Captain Bross, master of the Sarah Jane, had not returned to his ship for two days. It was not the first time the captain had been away for many days together, but the mate and most of the crew thought this would be the last time. The director of the Company had said that the next time the captain was not on board when the ship was ready to sail, the mate could take her out with the first tide. The mate was quite sure that after that he would get the captain's place, and one of the seamen, Ted Jones by name, was sure he would get the mate's place; the rest of the crew thought it would be a good thing to sail without the captain, whom they all did not like.
"Two hours more," said Ted male to the men, "and I take the ship out."
"Perhaps even before Iwo hours," said Ted, looking at the water. "I wonder where the old man is."
"Never mind where he is," said the mate; "probably playing cards again. The important thing is that the director clearly told me not to wait even two minutes for him, but to take the ship out with the first, tide."
"He's an old fool," said Bill Loch, another seaman.
"Nobody will miss him here but the boy. I wonder what the boy is doing just now. I can see him nowhere."
As the conversation was going on the boy Tommy, Captain Bross' nephew, was reading for the fourth time the following letter.
"Dear Tommy," it began, "I take up my pen to inform you that I cannot get away from this house because I lost all my clothes at cards last night. I also lost all my money. Don't say a word to anybody on board but just pack up some clothes and bring them to me here. Don't bring any socks as I have left them.
Your loving uncle Joe Bross."
"Two hours more," said Tommy to himself, as he put the letter back into his pocket. "But where can I get clothes for him? I must not tell the mate and the sailors and there are no men's clothes in the cabin. Well, perhaps, I'll go once more and see what I can find."
Saying this he went back into the cabin to make another search. The only clothes he found there belonged to Mrs. Bross who had made a trip last time on the schooner with her husband.
."I'll take them and try to exchange them for some men's clothes," he said, taking the things. "She won't mind."
He put all the things into a bag and, choosing a moment when nobody was looking, jumped ashore and started walking through the town.
But it was not so easy to sell or exchange the clothes. At all the places where he called, the shopkeepers said he had stolen the clothes and sent him away.
At last Tommy decided to waste no more time calling at shops but to go straight to the house where Captain Bross was waiting for him.
II
An old man was sitting before the house, smoking a pipe. "Is Captain Bross here?" asked Tommy.
"He's upstairs," said the man. "Have you got some clothes for him?"
"Look here," said Tommy. "Give me an old suit for him. I'll give you a fine woman's dress in exchange."
"I have no clothes," said the man. "For whom do you take me? Do you think I sell clothes?"
"Well, then get me some clothes," said Tommy. "If you don't, the captain must go in these and I'm sure he won't like it."
"I wonder what he will look like," said the man.
"Get me some clothes, please," said Tommy.
"I shall not give you any clothes," said the man. "I shall not let you spoil my fun. I want to see him all dressed up as a woman. Now go and tell the captain what you have got for him. I wonder what he'll say."
He showed Tommy the way upstairs into a small room in the centre of which the captain of the Sarah Jane sat in a pair of socks and in last week's newspaper which he was reading.
"Here is a young gent who has come to bring you some clothes," said the man, taking the clothes from the boy.
"Why didn't you come before?" asked Captain Bross.
The man put his hand into the bag and took out the clothes.
"What do you think of them?"
The captain tried to say something but could not. This was too terrible for him!
"Well, say 'thank you', if you can't say anything else," said the man.
"I couldn't bring anything else," said Tommy quickly. "Put on these clothes and let us go. It's raining now and nobody will see you. The mate said he would start with the tide. When you come on board, you can get some clothes from one of the men."
III
The skipper stood up while his two assistants quickly began to dress him.
"Now," said the man, when they had nearly finished, "tie the scarf over his chin to hide his beard and put on this veil. It's good he hasn't a moustache."
It was raining heavily and nobody looked at the strange pair on their way to the harbour. But the very moment they arrived at the quay, the sailors pushed off and the schooner started on her voyage. Seeing this the captain lifted up his skirts and ran.
"Wait a moment!" he shouted.
Nobody paid any, attention to his shouts, but the next moment the stern7 of the ship came nearer and Captain Bross, helped by his nephew, with one jump got on board the schooner.
"Why didn't you wait for me?" asked the captain, coming up to the mate.
"How could I know it was you?" answered the mate. "And do you know what," he continued after a short pause, "you keep these things on? I never saw you look so well in anything before."
"I want to ask you for something, Bill," said the skipper. "Would you mind lending me some of your clothes?"
"Where are your own?" asked the mate.
"I don't know," said the skipper. "Somebody has taken them."
"Very probably," said the mate, turning his head to shout an order to the sailors who were setting the sails.
"Where are they, old man?" asked the skipper again.
"How do I know?" answered the mate.
"I mean your clothes," said the skipper.
"Oh, my clothes!" said the mate. "Well, to tell you the truth, I don't like lending my clothes."
"You won't lend me your clothes?" said the skipper.
"I won't," said the mate, speaking loudly and looking at the sailors who were listening.
"Very well," said .the skipper. "Ted, come here! Where are your other clothes?"
"I'm very sorry, sir," answered Ted, "but they are not good enough for you, sir."
"That's all right," said the captain. "Just bring them here." "I shan't bring them," said Ted. "I'm only a poor sailor, but I don't want to lend my clothes even to the King of England."
"Very well," said the captain. "James is the only good man on board this ship. Give me your hand, James."
"I'm with them too," said the other sailor turning away.
The skipper began shaking his fist, shouting and stamping his feet under his skirts.
"You go and lie down," said the mate, "and I'll send you a nice cup of tea into the cabin. You'll get hysterics if you go on in this way."
"I'll simply kill you if you speak to me like that," said the skipper. "Not you," answered the mate. "Just look at that poor fellow over there."
The skipper looked in the direction indicated by the mate and shook his fist at a red-faced gentleman who was sending him kisses from the bridge of a passing steamer.
Then the captain shook his fist at the mate and ran down into his cabin.
"Hide all the needles there are on board," said the mate to the crew, "or else he'll start making some clothes out of an old sail or something."
IV
Meanwhile the captain sat in his cabin thinking. He sat for two hours and at last called his nephew, Tom.
"Tommy!" he cried to him, when the boy came. "Tommy! I have an idea. Where is your other suit?"
"It is not larger than this one," said Tommy.
"Well, you get it," continued the skipper, "and take this one off."
Tommy did as his uncle had told him.
"Now, do you know what I'm going to do?" asked the skipper with a broad smile.
"No."
"Then get the scissors. Do you know now what I'm going to do?"
"Cut up the two suits and make one out of them! But, please, Uncle, 'don't!"
The skipper pushed him aside and cut the clothes quickly into several pieces.
"And what shall I wear? Have you thought about that, Uncle?" asked Tommy, beginning to cry.
"What you will wear, you selfish little boy?" asked the skipper. "Always thinking about yourself and never about your uncle. Put on this blanket and get me a needle and some thread! Quick!"
"To tell you the truth,' you look more like an aunt than an uncle," said Tommy, swallowing his tears and putting on the blanket. "Why didn't you let me go in my clothes before cutting them up? They'll laugh at me now. And I don't like it."
"You just go immediately!" shouted the skipper.
"Laugh as much as you like, my dears," said the skipper to himself, hearing the loud laughter which greeted the appearance of Tommy in his blanket. "Just wait a little."
He, himself, waited for nearly twenty minutes at the end of which Tommy came back in his blanket.
"There is not a needle on board the whole ship," said Tommy. "I've looked everywhere."
"What?" shouted the skipper. "Here, Ted, Ted!"
"I want a needle," said the skipper, when Ted came into the cabin. "I have torn my skirt."
"I broke the last one yesterday," said Ted with a broad smile.
The skipper said nothing. There are moments when words are useless.
V
But time went on. The schooner had left the river. Captain Bross came on board and took command, completely ignoring the smiles of the mate and the sailors. The only change he made in his dress was to put on a south-wester instead of the 'bonnet. Poor little Tommy ran about the deck in his blanket. Three days went by with the captain and Tommy still in these clothes.
But everything has an end. There was a fair wind and Battlesea — their port of destination — grew near at last. The captain had hoped to bring the ship into port during the night, but the wind was freshening and every hour it was becoming clearer that the schooner would put in before dark.
At seven o'clock they were only a mile from the harbour. It was clear they would put in less than an hour.
"Where's the mate?" shouted the skipper.
"He's very ill, sir," answered a sailor.
"Ill?" asked the skipper and, lifting up his skirts, ran down to his cabin.
The mate was half lying, half sitting on h