The only case o’ real gratitoode I ever heard of ’appened to a shipmate o’ mine—­a young chap named Bob Evans.  Coming home from Auckland in a barque called the Dragon Fly he fell overboard, and another chap named George Crofts, one o’ the best swimmers I ever knew, went overboard arter ’im and saved his life.

We was hardly moving at the time, and the sea was like a duck pond, but to ‘ear Bob Evans talk you’d ha’ thought that George Crofts was the bravest-’arted chap that ever lived.  He ’adn’t liked him afore, same as the rest of us, George being a sly, mean sort o’ chap; but arter George ’ad saved his life ’e couldn’t praise ’im enough.  He said that so long as he ’ad a crust George should share it, and wotever George asked ’im he should have.

The unfortnit part of it was that George took ’im at his word, and all the rest of the v’y’ge he acted as though Bob belonged to ’im, and by the time we got into the London river Bob couldn’t call his soul ’is own.  He used to take a room when he was ashore and live very steady, as ’e was saving up to get married, and as soon as he found that out George invited ’imself to stay with him.

“It won’t cost you a bit more,” he ses, “not if you work it properly.”

Bob didn’t work it properly, but George having saved his life, and never letting ’im forget it, he didn’t like to tell him so.  He thought he’d let ’im see gradual that he’d got to be careful because of ’is gal, and the fust evening they was ashore ’e took ’im along with ’im there to tea.

Gerty Mitchell—­that was the gal’s name—­’adn’t heard of Bob’s accident, and when she did she gave a little scream, and putting ’er arms round his neck, began to kiss ’im right in front of George and her mother.

“You ought to give him one too,” ses Mrs. Mitchell, pointing to George.

George wiped ’is mouth on the back of his ’and, but Gerty pretended not to ’ear.

“Fancy if you’d been drownded!” she ses, hugging Bob agin.

“He was pretty near,” ses George, shaking his ’ead.  “I’m a pore swimmer, but I made up my mind either to save ’im or else go down to a watery grave myself.”

He wiped his mouth on the back of his ’and agin, but all the notice Gerty took of it was to send her young brother Ted out for some beer.  Then they all ’ad supper together, and Mrs. Mitchell drank good luck to George in a glass o’ beer, and said she ’oped that ’er own boy would grow up like him.  “Let ’im grow up a good and brave man, that’s all I ask,” she ses.  “I don’t care about ’is looks.”

“He might have both,” ses George, sharp-like.  “Why not?”

Mrs. Mitchell said she supposed he might, and then she cuffed young Ted’s ears for making a noise while ’e was eating, and then cuffed ’im agin for saying that he’d finished ’is supper five minutes ago.

George and Bob walked ’ome together, and all the way there George said wot a pretty gal Gerty was and ’ow lucky it was for Bob that he ’adn’t been drownded.  He went round to tea with ’im the next day to Mrs. Mitchell’s, and arter tea, when Bob and Gerty said they was going out to spend the evening together, got ’imself asked too.