"Back with you!" yelled Joe Byng, afraid that the pilot would take
liberties and ready to jump in and stop him if need be. But he wasted
his excitement.
"Ah told you Ah'm English!" said the pilot, stepping back and letting
Crothers find his corner.
Curley was glad enough of a rest on Joe Byng's knee, and too intent
on getting back his wind to listen over carefully to Joe's advice.
When Joe called "Time" he stepped in readily again; and this time
it was Hassan Ah who suffered from surprise.
Curley had been getting out of practise on board ship; he had needed
waking up, and round one had done it for him. Round two and the six
that followed it were exhibitions of the "noble art" that men in any
of the larger cities of the world would have paid out a fortune to
have seen.
There was racial prejudice, and service pride, as well as the usual
decent man's desire to win to make a real mill of what might have
been nothing out of ordinary; and there were the quite considerable
odds against him that--after the first repulse--usually make men like
Crothers do their utmost.
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