"What's that?" demanded young Somers. "Slang name for something else
in the Jap wardrobe?"

"No; it's the Jap way of fighting," Captain Benson explained. "And you
want to remember, Eph, that's it's a mighty sudden system, too. It hits
like lightning. When the smoke clears away you see a little Japanese
bowing over you, and apologizing for having rudely tipped you over."

"And little Cabbage-Jacko could do that?" Eph grinned, incredulously.
"Say, it's wrong to tell me such funny things when I have a cracked lip."

"All right," sighed Jack. "But at least you've been warned."

Truth to tell, the young submarine commander wasn't much worried about
Eph's deliberately provoking any fistic encounter with a fellow much
smaller than himself. In the first place, the carroty-haired boy wasn't
quarrelsome, unless actually driven into a fight. At all times Somers
was too manly to take out wrath on anyone merely up to his own shoulder
height.

Nearly an hour later Jack Benson stepped through into the conning tower;
then moved down the spiral staircase.

His rubber-soled deck shoes made no noise. Thus it happened that the
young submarine commander came upon the new steward most un expectedly,
and without being seen by the little, brown man.

"Kamanako--you scoundrel!" shouted the young captain, beside himself
with sudden wrath.