"Could I speak to you a moment, Sir Richard?" And Dicky Dunn went outside. "I thought as you had this Cartwright with you, sir," said Selwyn, "that I ought to tell you a queer yarn that has just been brought me by one of the quartermasters. It seems that one of the men has a story that you once had a fight with Shanghai Smith and hurt him badly. It was in Australia I believe--in Melbourne." "Stay a minute," said the admiral; "let me think. Yes, by Jove, I did have a row on Sandridge Pier years ago, and I broke the man up so that he had to go to a hospital. And his name--yes, it _was_ Smith. Thanks, Selwyn, I'll see if this man ever was in Australia." He went back to Cartwright "Now as to the Sheeny, admiral," said Cartwright, who was beginning to feel comfortable. "Never mind the Sheeny, Mr. Cartwright," said his host; "do you know Smith's record? Where did he come from?" "He came from Melbourne," replied the chief. And the admiral slapped his leg. "That's the man, I believe." "Why?" "Never mind why," said Dunn. "But supposing it was, could we prove it against him?" "I doubt it," said Cartwright cheerfully. "Probably no one would know it but his runner. And Bill Haines would perjure himself as easy as drink lager." "But if we did prove it?" "There'd be an appeal, and so on," said the chief. He indicated large and generous delay on the part of the merciful American law by a wave of his hand. "You see we couldn't prove, anyhow, that he knew you was you," said Cartwright, "and if I know my own business, it would come down to a matter of assault and so many dollars." "That's what I imagined," said the admiral. "So I propose to take the matter in hand myself and relieve you of it. For though Smith, or the real man, might come off easily, if I choose to have it made an international business some one will have to pay who is not guilty." "That's likely enough," said Cartwright uneasily. "On the whole, admiral, I'd rather you took the job on yourself, provided it was put through quietly. What do you propose?" Dunn put his hands in his pockets, and "quarter-decked" his cabin. "I want to be sure it's Smith--morally sure. How can I be made sure? I'll tell you now what I know about him." He repeated what Selwyn had said, and told him the story of his having fought a man on Sandridge Pier at Melbourne fifteen years before. "His name was Smith."