of
the night Charlie had an experience that was far more unpleasant than
his brief fight. He was sleeping, as usual, on the cushioned seat in the
saloon when he woke suddenly, feeling some one tampering with the belt
which he wore, and which contained the whole of his money.

'You scoundrel!' he shouted, as he gripped the thief's hand. The next
moment Charlie uttered a cry of pain, for the thief, who was under the
table, drew a knife across his hand. Charlie released his hold of the
thief instantly, and then jumped up in the hope of catching the man
before he could escape. But the thief was too quick for him. The room
was in darkness, and, before Charlie could make his way out of his
cramped quarters at the side of the table, the thief had climbed up the
ladder and closed the iron door behind him.

Ping Wang was now awake, and, finding the place in semi-darkness, struck
a light.

'Turn up the lamp,' Charlie said, and, when the Chinaman had done as he
desired, he told him what had happened.

'How much has he taken?' Ping Wang inquired.

'Half a sovereign,' Charlie replied, after counting his money.
'Evidently the scoundrel had only tried one of the little pockets when I
woke. It is a good thing that I distributed my money all round my belt.'

'It is, indeed,' Ping Wang answered. 'Now let me bind up your hand.'

The cut was not very severe, the thief apparently having had no desire
to inflict a deep wound.

'Let us go and complain to the skipper at once,' Ping Wang suggested,
and, after putting on a few clothes, they went on deck, where, somewhat
to their surprise, they found the skipper at the wheel.

'Hallo!' he sung out. 'What's up? Going to try another midnight swim?'

In as few words as possible Charlie told him what had happened.

'You've been dreaming,' the skipper declared, with a laugh. 'I've been
at the wheel for the last three-quarters of an hour, and you are the
first person I have seen come out of the saloon. No one could come out
without me seeing him. Get down below again, and don't lie on your back;
you are sure to dream if you do.'

'Dreams do not cut a man's fingers,' Charlie observed, sharply.

'Well, I'll make inquiries, but it is not likely that the man who did
rob you--if you were robbed--will confess. Now get below, or you'll
catch cold.'

Charlie and Ping Wang returned to the saloon, very dissatisfied with
this conversation.

'I believe,' Ping Wang said, 'that it was the skipper