Ginger Dick and Peter Russet--two men I've spoke of to you afore--tried
to save their money once. They'd got so sick and tired of spending it
all in p'r'aps a week or ten days arter coming ashore, and 'aving to go
to sea agin sooner than they 'ad intended, that they determined some way
or other to 'ave things different.

They was homeward bound on a steamer from Melbourne when they made their
minds up; and Isaac Lunn, the oldest fireman aboard--a very steady old
teetotaler--gave them a lot of good advice about it. They all wanted to
rejoin the ship when she sailed agin, and 'e offered to take a room
ashore with them and mind their money, giving 'em what 'e called a
moderate amount each day.

They would ha' laughed at any other man, but they knew that old Isaac was
as honest as could be and that their money would be safe with 'im, and at
last, after a lot of palaver, they wrote out a paper saying as they were
willing for 'im to 'ave their money and give it to 'em bit by bit, till
they went to sea agin.

Anybody but Ginger Dick and Peter Russet or a fool would ha' known better
than to do such a thing, but old Isaac 'ad got such a oily tongue and
seemed so fair-minded about wot 'e called moderate drinking that they
never thought wot they was letting themselves in for, and when they took
their pay--close on sixteen pounds each--they put the odd change in their
pockets and 'anded the rest over to him.

The first day they was as pleased as Punch. Old Isaac got a nice,
respectable bedroom for them all, and arter they'd 'ad a few drinks they
humoured 'im by 'aving a nice 'ot cup o' tea, and then goin' off with 'im
to see a magic-lantern performance.