“Then give me ten cents for beer,” growled the fellow in a still rougher tone.
“I have no money to give you,” said Roy firmly.
“You haven’t, eh?” sneered the fellow. “Then I’ll just take it.”
He grasped Roy’s shoulder, but Roy wrenched loose from him and drew back. Quick as a flash the ruffian shot his fist at Roy’s face. Taken unawares, Roy could not dodge the blow, and it landed full on his left eye. For an instant he was almost stunned and he could see nothing. Instinctively he drew back and raised his fists to protect himself. Roy knew that he was no match for this hulking fellow, who was almost as large as Captain Lansford, but he meant to fight to the limit to save the few dollars he possessed. Roy believed that the best defense was an offensive, and though he could hardly see the man before him, he rushed at him and struck out with all his might. The fellow was as much surprised as Roy had been an instant before and the blow struck him squarely on the chin. He had been coming toward Roy and the impact was terrific. It bent his head straight back and the fellow dropped to his knees. Roy should have finished him with another blow, but he could not hit a man who was down, even though the man had attempted to rob him. He stepped past the man and walked rapidly toward the water-front, frequently glancing over his shoulder lest he be pursued. But the surprised robber had had enough. When he was able to get to his feet he slunk quickly out of sight.
“I got out of that pretty lucky,” thought Roy. “I’d rather have a black eye any time than lose my money.”
But Roy almost changed his mind when he reached the ship, for the first person he met was Captain Lansford. By this time Roy’s eye was both swollen and discolored, and his face was flushed with excitement. As luck would have it, he met the captain in the full glare of a bright light.
“So you’ve been drinking, eh?” roared the captain. “Don’t you know that drinking is forbidden on this ship?”
“I haven’t been drinking, sir,” said Roy. “Some one——”
Captain Lansford cut him short. “Don’t make it worse by lying about it,” he said harshly.
Roy’s flushed face grew redder still with indignation. “You have no right to say that,” he declared hotly.