you, I'm cock o' this fo'c's'le, and don't you
forget it. Sit down, both of you, afore I start on you.'

"They both sat down, but Tom wasn't quick enough to please Bill, and
he got a wipe o' the side o' the 'ead that made it ring for an hour
afterwards.

"That was the beginning of it, and instead of 'aving one master we found
we'd got two, owing to the eggstrordinry way Bill had o' looking at
things. He gave Joe best without even 'aving a try at him, and if
anybody else wanted to 'ave a try, it was a insult to Bill. We couldn't
make 'ed or tail of it, and all we could get out of Bill was that 'e had
one time 'ad a turn-up with Joe Simms ashore, which he'd remember all
'is life. It must ha' been something of a turn, too, the way Bill used
to try and curry favour with 'im.

"In about three days our life wasn't worth living, and the fo'c's'le was
more like a Sunday-school class than anything else. In the fust place
Joe put down swearing. He wouldn't 'ave no bad langwidge, he said, and
he didn't neither. If a man used a bad word Joe would pull 'im up the
fust time, and the second he'd order Bill to 'it 'im, being afraid of
'urting 'im too much 'imself. 'Arf the men 'ad to leave off talking
altogether when Joe was by, but the way they used to swear when he
wasn't was something shocking. Harry Moore got clergyman's sore throat
one arternoon through it.

"Then Joe objected to us playing cards for money, and we 'ad to arrange
on the quiet that brace buttons was ha'-pennies and coat buttons
pennies, and that lasted until one evening Tom Baker got up and danced
and nearly went off 'is 'ead with joy through havin' won a few dozen.
That was enough for Joe, and Bill by his orders took the cards and
pitched 'em over the side.

"Sweet-'earting and that sort o' thing Joe couldn't abear, and Ned Davis
put his foot into it finely one arternoon through not knowing. He was
lying in 'is bunk smoking and thinking, and by and by he looked across
at Bill, who was 'arf asleep, and 'e ses:

"'I wonder whether you'll see that little gal at Melbourne agin this
trip, Bill.'

"Bill's eyes opened wide and he shook 'is fist at Ned, as Ned thought,
playful-like.

"'All right, I'm a-looking at you, Bill,' 'e ses. 'I can see you.'

"'What gal is that, Ned?' ses Joe, who was in the next bunk to him, and
I saw Bill's eyes screw up tight, and 'e suddenly fell fast asleep.

"'I don't know 'er name,' ses Ned, 'but she was very much struck on
Bil