Poison Island

a moment us if in doubt of his bearings. He was flagrantly drunk, but not aggressively. He reminded

nked at one another, but forbore to interfer

ed nor threadbare-and a blue and yellow spotted neckerchief, the bow of which had worked around towards his right ear. His hat, perched a-cock over his left eye, had made acquaintance with the tavern sawdust. Next to his drunkenness,

g, they swarmed close an

k he couldn't find it?" "Where's your ship, Cap'n Danny?" These were some of the taunts flung; and

that stood out from it at something like right angles, I had time to take very little stock of him; for just then, us Captain Coffin turned about to smite, a stone came flying and struck him s

murder; and just then, while I stood at gaze, a boy steppe

-straddle. "Doggy Bates tells me that you told

d told Doggy Bates

," said he. "Then

under lip-not to mention his ears-protruded in

depe

in the same reasonable tone. "And

deed!"

the nose; whereupon I hit him on the point of the chin, and, unconsciously imitating Captain

s, but to this moment I cannot understand why we two suddenly found ourselv

f men staring and offering bets. The lamp at the street-corner shone on their fac

e-jerseyed Irishman, to whose knee I returned at the end of each round to be freshened up around the face and neck with a dripping boat-sponge. He had an extraordi

I remember yet more vividly the strangeness of it all, and the uncanny sensation that the fight itself, the street-lamp, the crowd, and the d

e; it was blow for blow, plain give-and-take, from the start. But what distressed me was the extreme tenderness of my knuckles; and what chiefly irritated me was the behaviour of Doggy Bates, dancing

closed; and the two of us went to ground together. Then I lay panting, and my opponent under me-the pair of us too weary for the moment to strike a blow; and then, as breath came

table, to whom he appealed for confirmation, pointing to my fa

oys, sir," said

th an unsteady wave of his hand-"that don't 'pply 'case

ir-take the boy home

e from the crowd. "'Cos why? The

his throat for a public speech; but was forestalled by the constable

's own pluck-and-lights. Then he, too, faded away into the night; and I found myself alongside of Doggy Bate

tes, who understood his preceptor's habits to a hair, checked me with a knowing squeeze of the arm, and b

my mauled face by the light of a street-lamp. "The begga

to be distresse

m the missus! She sent him out to get change for your aunt's notes-'fees payable in advance.' I

o a run, then appeared to falter; and, peering into the dark interval between us and the next l

called huskily. "No

y Bates; but my courage was oozing as I walked towards the o

od boy, don't be afraid. W

Brook

n my coach-and-six if I chose; and some day you may see it. Ho

finely, sir," said

slops to a bear, not one of 'em. But you're different. And, see here: any time you're in trouble, just pay a call on me. Understand? Mind you, I make no promises." Here, to my exceeding f

falling back a pace, loo

me and the gatepo

rned and shuffled away down the street. I stared after him into the