His temper choked him. He clenched his fist and let fly at friend Greenhew right between the eyes. Down went the Civil Service man like a statue knocked off its pedestal; but he was up again in a minute; and neither of them wanting in spunk, at it they went! It was enough to make any man die of laughter to see Riley’s very imperfectly clad figure dancing and manœuvring round Greenhew with the gestures of a cannibal at a feast-dance, yet all the while handsomely plumping his fists into his antagonist, who hammered wildly in return with a ruddy nose and one eye already slowly closing. I threw myself between them, but could do little for laughing. They fought in silence, so far at least as their voices were concerned; but the hard thumps they dealt the bulkhead as they went pommelling each other from side to side, not to mention their frequent capsizals over boxes, the flight of any objects, such as boots, which their toes happened to strike against, might well have caused the occupants of the adjacent cabins to believe that if this scramble did not signify a rush of people escaping from a sinking ship, then it must certainly mean a desperate mutiny amongst the crew accompanied by all the disorder of a struggle for life. ‘For heaven’s sake, stop this!’ I shouted; ‘consider how terrified the ladies will be. Greenhew, cease it, man. Riley, get you into your bunk again’---- Here there was a violent thumping upon the door of the cabin. ‘Anybody fallen mad here?’ was bawled in the familiar notes of Colonel Bannister, ‘or is it murder that’s being done?’ He opened the door and looked in. ‘Vot, in Got’s name, iss happening?’ rumbled the deep voice of Peter Hemskirk over the military man’s shoulder. The ship slightly leaned at that moment, and caused the Dutchman to put his weight against the colonel, with the consequence that the little soldier was shot into the cabin with Mynheer at his heels. ‘What’s this?’ cried the colonel. ‘I’ll teach you!’ gasped Riley. ‘Haven’t you had enough?’ shouted Greenhew. ‘Seberate ’em! seberate ’em!’ exclaimed Hemskirk. ‘Look, shentlemen, how Mr. Greenhew bleeds.’ ‘What on earth is the matter?’ exclaimed some one at the door.