d Henry. "I told you you chaps
would get in a mess over that."

"You know a damned sight too much for your age!" growled Dick. "There's
no call to say anything to Sam and the cook about it, mind."

"Why not?" said Henry.

"Cos I say you're not to," said Dick ferociously. "That's why."

"P'raps they know," said Henry quietly. "Seems to me Sam's listenin' in
his sleep."

Dick got up, and going to their bunks inspected the sleep of both his
comrades cautiously. Then with a repetition of his caution, strengthened
by fearful penalties for disobedience, went to his own bunk and
forgot his troubles in sleep. He kept his secret all next day, but his
bewilderment when he awoke on Tuesday morning and found the clothes in
an untidy brown paper parcel lying on the deck led to its divulgence. He
told both Sam and the cook about it, and his opinion of both men went up
when he found that they did not treat the matter in the light of a joke,
as he had feared. Neither of them even smiled, neither did they extend
much sympathy; they listened apathetically, and so soon as he had
finished, went straight off to sleep where they sat--a performance which
they repeated at every opportunity throughout the whole of the day.

CHAPTER VIII.

The _Seamew_ lay at Cocklemouth another three days, in which time Dick,
after a twelve-mile walk, learnt all there was to learn about Piggott's
Bay. The second outrage was likely to have seriously injured his
constitution, but the silver lining of the cloud caught his eye just as
he was closing it in sleep, and the tension was removed.

"I've been thinkin', Sam," he said next morning, "that I've been rather
selfish over that syndikit business. I ought to 'ave joined it."

"You can please yourself," said Sam.

"But it's better late than never," said Dick, turning to the cook who
had joined them. "I'm goin' to put you in the way of findin' Cap'n
Gething."

The cook portrayed gratified surprise.

"I know for certain that he's livin' at a place called Piggott's Bay, a
little place just up the coast here," continued Dick. "If you two chaps
like to walk out this evening and find him you can have two quid apiece
and just give me one for myself."

"Oh!" said Sam, and stood thunderstruck at his hardihood.

"But it wouldn't be fair to you, Dick," urged the cook. "We won't take
no advantage of you. The five pounds is yours."

"I don't want it," said Dick earnestly. "I want to punish myself for
be