Had he known he would have stopped, for to board the brig by help of the tick, though an ingenious idea, had not occurred to him.
On the contrary, he thought he had scaled her side as noiseless as a mouse; and he was amazed to see the pirates cowering from him, with Hook in their midst as abject as if he had heard the crocodile.
The crocodile! No sooner did Peter remember it than he heard the ticking.

At first he thought the sound did come from the crocodile, and he looked behind him swiftly.

They he realised that he was doing it himself, and in a flash he understood the situation.

"How clever of me!" he thought at once, and signed to the boys not to burst into applause.
It was at this moment that Ed Teynte the quartermaster emerged from the forecastle and came along the deck.

Now, reader, time what happened by your watch.