They played checkers until supper time and, to Jack's great joy, he was two games ahead when the bell rang. During the meal they told their uncle and the captain what they had seen.
"And you think it was a man?" Captain Ole asked, when they had finished.
"I'm not sure," Bob replied, "but it looked more like a man to me than anything else. It was too far to be sure."
"Well, whatever it is we'll have to look out for it," Mr. Lakewood declared, "It evidently doesn't like our company."
It was sometime during the night when the boys were awakened by the noise of what sounded like a fight just outside their cabin.
"What the dickens!" Bob cried as he jumped from his bunk wide awake.
He pulled open the door and rushed out on deck closely followed by Jack. There, close to the rail, two figures were locked in each others' arms and swaying this way and that, while loud hoarse grunts came from one or both of them. For an instant the boys hesitated as though uncertain what to do. Then, with a loud shout to Jack to "come on" Bob sprang forward. Only a few feet separated him from the fighters but, before he could reach them, one was hurled violently to the deck while the other, with a wild bellow of rage, leaped for the rail and disappeared over the side. A loud splash followed as he struck the water.
Knowing that it would be too dark to see a swimming object in the water, Bob quickly turned to the man who was lying motionless on the deck.
"It's Pat," he cried, as he turned him over.
"What's all the rumpus?" Mr. Lakewood asked the question as he came running toward them.