This silenced Taffy for a long while, but he picked up his courage
again by degrees. There was a small window at his back, and he
twisted himself round, and nodded to his mother and grandmother
inside the van. He could not hear what they answered, for the
sailor-boys were singing at the top of their voices:

"I will sing you One, O!
What is your One, O?
Number One sits all alone, and ever more shall be-e so."

"They're home 'pon leave," said Joby. The song went on and reached
Number Seven:

"I will sing you Seven, O!
What is your Seven, O?
Seven be seven stars in the ship a-sailing round in Heaven, O!"

One of the boys leaned from the roof and twitched Taffy by the hair.
"Hullo, nipper! Did you ever see a ship of stars?" He grinned and
pulled open his sailor's jumper and singlet; and there, on his naked
breast, Taffy saw a ship tattooed, with three masts, and a
half-circle of stars above it, and below it the initials W. P.

"D'ee think my mother'll know me again?" asked the boy, and the other
two began to laugh.

"Yes, I think so," said Taffy gravely; which made them laugh more
than ever.