“You may depend on it, Bob, he was a green’un. No doubt a first offence; otherwise he would have taken chance of flaws and failures at the Old Bailey; for it was only scragging after all.” “Have they found the body yet, I wonder? I’d like to know whether it was any of our pals, Jim?” “He’s sure to float the ninth day--he won’t lie longer at the bottom. They won’t go to the trouble of draggin’ for him, will they, Bob?” “They’ll drag to little purpose,” I muttered from the corner. The fellows turned round and looked at me. “And what is there about that dead-un’s carcass that a creeper should not grip it? Let me see--how was the tide?--it was Jack water at the time. I’ll bet a dollar he’s not lower down than Lime-house.” “I’ll wager twice the sum he’s not half so far,” I answered, with desperate composure. “And where do ye say he is?” asked the fellow, with a stare. “Here!--in this room!--seated on this chair!--and talking to you at this moment!” “Well!” exclaimed the sailor, “if that ain’t a rum confession. I never knew in my born days, a man that passed forged flimsies split upon himself before.” “Nor would I, had I done so--I am innocent.” Both ruffians laughed. “I said the same thing myself once,” said the darker fellow of the twain, “and I could not out of twelve men, good and true, get a single soul to believe the story.” [Illustration: 0269] A couple of the sleepers wakened up. One of them stretched himself, yawned, and inquired, like a person still half asleep, “What’s all that gammon about innocence, forged notes, and blood-money?” Why, Captain, this here cove is the chap who jumped off the bridge; and as he’s innocent, I suppose he’ll go quietly to them he bolted from last night, and get hanged to prove it.” “More fool he,” observed the man whom they called captain. “Had I taken that plan to convince the world of my honesty, I should have been, ten years ago, dangling among the scare-crows that ornament Dogs’ Island. Let’s hear your story, youngster; you have told too little, or too much--enough to hang you twice over--so out with the remainder; we’re men of honour; though, if we swore it, the world would hardly credit, it.” I had no motive to court concealment; to me, life and death were equally indifferent. The funner portion of my history I kept to myself, but freely narrated the villanous conspiracy of ------ --------, and his agents, to fix a charge of felony upon me first, and bring me to an ignominious end afterwards.