A Marked Man by W.W. Jacobs

Tattooing is a gift," said the night-watchman, firmly. "It ‘as to be a / gift, as you can well see. A man ‘as to know wot ‘e is going to tattoo / an' ‘ow to do it; there's no rubbing out or altering. It's a gift, an' / it can't be learnt. I knew a man once as used to tattoo a cabin-boy all / over every v'y'ge trying to learn. ‘E was a slow, painstaking sort o' / man, and the langwidge those boys used to use while ‘e was at work would / ‘ardly be believed, but ‘e ‘ad to give up trying arter about fifteen / years and take to crochet-work instead.

"Some men won't be tattooed at all, being proud o' their skins or / sich-like, and for a good many years Ginger Dick, a man I've spoke to / you of before, was one o' that sort. Like many red-'aired men ‘e ‘ad a / very white skin, which ‘e was very proud of, but at last, owing to a / unfortnit idea o' making ‘is fortin, ‘e let hisself be done.