that I won't soil my ears by
repeating, the officers went off and the cook came and sat down by the
side o' Bill and talked about his gift.

"I don't talk about it as a rule," he ses, "'cos it frightens people."

"It's a wonderful gift, cookie," ses Charlie Epps.

All of 'em thought the same, not knowing wot a fust-class liar the cook
was, and he sat there and lied to 'em till he couldn't 'ardly speak, he
was so 'oarse.

"My grandmother was a gypsy," he ses, "and it's in the family. Things
that are going to 'appen to people I know come to me in dreams, same as
pore Bill's did. It's curious to me sometimes when I look round at you
chaps, seeing you going about 'appy and comfortable, and knowing all the
time 'orrible things that is going to 'appen to you. Sometimes it gives
me the fair shivers."

"Horrible things to us, slushy?" ses Charlie, staring.

"Yes," ses the cook, nodding. "I never was on a ship afore with such a
lot of unfortunit men aboard. Never. There's two pore fellers wot'll be
dead corpses inside o' six months, sitting 'ere laughing and talking
as if they was going to live to ninety. Thank your stars you don't 'ave
such dreams."

"Who--who are the two, cookie?" ses Charlie, arter a bit.

"Never mind, Charlie," ses the cook, in a sad voice; "it would do no
good if I was to tell you. Nothing can alter it."

"Give us a hint," ses Charlie.

"Well, I'll tell you this much," ses the cook, arter sitting with his
'ead in his 'ands, thinking; "one of 'em is nearly the ugliest man in
the fo'c's'le and the other ain't."

O' course, that didn't 'elp 'em much, but it caused a lot of argufying,
and the ugliest man aboard, instead o' being grateful, behaved more like
a wild beast than a Christian when it was pointed out to him that he was
safe.

Arter that dream about Bill, there was no keeping the cook in his place.
He 'ad dreams pretty near every night, and talked little bits of 'em in
his sleep. Little bits that you couldn't make head nor tail of, and when
we asked 'im next morning he'd always shake his 'ead and say, "Never
mind." Sometimes he'd mention a chap's name in 'is sleep and make 'im
nervous for days.

It was an unlucky v'y'ge that, for some of 'em. About a week arter pore
Bill's accident Ted Jones started playing catch-ball with another chap
and a empty beer-bottle, and about the fifth chuck Ted caught it with
his face. We thought 'e was killed at fust--he made such a noise; but
they got 'im