'im come to me."

"All right, I'll go to the police-station," ses Joe.

"I'll come with you," I ses. "But 'ere's a policeman coming along.
Let's go to 'im."

I moved towards 'im, but Joe hung back, and, arter using one or two words
that would ha' made any ghost ashamed to know 'im, he sheered off. I 'ad
a word or two with the policeman about the weather, and then I went
inside and locked the gate.

My idea was that Sam 'ad told Joe about the watch and chain afore he fell
overboard. Joe was a nasty customer, and I could see that I should 'ave
to be a bit careful. Some men might ha' told the police about it--but I
never cared much for them. They're like kids in a way, always asking
questions--most of which you can't answer.

It was a little bit creepy all alone on the wharf that night. I don't
deny it. Twice I thought I 'eard something coming up on tip-toe behind
me. The second time I was so nervous that I began to sing to keep my
spirits up, and I went on singing till three of the hands of the Susan
Emily, wot was lying alongside, came up from the fo'c'sle and offered to
fight me. I was thankful when daylight came.

Five nights arterwards I 'ad the shock of my life. It was the fust night
for some time that there was no craft up. A dark night, and a nasty
moaning sort of a wind. I 'ad just lighted the lamp at the corner of the
warehouse, wot 'ad blown out, and was sitting down to rest afore putting
the ladder away, when I 'appened to look along the jetty and saw a head
coming up over the edge of it. In the light of the lamp I saw the dead
white face of Sam Bullet's ghost making faces at me.

[Illustration: IN THE LIGHT OF THE LAMP I SAW THE DEAD WHITE FACE]

I just caught my breath, sharp like, and then turned and ran for the
gate like a race-horse. I 'ad left the key in the padlock, in case of
anything happening, and I just gave it one turn, flung the wicket open
and slammed it in the ghost's face, and tumbled out into the road.

I ran slap into the arms of a young policeman wot was passing. Nasty,
short-tempered chap he was, but I don't think I was more glad to see
anybody in my life. I hugged 'im till 'e nearly lost 'is breath, and
then he sat me down on the kerb-stone and asked me wot I meant by it.

Wot with the excitement and the running I couldn't speak at fust, and
when I did he said I was trying to deceive 'im.

"There ain't no such thing as ghosts," he ses; "you've been drinking."