The boy went overboard , sir ; that 's what the story is ; and I would give five pounds out of my pocket it was true ! '' He turned to the table . `` What made ye throw the good bottle away ? '' he added . `` There was nae sense in that , sir . Here , David , draw me another . They 're in the bottom locker ; '' and he tossed me a key . `` Ye 'll need a glass yourself , sir , '' he added to Riach . `` Yon was an ugly thing to see . '' So the pair sat down and hob-a-nobbed ; and while they did so , the murderer , who had been lying and whimpering in his berth , raised himself upon his elbow and looked at them and at me . That was the first night of my new duties ; and in the course of the next day I had got well into the run of them . I had to serve at the meals , which the captain took at regular hours , sitting down with the officer who was off duty ; all the day through I would be running with a dram to one or other of my three masters ; and at night I slept on a blanket thrown on the deck boards at the aftermost end of the round-house , and right in the draught of the two doors . It was a hard and a cold bed ; nor was I suffered to sleep without interruption ; for some one would be always coming in from deck to get a dram , and when a fresh watch was to be set , two and sometimes all three would sit down and brew a bowl together . How they kept their health , I know not , any more than how I kept my own . And yet in other ways it was an easy service . There was no cloth to lay ; the meals were either of oatmeal porridge or salt junk , except twice a week , when there was duff : and though I was clumsy enough and -LRB- not being firm on my sealegs -RRB- sometimes fell with what I was bringing them , both Mr. Riach and the captain were singularly patient . I could not but fancy they were making up lee-way with their consciences , and that they would scarce have been so good with me if they had not been worse with Ransome . As for Mr. Shuan , the drink or his crime , or the two together , had certainly troubled his mind . I can not say I ever saw him in his proper wits . He never grew used to my being there , stared at me continually -LRB- sometimes , I could have thought , with terror -RRB- , and more than once drew back from my hand when I was serving him .
I was pretty sure from the first that he had no clear mind of what he had done , and on my second day in the XXXXX I had the proof of it .
David Riach Yon duff hours night pounds right round-house sealegs