And now I shall tell what I saw happen. Please remember what I have
said of the huge paws of Mr. Pike, the fingers much longer than mine
and twice as thick, the wrists massive-boned, the arm-bones and the
shoulder-bones of the same massive order. With one flip of his right
hand, with what I might call an open-handed, lifting, upward slap,
save that it was the ends of the fingers only that touched Larry's
face, he lifted Larry into the air, sprawling him backward on his
back across his sea-bag.

The man alongside of Larry emitted a menacing growl and started to
spring belligerently to his feet. But he never reached his feet.
Mr. Pike, with the back of same right hand, open, smote the man on
the side of the face. The loud smack of the impact was startling.
The mate's strength was amazing. The blow looked so easy, so
effortless; it had seemed like the lazy stroke of a good-natured
bear, but in it was such a weight of bone and muscle that the man
went down sidewise and rolled off the hatch on to the deck.

At this moment, lurching aimlessly along, appeared O'Sullivan. A
sudden access of muttering, on his part, reached Mr. Pike's ear, and
Mr. Pike, instantly keen as a wild animal, his paw in the act of
striking O'Sullivan, whipped out like a revolver shot, "What's that?"
Then he noted the sense-struck face of O'Sullivan and withheld the
blow. "Bug-house," Mr. Pike commented.

Involuntarily I had glanced to see if Captain West was on the poop,
and found that we were hidden from the poop by the 'midship house.

Mr. Pike, taking no notice of the man who lay groaning on the deck,