"Ah, but you must eat, though, my boy," observed Captain Miles kindly, giving me a kindly pat on the back. "An empty stomach is the worst thing in the world to voyage on. Why, you haven't hardly eaten a bite since the other evening when that poor cow knocked our dinner all into the middle of next week! Never mind, though, breakfast will be ready at eight bells, and we'll see whether we can't get some lining upon your ribs, my little skillygalee." "I have already asked Jake to get me a cup of coffee, sir," I said in reply to this; but, before the captain could answer me again, we both had our attention drawn to the deck below. There seemed to be some sort of commotion going on in the cook's galley away forward, for all the men had their faces turned in that direction, and they were laughing as if at some good joke. "Waist ahoy, there!" shouted out Captain Miles, going to the edge of the break of the poop and looking down. "What's the row forward?" "Hanged if I know, sir," answered Davis somewhat surlily, adding more gruffly still to the hands around him, "Here, you lazy lubbers, lay along to your work, or I'll give you something else to grin about!" "You need not haze the men like that for nothing," said the captain sharply, muttering something under his breath about "setting a beggar on horseback, and he'll ride to the--" However, his further words were cut short by a loud shout of laughter from the men all together, as if with one accord; and then the commotion in the cook's galley increased, for I could now distinguish the sound of some violent altercation, voices being raised in anger, mingled with the noise of shuffling feet and the crash of crockery-ware. "By Jingo, they're going it!" exclaimed Moggridge, who stood in the waist immediately below us. "They'll be like the Kilkenny cats, and leave only their tails behind!" "What's the matter?" again asked Captain Miles. "Anybody fighting, eh?" "Yes, sir," said the boatswain, "the two niggers. They've been at it in the caboose ever since we began to wash down decks." "Then it's high time to stop them," cried the captain darting towards the poop-ladder with the intention of ending the fray, whatever it was. But, before he could descend two steps, the half-door of the galley burst open outwards with a crash, when two dark figures, locked in a tight embrace and pommelling one another with immense fury, came rolling out upon the deck. They then scrambled and tumbled into the lee scuppers, where they continued to struggle still, unmindful of the foot deep or more of water, into which they were suddenly plunged, that was swishing to and fro with the motion of the ship. "You take dat now," I heard Jake's voice say excitedly. "I mash um face well." "An' you take dat, you hangman tief," cried the other with equal earnestness. "Golly, I gib you gosh!"