"No know," he said rather pitifully, as he stood there trembling. "Done something. Thlow tin-kettle after." "But what for? What were you doing?" "Doing? fass 'sleep, dleam 'bout big fly come and bite leg. Jump up and lun. Then thlow kettle after." "Here, let's look," I said; for as he shook his head there was the same hollow sound again, just like that made by a tin sheep-bell. "Why, they've tied it to you," I said sharply. "Tie to Ching flock? Don't matter. Not bess blue silkee." "Here, let me see," I cried. "Turn round." He turned sharply, and something banged against the bulwark. "What a shame!" I cried. "They've tied the old canister to your tail." "Tie canny all along Ching tow-chang?" he cried. "Yes, and it's a rascally shame." "Yes, allee lascally shame," he said, nodding his head. "Not hurt velly. Only flighten velly much, makee lun fass." "Stand still, and I'll soon have it off," I cried, whipping out my knife. "No, no," he cried, dragging the long plait from my hand; "mightee cut tow-chang, and that velly dleadful. Take long time glow." "Very well, then. I'll unfasten it, and show it to Mr Reardon." "What for? make Mis' Leardon velly angly, scold jolly sailor boy. Then they not like Ching 'tall." "But it's too bad; treating you just as if you were a dog." "Jolly sailor boy tie tin-pot dog tow-chang? No. Mr Hellick make laugh. Dog not got tow-chang." "No," I said, trying very hard to get the pot off, "but dogs have got tails." "Yes, got tails. Don't tellee, make no good. Didn't hurt Ching." "But it's an insult to you," I said. "Any one would think they were a pack of boys." "Yes, jolly sailor boy. You no makee come off?" "No," I said. "They've made a big hole through the bottom of the canister, pushed the end of the tail--" "Tow-chang." "Well, tow-chang, if you like to call it so--through into the inside, and then hammered the tin back round it and made it as fast as fast. Here, I shall have to cut it, Ching." "No, no," he cried, seizing the canister. "No cuttee piece of tow-chang." "Then how are we to get it off?" "Don't know, Mr Hellick; look velly bad?" "Horrible--absurd; every one will laugh at you." "Yes, velly bad. Ching put it in pocket." "Oh, you're there, are you?" I cried, as Tom Jecks came cautiously on deck. "I should have thought that a man of your years would have known better than to help torment this poor Chinaman." "Not velly poor," he whispered. "Ching got fancee shop. Plenty plize-money now." "Didn't have nought to do with it," growled Tom Jecks. "Then who did, sir?" "Dunno, sir; some o' the boys. I was caulking till they wakened me wi' laughing." "But you saw it done?" "No, sir; it was all done aforehand. They'd turned his tail into a bull-roarer, and if you was to swing it round now like a windmill, it would make no end of a row." "Silence, sir," I cried. "It's disgraceful." "Lor', sir, they on'y meant it for a bit of a lark."