"Shut the door, Mr Herrick," said the captain, as he threw himself into
a chair, and I obeyed and remained standing there.
"Come close up to the table, my lad, and I'll hear what you have to say,
for I should be sorry to discourage a young officer who was in earnest
about his profession, as I have noted that you seem to be."
"Thank you, sir," I faltered, as I walked forward to where the swinging
lamp cast its full light on my face, making my eyes ache, after being so
many hours in the darkness, while I noticed that the captain sat in the
shade.
"Now, Mr Herrick," he said, "I talked of one fable, let me say a word
about another. I hope this is not going to be a case of the mountain in
labour, and out crept a mouse."
This put me quite out of heart, my hands grew damp, and I felt a
tickling sensation of dew forming upon my temples and at the sides of my
nose. My throat felt dry, and my lips parted, but no words came.
"There, there," he said kindly, "don't be afraid. Speak out."
"Yes, sir," I said hastily. "It was only this. I think I read
somewhere once, in a paper, about a Malay prahu being taken by the
captain of a ship pretending to be helpless, and this made the prahu,
which could sail twice as fast as his ship, come close up to attack
him."
"Yes; and what then?"
"The captain sunk the prahu, sir."
"Humph!" said Captain Thwaites, frowning and leaning back in his chair.
"That's what I should like to do to the piratical junks, Mr Herrick.
But--"
He stopped, and I saw that he was watching me keenly. But he had not
ordered me out of the cabin, nor called me an impertinent puppy, so I
felt better. The plunge had been made, and I waited not quite so
nervously for his next words.
"Yes--what I should like to do, Mr Herrick; but I am dealing with
cunning Chinese, and not with bold Malays."
"No, sir," I said; "but could not we--you--I mean we--I mean--" I
stammered.
"Come, come, Mr Herrick, there is no need for all this tremor. Sit
down, my lad."
"Thank you, sir; I would rather stand, please. I think I could talk
better."
"Very well, then," he said, smiling; "stand. You have some notion in
your head, then?"
"Yes, sir," I said eagerly, for the nervousness all passed away in the
excitement I felt. "I thought that if I could do as I liked, I'd take
the _Teaser_ up some creek where she couldn't be watched, and then I'd
close all the ports, send the men over the side to paint out the streak,
and I'd paint the funnel another colour, and get yards all anyhow, and
hide all the guns. I'd make her look like one of the tea-screws, and
get a lot of Chinamen on board for sailors."
I saw that he kept on bowing his head, and I was so excited that I went
on.
"No, I know. If you tried to get some Chinese sailors on board, it
would be talked about, and perhaps the pirates would get to know, for
they must have friends in some of the ports."
"Then down go some of your baits, my lad."
"No, sir. I know. You could make Ching--"
"That Chinese interpreter?"
"Yes, sir. Make him do up some of our lads with pigtails made of
blackened oakum, and in duck-frocks they'd do at a distance."
"Heads not shaven?"
"No, sir; but they could have their hair cut very short, and then
painted white--I mean yellow, so that the pirates wouldn't know at a
distance."
"Humph! anything else?" said the captain drily, but I did not notice it;
I was too much taken up by my ideas.
"Yes, sir. Ching could be going about very busily in all directions,
showing himself a great deal, and there's no mistake about him."
"No," said the captain, "there is no mistake about him."
"And it wouldn't be a bad plan to be at anchor near the place where you
thought they were, sir, with some of the spars down as if you were
repairing damages. That would make them feel sure that they were safe
of a prize, and they'd come off in their boats to attack."
"And then you would let them board us and find out their mistake?"
"That I wouldn't, sir!" I cried eagerly; and, oddly enough, my side
began to ache where I had had that blow. "I wouldn't risk any of our
poor fellows being hurt. I'd sink them before they got alongside."
"Humph! Well, you're pretty bloodthirsty for your time of life, young
gentleman," said the captain quietly.
"No, sir," I replied in confusion; "but I was with Mr Barkins and Mr
Smith, and nearly killed by these people, and yesterday I saw what they
had done aboard that barque."
"There? So you did, my lad. Well," he said, "what more have you got to
suggest?"
"I think that's all, sir," I said, beginning to grow confused again, for
my enthusiasm was dying out before his cool, matter-of-fact way of
taking matters.
"Then we will bring this meeting to an end, Mr Herrick."
"Yes, sir," I said dolefully, for I was wishing intensely that I had not
said a word. "Shall I go now?"
"If you please, Mr Herrick."
"Good-night, sir."
"Good-night, Mr Herrick; and the sooner you are in your berth the
better."
"Yes, sir," I said; and then to myself, as I reached the door, "and I
wish I had gone there at once, instead of stopping on deck."
"Stop!"