I ’ad on’y been on dooty about arf an hour when the three of ’em turned up at the wharf with the dog, and, arter saying ’ow well I looked and that I seemed to get younger every time they saw me, they asked me to take charge of the dog for ’em.

“It’ll be company for you,” ses old Sam.  “It must be very lonely ’ere of a night.  I’ve often thought of it.”

“And of a day-time you could take it ’ome and tie it up in your back-yard,” ses Ginger.

I wouldn’t ’ave anything to do with it at fust, but at last I gave way.  They offered me fourpence a day for its keep, and, as I didn’t want to run any risk, I made ’em give me a couple o’ bob to go on with.

They went off as though they’d left a load o’ care be’ind ’em, and arter tying the dog up to a crane I went on with my work.  They ’adn’t told me wot the game was, but, from one or two things they’d let drop, I’d got a pretty good idea.

The dog ’owled a bit at fust, but he quieted down arter a bit.  He was a nice-looking animal, but one dog is much the same as another to me, and if I ’ad one ten years I don’t suppose I could pick it out from two or three others.

I took it off ’ome with me when I left at six o’clock next morning, and tied it up in my yard.  My missis ‘ad words about it, o’ course—­that’s wot people get married for—­but when she found it woke me up three times she quieted down and said wot a nice coat it ’ad got.

The three of ’em came round next evening to see it, and they was so afraid of its being lost that when they stood me a pint at the Bull’s Head we ’ad to take it with us.  Ginger was going to buy a sausage-roll for it, but, arter Sam ’ad pointed out that they was paying me fourpence a day for its keep, he didn’t.  And Sam ’ad the cheek to tell me that it liked a nice bit o’ fried steak as well as anything.

A lot o’ people admired that dog.  I remember, on the fourth night I think it was, the barge Dauntless came alongside, and arter she was made fast the skipper came ashore and took a little notice of it.

“Where did you get ’im?” he ses.

I told ’im ’ow it was, and he stood there for some time patting the dog on the ’ead and whistling under ’is breath.

“It’s much the same size as my dog,” he ses; “that’s a black retriever, too.”

I ses “Oh!”

“I’m afraid I shall ’ave to get rid of it,” he ses.  “It’s on the barge now.  My missis won’t ’ave it in the ’ouse any more cos it bit the baby.  And o’ course it was no good p’inting out to ’er that it was its first bite.  Even the law allows one bite, but it’s no good talking about the law to wimmen.”

“Except when it’s on their side,” I ses.

He patted the dog’s ’ead agin and whistled, and a big black dog came up out of the cabin and sprang ashore.  It went up and put its nose to Sam’s dog, and they both growled like thunderstorms.

“Might be brothers,” ses the skipper, “on’y your dog’s got a better ’eead and a better coat.  It’s a good dog.”