went in search of Scott Clemmons, and found him pacing to and fro amidships, looking a little the worse for his dissipation ashore the day before. “Mr. Clemmons, Captain De Long wishes to see you.” Scott Clemmons started. “The captain wishes to see me?” “So he informed me, sir, a minute ago.” “I say, Perry, do I look as though I had been going it rather deep?” “You look a trifle bilged, Clemmons.” “You do not know what he wants with me?” “No.” “Has he gotten hold of that row of Merrill’s ashore, I wonder?” “What row of Merrill’s ashore?” “When he ran afoul of that beat Breslin.” “Ah, your friend Breslin, whom he knocked down, as he should have done; but then Breslin was well tanked up after his dinner with you, and lost his reckoning so far as to run across Merrill’s course, and foundered under the blow; but when you have seen Captain De Long, Mr. Clemmons, I desire a word with you,” and Bemis Perry went on his way, while Scott Clemmons sought the cabin of Captain De Long. CHAPTER XLI. A LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVE. It was with considerable nervousness that Scott Clemmons went into the cabin of his captain. It may have been from the effects of his too liberal “treats” of himself the night before, and, perhaps, from a knowledge of the fact that he had yawed wide of his course in telling his story about the affair ashore in which Mark Merrill had been mixed up. He, however, without a chance to “splice the main-brace” to steady his nerves, braced up as best he could, and reported himself to his commander. “Mr. Clemmons, may I ask you if you actually saw the occurrence ashore last evening in which Cadet Midshipman Merrill and Breslin had a set-to?” “Yes, sir, I was, as I said, talking to Breslin at the time, for he was importuning me to give him some money.”