"No, sir," I said.

"You have not spoken to your messmates?"

"No, sir; not a word."

"But they asked you why I summoned you to my cabin?"

"Yes, sir; but they think it was to snub--reprove me, sir, for making so much of the Chinaman."

"Oh, I see. But snub would have done, Mr Herrick. Reprove sounds pedantic. That will do, but bear in mind my wishes."

"Oh, there you are, Mr Herrick," said the first lieutenant, a few minutes later. "I want you. Find that Chinaman and the ship's tailor, and bring them both to my cabin."

"Yes, sir," I said, wondering; and I hunted them out, told them to follow me, and led the way to Mr Reardon's cabin.

"Shut the door," he said sharply.

I obeyed, and the lieutenant consulted a sc.r.a.p of paper upon which he had pencilled a few memoranda.

"Now, tailor," he said, "you will have an order for a sufficiency of white duck."

"Yes, sir."

"And by this time to-morrow I want twenty loose frocks cut and made after the fashion of this man's blue cotton blouse thing."

"Couldn't be done, sir, in the time," said the tailor respectfully.

"They must be done, my man. I don't care how roughly they are made, nor how badly sewn, but they must be cut to this pattern. Get as many men as you require to sew, and begin work at once. I'll send this boy to you soon, for you to get the pattern of his garment."

The tailor saluted, and went off wondering; while I wondered no less, as I stood waiting with Ching for what was to come; but for some moments Mr Reardon sat there studying his notes.

All at once he looked up sharply.

"Now, Ching," he said, "can you understand all I say?"

The Chinaman nodded.

"Then look here: I have ordered twenty duck-frocks, as you heard."

"Yes, sir. Velly like Chinaman."

"Exactly. Well, these are for twenty of our men to wear. I want them to look like Chinese."

Ching shook his head.

"Blue flock," he said; "all blue, no white."

"We have no blue, and the white must do."

"Velly well."

"That point is settled, then. Now, then, about their heads."

"Cut hair all off, and glow pigtail."

"That would take years, my man, and I wanted them ready to-morrow."

"How glow pigtail one day?" cried Ching scornfully; and pulling round his own, he held it out, fully four feet in length--a long black plait, with a bit of ribbon tying it at the end.

"Thi'ty yea' long," said Ching. "No one day."

"You must get some oak.u.m, and dye it black. Plait it up, and fasten that on the men's heads."

"With bit o' stling," said Ching, nodding his head. "Go act play--make fleatre 'board ship?"

"Yes, we are going to act a play," said the lieutenant sternly; and I felt the blood come into my face with excitement.

"Shave men's head--shave face; makee look allee same Chinaman."

"Oh, we can manage that," said Mr Reardon, giving me a meaning look.

"You can pick out men and boys enough, Mr Herrick, to make twenty smooth-faced ones."

"Yes, sir, I think so," I said.

"Then something must be mixed up, whiting and tallow ought to do it."

"Yes, Ching see; makee head velly white."

"That will do, then."

"No," said Ching sharply. "No tlouser, no boot?"

"That will not matter, my man, so long as they are right in their upper rigging."

"Light in upper ligging!" said Ching. "Ah, you go cheat, gammon pilate?"

Mr Reardon gave him an angry look.

"You go and do--no, stop. You are quite right, my man, but don't talk about it. Get the work done."

"Ching see. Make nineteen twenty men look like Chinese boy. Pilate come along, say, 'Big tea-ship. Come aboard,' and get catchee likee lat in tlap."

"Yes, that's it, my man. Do you think it a good plan, Mr Herrick?" he added drily.

"Oh yes, sir," I cried excitedly. "May we begin at once?"

"Ye-es," said the lieutenant thoughtfully. "I think that's all you can do. Yes," he said decidedly; "take the job in hand, Mr Herrick, and help it along. I want to have twenty men looking like a Chinese crew by to-morrow."

"Come along, Ching."