Jabe took the count.
"I'm licked," he acknowledged; and there were tears in his voice.
"Can I do anything for you?"
"No; I'll be all right in a little while."
Percy put on his coat and cap and started toward the door. As he passed Jabe the latter stretched out his hand.
"You can fight," he conceded, grudging admiration in his tones.
Percy grasped the bunch of stubby fingers.
"So can you," he returned. "If you'd been to the masters I've had, I wouldn't care to mix it with you."
The boys opened a way for him respectfully as he passed through the door. He was breathing a little quicker than usual, but he had not received a scratch. Going back to the wharf where they had landed, he found that Budge had been waiting for him almost fifteen minutes.
"What makes you so late, Perce?" he hailed. "We want to ship these groceries and start for Tarpaulin before noon."