It was a load off my mind, and I went "ome and ate a tea that made my missis talk about the work-"ouse, and orstritches in "uman shape wot would eat a woman out of "ouse and "ome if she would let "em.
I got to the wharf just as it was striking six, and at a quarter to seven the wicket was pushed open gentle and the ugly "ead of Mr. Joe Peel was shoved inside.
"Hullo!" I ses. "Wot do you want?"
"I want to save your life," he ses, in a solemn voice. "You was within a inch of death last night, watchman."
"Oh!" I ses, careless-like. ""Ow do you know!"
"The ghost o" Sam Bullet told me," ses Joe. "Arter it "ad chased you up the wharf screaming for "elp, it came round and told me all about it."
"It seems fond of you," I ses. "I wonder why?"
"It was in a terrible temper," ses Joe, "and its face was awful to look at. "Tell the watchman," it ses, "that if he don"t give you the watch and chain I shall appear to "im agin and kill "im.""
"All right," I ses, looking behind me to where three of the "ands of the Daisy was sitting on the fo"c"sle smoking. "I"ve got plenty of company to-night."
"Company won"t save you," ses Joe. "For the last time, are you going to give me that watch and chain, or not? Here"s your fifteen bob."
"No," I ses; "even if I "ad got it I shouldn"t give it to you; and it"s no use giving" it to the ghost, because, being made of air, he "asn"t got anywhere to put it."
"Very good," ses Joe, giving me a black look. "I"ve done all I can to save you, but if you won"t listen to sense, you won"t. You"ll see Sam Bullet agin, and you"ll not on"y lose the watch and chain but your life as well."
"All right," I ses, "and thank you kindly, but I"ve got an a.s.sistant, as it "appens-a man wot wants to see a ghost."
"An" a.s.sistant?" ses Joe, staring.
"An old soldier," I ses. "A man wot likes trouble and danger. His idea is to shoot the ghost and see wot "appens."
"Shoot!" ses Joe. "Shoot a pore "armless ghost. Does he want to be "ung?
Ain"t it enough for a pore man to be drownded, but wot you must try and shoot "im arterwards? Why, you ought to be ashamed o" yourself. Where"s your "art?"
"It won"t be shot if it don"t come on my wharf," I ses. "Though I don"t mind if it does when I"ve got somebody with me. I ain"t afraid of anything living, and I don"t mind ghosts when there"s two of us. Besides which, the noise of the pistol "ll wake up "arf the river."
"You take care you don"t get woke up," ses Joe, "ardly able to speak for temper.
He went off stamping, and grinding "is teeth, and at eight o"clock to the minute, Ted Dennis turned up with "is pistol and helped me take care of the wharf. Happy as a skylark "e was, and to see him "iding behind a barrel with his pistol ready, waiting for the ghost, a"most made me forget the expense of it all.
It never came near us that night, and Ted was a bit disappointed next morning as he took "is ninepence and went off. Next night was the same, and the next, and then Ted gave up hiding on the wharf for it, and sat and snoozed in the office instead.
A week went by, and then another, and still there was no sign of Sam Bullet"s ghost, or Joe Peel, and every morning I "ad to try and work up a smile as I sh.e.l.led out ninepence for Ted. It nearly ruined me, and, worse than that, I couldn"t explain why I was short to the missis. Fust of all she asked me wot I was spending it on, then she asked me who I was spending it on. It nearly broke up my "ome-she did smash one kitchen- chair and a vase off the parlour mantelpiece-but I wouldn"t tell "er, and then, led away by some men on strike at Smith"s wharf, Ted went on strike for a bob a night.
That was arter he "ad been with me for three weeks, and when Sat.u.r.day came, of course I was more short than ever, and people came and stood at their doors all the way down our street to listen to the missis taking my character away.
I stood it as long as I could, and then, when "er back was turned for "arf a moment, I slipped out. While she"d been talking I"d been thinking, and it came to me clear as daylight that there was no need for me to sacrifice myself any longer looking arter a dead man"s watch and chain.
I didn"t know exactly where Joe Peel lived, but I knew the part, and arter peeping into seven public-"ouses I see the man I wanted sitting by "imself in a little bar. I walked in quiet-like, and sat down opposite "im.
"Morning," I ses.
Joe Peel grunted.
""Ave one with me?" I ses.
He grunted agin, but not quite so fierce, and I fetched the two pints from the counter and took a seat alongside of "im.
"I"ve been looking for you," I ses.
"Oh!" he ses, looking me up and down and all over. "Well, you"ve found me now."
"I want to talk to you about the ghost of pore Sam Bullet," I ses.
Joe Peel put "is mug down sudden and looked at me fierce. "Look "ere!
Don"t you come and try to be funny with me," he ses. ""Cos I won"t "ave it."
"I don"t want to be funny," I ses. "Wot I want to know is, are you in the same mind about that watch and chain as you was the other day?"
He didn"t seem to be able to speak at fust, but arter a time "e gives a gasp. "Woes the game?" he ses.
"Wot I want to know is, if I give you that watch and chain for fifteen bob, will that keep the ghost from "anging round my wharf agin?" I ses.
"Why, o" course," he ses, staring; "but you ain"t been seeing it agin, "ave you?"
"I"ve not, and I don"t want to," I ses. "If it wants you to "ave the watch and chain, give me the fifteen bob, and it"s yours."
He looked at me for a moment as if he couldn"t believe "is eyesight, and then "e puts his "and into "is trowsis-pocket and pulls out one shilling and fourpence, "arf a clay-pipe, and a bit o" lead-pencil.
"That"s all I"ve got with me," he ses. "I"ll owe you the rest. You ought to ha" took the fifteen bob when I "ad it."
There was no "elp for it, and arter making "im swear to give me the rest o" the money when "e got it, and that I shouldn"t see the ghost agin, I "anded the things over to "im and came away. He came to the door to see me off, and if ever a man looked puzzled, "e did. Pleased at the same time.
It was a load off of my mind. My con-science told me I"d done right, and arter sending a little boy with a note to Ted Dennis to tell "im not to come any more, I felt "appier than I "ad done for a long time. When I got to the wharf that evening it seemed like a diff"rent place, and I was whistling and smiling over my work quite in my old way, when the young policeman pa.s.sed.
"Hullo!" he ses. ""Ave you seen the ghost agin?"
"I "ave not," I ses, drawing myself up. ""Ave you?"
"No," he ses.
"We missed it."
"Missed it?" I ses, staring at "im.
"Yes," he ses, nodding. "The day arter you came out screaming, and cuddling me like a frightened baby, it shipped as A.B. on the barque Ocean King, for Valparaiso. We missed it by a few hours. Next time you see a ghost, knock it down fust and go and cuddle the police arterwards."
BEDRIDDEN