“Yes. But the battles, I have heard, don’t amount to much. The fighters are provided with boxing gloves and the fight is more of a boxing match than a battle. When it has gone far enough it is stopped, the winner being the one who has scored the most points. One of the men was telling me about it. It isn’t very different from the boxing matches you used to take 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 win promotion 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 him one.” “I am surprised at you, Sam. You forget you have recently been in trouble for fighting and now you turn around and urge me to go in for a bout with a fellow who intends to knock my head off if he is able to do it.” “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 hurrying below. 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 to him 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 you when 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 either way. You know my chum was sent to the brig for having a mix-up with Kester. 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 had knocked 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 ships of the Navy, but boxing is encouraged. We are all fighting men; therefore we should all know how to fight, under proper regulations. You will get fair play; the men will see to that.” “I think I shall be able to take care of myself,” smiled Dan. “I want to be 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 an experienced man like Kester. It isn’t fair. However, if you are greatly overmatched, the bout will be promptly stopped. You will have shown your grit.”