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“‘I don’t know ‘er name,’ ses Ned, ‘but she was very much struck on Bill; they used to go to the theayter together.’

“Pretty gal?’ ses Joe, leading ‘im on.

“‘Rather,’ ses Ned. Trust Bill for that, ‘e. always gets the prettiest gal in the place–I’ve known as many as six and seven to–‘

“‘WOT!’ screams Bill, waking up out of ‘is sleep, and jumping out of ‘is bunk.

“‘Keep still, Bill, and don’t interfere when I’m talking,’ ses Joe, very sharp.

“”E’s insulted me,’ ses Bill; ‘talking about gals when everybody knows I ‘ate ’em worse than pison.’

“‘Hold your tongue,’ ses Joe. ‘Now, Ned, what’s this about this little gal? What’s ‘er name?’

“‘It was only a little joke o’ mine,’ ses Ned, who saw ‘e’d put ‘is foot in it. ‘Bill ‘ates ’em worse than–worse than–pison.’

“‘You’re telling me a lie,’ ses Joe, sternly. ‘Who was it?’

“‘It was only my fun, Joe,’ ses Ned.

“‘Oh, very well then. I’m going to ‘ave a bit of fun now,’ ses Joe. ‘Bill!’

“‘Yes,’ ses Bill.

“‘I won’t ‘it Ned myself for fear I shall do ‘im a lasting injury,’ ses Joe, ‘so you just start on ‘im and keep on till ‘e tells all about your goings on with that gal.’

“‘Hit ‘im to make ‘im tell about me? ses Bill, staring ‘is ‘ardest.

“‘You ‘eard wot I said,’ ses Joe; ‘don’t repeat my words. You a married man, too; I’ve got sisters of my own, and I’m going to put this sort o’ thing down. If you don’t down ‘im, I will.’

“Ned wasn’t much of a fighter, and I ‘alf expected to see ‘im do a bolt up on deck and complain to the skipper. He did look like it for a moment, then he stood up, looking a bit white as Bill walked over to ‘im, and the next moment ‘is fist flew out, and afore we could turn round I’m blest if Bill wasn’t on the floor. ‘E got up as if ‘e was dazed like, struck out wild at Ned and missed ‘im, and the next moment was knocked down agin. We could ‘ardly believe our eyes, and as for Ned, ‘e looked as though ‘e’d been doing miracles by mistake.

“When Bill got up the second time ‘e was that shaky ‘e could ‘ardly stand, and Ned ‘ad it all ‘is own way, until at last ‘e got Bill’s ‘ead under ‘is arm and punched at it till they was both tired.

“‘All right,’ ses Bill; ‘I’ve ‘ad enough. I’ve met my master.’

“‘Wot?‘ ses Joe, staring.

“‘I’ve met my master,’ ses Bill, going and sitting down. ‘Ned ‘as knocked me about crool.’

“Joe looked at ‘im, speechless, and then without saying another word, or ‘aving a go at Ned himself, as we expected, ‘e went up on deck, and Ned crossed over and sat down by Bill.

“‘I ‘ope I didn’t hurt you, mate,’ he ses, kindly.

“‘Hurt me?’ roars Bill. ‘You! You ‘urt me? You, you little bag o’ bones. Wait till I get you ashore by yourself for five minits, Ned Davis, and then you’ll know what ‘urting means.’

“‘I don’t understand you, Bill,’ ses Ned; ‘you’re a mystery, that’s what you are; but I tell you plain when you go ashore you don’t have me for a companion.’

“It was a mystery to all of us, and it got worse and worse as time went on. Bill didn’t dare to call ‘is soul ‘is own, although Joe only hit ‘im once the whole time, and then not very hard, and he excused ‘is cowardice by telling us of a man Joe ‘ad killed in a fight down in one o’ them West-end clubs.

“Wot with Joe’s Sunday-school ways and Bill backing ’em up, we was all pretty glad by the time we got to Melbourne. It was like getting out o’ pris’n to get away from Joe for a little while. All but Bill, that is, and Joe took ‘im to hear a dissolving views on John Bunyan. Bill said ‘e’d be delighted to go, but the language he used about ‘im on the quiet when he came back showed what ‘e thought of it. I don’t know who John Bunyan is, or wot he’s done, but the things Bill said about ‘im I wouldn’t soil my tongue by repeating.