“Don’t bother me now, Tom,” answered Steve. “I’m busy.”
“Say, what’s the matter with your uncle?” said Bill. “He looks as if he’s going to eat somebody up.”
“I don’t know,” answered Tom with a worried look on his face. “He’s never acted like this before. Something must have happened.”
2
The Fight
HI, STEVE,” called Mac as he came and stood with the children on the dock. “Congratulations. I hear you passed your examinations to be a Captain.”
Steve did not answer.
“Hey, there, old pal,” called Mac. “What’s the matter? You look as mad as a bull.”
“Golly, I wonder what’s wrong with Uncle Steve?” said Tom, turning to the foreman. “He wouldn’t talk to me either.”
Mac shrugged his shoulders. “Something certainly is bothering him.”
Steve’s face was red with anger as he glared at the deck hand who was still winding up the hawser. Ever since Steve had been transferred to the Bessie, he and the deck hand had been at each other’s throats. Whenever Steve gave an order, the deck hand would flare into a rage, and for no apparent reason.
Yet the deck hand had a reason. It was something that had happened a long time ago and which he preferred to keep to himself. But he could not control his hatred for Steve. Every time he looked at the man, something broke loose inside of him, and he refused to take an order from him. The crew, as well as Captain Brown, knew that before long the two men would come to blows.
This afternoon the air was filled with electricity as Steve addressed the deck hand.
“Joe, you’re not winding that hawser right,” he shouted. “Why don’t you get some help? You know winding a hawser is not a one-man job.”
“I’ll wind this hawser the way I please,” answered the deck hand with a sneering grin on his face.
“You’ll take orders from me, Joe Waters,” shouted Steve. “I’m first mate on this tug.”
“Huh!” snorted Joe. “I wouldn’t brag about it if I were you.”
That’s all Steve needed. He took a threatening step toward Joe. A second later fists went flying.
Tom’s eyes opened wide. He knew Uncle Steve would not want him to yell, but he just couldn’t help it.
“Go on, Uncle Steve,” he shouted. “Beat him up! Go on, Uncle Steve.”
Bill quickly took up the cry. “Give it to him, Steve. Go on, give it to him.”
“Give it to him plenty,” added Janie, her voice shaking with emotion.
Even Mac’s eyes danced with excitement as Steve sent Joe flying against the side of the deck. But Joe was up on his feet in a hurry. He started for Steve like a wildcat.
Just then Captain Brown came on the scene. The loud voices of the two men had reached him in the pilot house and quickly he had hurried down the companionway, a flight of steep steps leading to the main deck. But he was not the only one who had come to see what was going on. The rest of the crew had popped out of the engine room and galley like men rushing to a fire.
“What goes on here!” shouted Captain Brown as he separated Steve and Joe.
“I won’t take orders from Steve,” yelled Joe. And his lips curled in anger.
Steve took a step forward, ready to continue the fight, but Captain Brown stopped him. “You let me handle this, Steve.” And turning to Joe he stared at the man with piercing eyes. “As long as you’re on this tug, you’re to take orders from Mr. Andrews. Understand?”
Joe did not answer. He looked down at the deck, but his fists were still clenched together.
“Did you hear me?” shouted Captain Brown. This time his voice was so loud that Tom and Bill swallowed hard, and Janie caught her breath.
“Yes, Captain,” mumbled Joe.
Then Captain Brown turned to Steve. “I’m going ashore for a while. You take over until I get back.”
Steve nodded and climbed up the companionway to the pilot house. The rest of the crew disappeared below deck, and the Captain jumped onto the dock and walked away, with Mac following close at his side. Tom motioned to Bill and Janie, and quickly they trailed behind the two men, listening to every word they were saying.
“Steve is a good man, Captain,” said Mac. “I’ve known him for years.”
“Yes, he has a fine record,” answered Captain Brown. “But ever since he’s been transferred to the Bessie, he and Joe haven’t gotten along.”
“Have you had any trouble with Joe before?” said Mac.
“No, that’s just it,” answered Captain Brown. “For some unknown reason he’s taken a terrible dislike to Steve and refuses to take orders from him.”
“That’s strange,” said Mac. They had almost reached the foreman’s office, a small room at the foot of the coal tower. “Well, so long, Captain. See you later.”
Captain Brown nodded and walked away. Then Mac turned around, and seeing the three children who were almost at his heels, he said: “Well, for Pete’s sake! Don’t tell me you’ve been trailing Captain Brown and me. Can’t a fellow have a little privacy around here?”
“We just want to find out about Uncle Steve,” said Tom. “He’s never told me about Joe before. Of course, Uncle Steve hasn’t been on the Bessie very long, but jeepers, that deck hand is a mean guy. Don’t you think so, Mac?”
“Yes, Tom, I agree with you,” answered the foreman.
“That’s what I think too,” piped up Janie.
“Ah, what do you know about it?” said Bill.
“I saw what happened,” cried Janie, flapping her pigtails with anger. “And I’ve got eyes just the same as you, Bill Timbers.”
“What’s the matter?” said Mac, turning to Bill. “You two don’t seem to get along.”
“She’s just my kid sister,” said Bill. “She won’t play with girls, and she’s always trailing after Tom and me.”
Janie blinked her eyes a bit sorrowfully.
“Never mind, Janie,” said Mac, pulling one of her pigtails. “You keep right on trailing after your brother and Tom. If you ask me they need a bit of watching.”
Janie looked up and gave Mac a big grin, showing a gap in the front of her mouth where two new teeth were growing in. Then she looked at the boys and tossed her pigtails, feeling quite pleased with herself.
“Now you kids had better beat it,” said Mac. “I’ve got work to do.” And he walked into his office to make a telephone call.
The children quickly went back to the Bessie, whose decks were still deserted.
“Gee, I wish I could talk to Uncle Steve,” said Tom, looking up at the pilot house. “I would like to find out about Joe. The Captain said he hates Uncle Steve for some unknown reason. I wonder why?”
“I wonder what would have happened if Captain Brown hadn’t stopped them from fighting,” said Bill.
“Uncle Steve would have licked the deck hand,” said Tom. “Why, he can make his muscle bulge up like an apple!”
“Gee, he can?” cried Janie.
“Sure,” said Tom. “He’s done it for me many times.”
“I