over him.

"Oh, he got in a little fight--that's all," responded the first sailor.
"Bit off a little bit bigger chunk of fight than he could handle. He's
kinder dazed and silly, now, and talkin' about queer things. Half an
hour more, though, messmate, and I guess he'll be able to walk down to
the water front all right."

Eph knocked out and dazed--among strangers! That was the sole picture
that appeared to Hal Hastings's mind at that moment.

"He's a friend of mine--messmate, at that," Hal declared, quickly.
"Where is the place? Or, better still, can you take me to it? I'll
reward you."

"Oh, stow the reward, messmate," replied one of the sailors. "We
fellers that foller seafighting for a trade have got to stand in together
once in a while. When I seen your friend knocked down I jumped in and
floored the big rough that hurt your messmate. We'd have brought your
friend along, but we didn't know just where to take him."

It was hard for Hal to believe that clear-eyed, level-headed Eph Somers
would go into any of the low drinking resorts of the town; but he
thought it best not to ask any questions until he found young Somers.

After some two minutes of brisk walking the two sailors turned down into
an alleyway.

"The place we're going to is dark on the ground floor," stated one of
them. "Don't be afraid to go up a dark stairway, messmate. We'll be