Before the captain could move or reply, Jake whipped out a knife and made a lunge for him. I thought the knife was going into the captain’s shoulder, but by a quick movement of the body he escaped. Jake partly lost his balance, and the captain seized him. The vessel was pitching and the outcome was uncertain. The captain seized the wrist of Jake’s right arm, and just then Lakeum grabbed a marlinespike and knocked the knife out of Jake’s hand. The men struggled fiercely for a moment, when Jake slipped a little; this put him at a disadvantage, and down they went, the captain on top. They say you mustn’t strike a man when he’s down, but it may be that it depends on the man and the circumstances. At any rate, the captain gave Jake an awful mauling, and when he let him up and the mates took him away to put him in irons, his face looked like jelly. For several days everything went on smoothly and everybody seemed subdued. The only comment was made to me by Kreelman. “Boy,” he said, “I’m a common sailor and will never get any higher, but there are always two sides to a case. I’ve seen captains and officers do some awful cruel things, and when I was younger, I’ve suffered myself. But in this matter the captain was right. Jake’s a bad man. I didn’t like him from the first. What they want to do is to get rid of him, and they’ll do it, too. Keep your eyes open.” “How will they do it?” I asked. “Never mind, keep your eyes open.” I had heard of hanging men at the yardarm, and I assumed that, when Kreelman said they would get rid of Jake, he meant they would take his life in some way. I was uneasy and distressed. However, I had little time for reflection, as I was constantly kept at work.