s. I reckon I'm
about as chuberculer as a young gum-tree, but the ole Doc he just says
'Carry on for a while longer and then we'll see.'"

Mick looked as fit as a two-year-old. After his fine figure, the first
feature Mac noticed was a large but unfinished tattoo of the Royal Arms
across the aforementioned unsound chest. Tubercular or not, that chest
spent most of its hours in the fresh air, along with most of the rest
of Mick's body.

"How d'you come by that bit of landscape, Mick?"

"Oh!----!----!----!" murmured Mick feelingly. "Me ruddy chest's crook
outside as well as in. That's a ruddy souvenir of a night in Cairo,
that is. Got a bit inked I s'pose. Don't remember too much about it
meself. All I knows was I wakes up in the mornin' with a head like a
sandstorm, no piastres left, and me chest as sore as hell wid this
pretty picture on it--me, a bloomin' Aussie born and bred with the
'b---- 'art gorn Care-o chuum' badge on me manly chest--them wee lads
whose mummies didn't know they was out. I tell yer I wasn't sweet the
rest er that day. Bill, me cobber, 'e comes an' tells me 'e was in
Cairo wid me. I tells 'im 'e needn't tell me that. 'Anyhow, if yer
was,' I says, 'wy didn't yer stop 'em brandin' me? Nice feller you are
to call yerself me cobber?'

"'Oh,' he says, 'I did me best, but you wasn't havin' any. You
threatens to hit me over the 'ead if I don't go stop shovin' me
opinions in w'ere they wasn't wanted. 'Me skin's me skin,' you says,
'An' I'll do what I b---- well like with it!' Then I tries ter drag
you off, an' we had a bloomin' scuffle outside the show, an' you pushes
me down some steps. I wasn't none too good neither.'

"'Then we goes in again, an' you starts takin' off yer tunic. You
tells the Gyppie to show you some styles; and between tryin' 'em on so
ter speak, an' one thing and er nother, you gits all yer b---- clothes
off. The Gyppies come to light with some booze--filth it was, I
bet--an' we both has some, an' you pays 'em about twenty piastres fer
it. Then you hooks this Manchester badge and says "Quiis kitir." An'
they was tryin' ter push some rude indecent ones on ter yer, an'
wishin' ter save yer from the worst like I tells yer the Manchester one
was beautiful. An' I says it was what ev'ry patriotic Aussie should
wear. You starts skitin' about Australian loyalty and Australia will
be there an' that sorter thing, an' then says "yer 'll 'ave it."

"'They gets to work