We lost three days’ dole money and had to make a new claim every time we finished a boat and so we wanted this one to last at least five days.  

 There was a lot of talking between the captain and Barney McGuire who eventually came to us and offered us a bonus into our hands to finish the boat as quickly as possible. We finished it in two and a half days.

Now a seasoned docker I tried my hand at the Steampacket, unloading the bags of meal.  But first I had to go to the Dublin Bridge and stand with the rest of the men looking for the score.  Darkie McKevitt was the ganger and it was up to him who he picked.  I couldn’t believe it when he picked me and handed me the tally.

The reason could have been that word had got to him about how good a worker I was at the timber boats. On the other hand it could have been that he and my dad drank together in the Indo.  For obvious reasons I prefer to believe the first reason.

. more later ….