“He must ha’ got it tied round ’is waist next to ’is skin, like Thomas ’ad,” I says.

We stood there in the dark whispering, and then Bill couldn’t stand it any longer, and ’e went over on tiptoe to the bunk ag’in.  He was tremblin’ with excitement and I wasn’t much better, when all of a sudden the cook sat up in ’is bunk with a dreadful laughing scream and called out that somebody was ticklin’ ’im.

I got into my bunk and Bill got into ’is, and we lay there listening while the cook, who was a terrible ticklish man, leaned out of ’is bunk and said wot ’e’d do if it ’appened ag’in.

“Go to sleep,” says Walter Jones; “you’re dreamin’.  Who d’you think would want to tickle you?”

“I tell you,” says the cook, “somebody come over and tickled me with a ‘and the size of a leg o’ mutton.  I feel creepy all over.”

Bill gave it up for that night, but the next day ’e pretended to think Jimmy was gettin’ fat an’ ’e caught ’old of ’im and prodded ’im all over.  He thought ’e felt something round ’is waist, but ’e couldn’t be sure, and Jimmy made such a noise that the other chaps interfered and told Bill to leave ’im alone.  For a whole week we tried to find that money, and couldn’t, and Bill said it was a suspicious thing that Jimmy kept aft a good deal more than ’e used to, and ‘e got an idea that the boy might ha’ ’idden it somewhere there.  At the end of that time, ’owever, owing to our being short-’anded, Jimmy was sent for’ard to work as ordinary seaman, and it began to be quite noticeable the way ’e avoided Bill.

At last one day we got ’im alone down the fo’c’sle, and Bill put ’is arm round ’im and got im on the locker and asked ’im straight out where the money was.

“Why, I chucked it overboard,” he says.  “I told you so afore.  What a memory you’ve got, Bill!”

Bill picked ’im up and laid ’im on the locker, and we searched ’im thoroughly.  We even took ’is boots off, and then we ’ad another look in ’is bunk while ’e was putting ’em on ag’in.

“If you’re innercent,” says Bill, “why don’t you call out?—­eh?”

“Because you told me not to say anything about it, Bill,” says the boy.  “But I will next time.  Loud, I will.”

“Look ’ere,” says Bill, “you tell us where it is, and the three of us’ll go shares in it.  That’ll be two ’undered pounds each, and we’ll tell you ’ow to get yours changed without getting caught.  We’re cleverer than you are, you know.”

“I know that, Bill,” says the boy; “but it’s no good me telling you lies.  I chucked it overboard.”

“Very good, then,” says Bill, getting up.  “I’m going to tell the skipper.”

“Tell ’im,” says Jimmy.  “I don’t care.”

“Then you’ll be searched arter you’ve stepped ashore,” says Bill, “and you won’t be allowed on the ship ag’in.  You’ll lose it all by being greedy, whereas if you go shares with us you’ll ’ave two ’undered pounds.”