Captains All | Page 3

looked round the room. It was a comfortable little place,
with pictures on the walls and antimacassars on all the chairs, and a
row of pink vases on the mantelpiece. Then 'e looked at Mrs. Finch,
and thought wot a nice-looking woman she was.
"This is nicer than being aboard ship with a crew o' nasty, troublesome
sailormen to look arter, Captin Small," he ses.
"It's wonderful the way he manages 'em," ses Peter Russet to Mrs.
Finch. "Like a lion he is."
"A roaring lion," ses Ginger, looking at Sam. "He don't know wot fear
is."
Sam began to smile, and Mrs. Finch looked at 'im so pleased that Peter
Russet, who 'ad been looking at 'er and the room, and thinking much
the same way as Ginger, began to think that they was on the wrong
tack.

"Afore 'e got stout and old," he ses, shaking his 'ead, "there wasn't a
smarter skipper afloat."
"We all 'ave our day," ses Ginger, shaking his 'ead too.
"I dessay he's good for another year or two afloat, yet," ses Peter Russet,
considering. "With care," ses Ginger.
Old Sam was going to say something, but 'e stopped himself just in
time. "They will 'ave their joke," he ses, turning to Mrs. Finch and
trying to smile. "I feel as young as ever I did."
Mrs. Finch said that anybody with arf an eye could see that, and then
she looked at a kettle that was singing on the 'ob.
"I s'pose you gentlemen wouldn't care for a cup o' cocoa?" she ses,
turning to them.
Ginger Dick and Peter both said that they liked it better than anything
else, and, arter she 'ad got out the cups and saucers and a tin o' cocoa,
Ginger held the kettle and poured the water in the cups while she stirred
them, and old Sam sat looking on 'elpless.
"It does seem funny to see you drinking cocoa, captin," ses Ginger, as
old Sam took his cup.
"Ho!" ses Sam, firing up; "and why, if I might make so bold as to ask?"
"'Cos I've generally seen you drinking something out of a bottle," ses
Ginger.
"Now, look 'ere," ses Sam, starting up and spilling some of the hot
cocoa over 'is lap.
"A ginger-beer bottle," ses Peter Russet, making faces at Ginger to
keep quiet.
"Yes, o' course, that's wot I meant," ses Ginger.

Old Sam wiped the cocoa off 'is knees without saying a word, but his
weskit kept going up and down till Peter Russet felt quite sorry for 'im.
"There's nothing like it," he ses to Mrs. Finch. "It was by sticking to
ginger-beer and milk and such-like that Captain Small 'ad command of
a ship afore 'e was twenty-five."
"Lor'!" ses Mrs. Finch.
She smiled at old Sam till Peter got uneasy agin, and began to think
p'r'aps 'e'd been praising 'im too much.
"Of course, I'm speaking of long ago now," he ses.
"Years and years afore you was born, ma'am," ses Ginger.
Old Sam was going to say something, but Mrs. Finch looked so pleased
that 'e thought better of it. Some o' the cocoa 'e was drinking went the
wrong way, and then Ginger patted 'im on the back and told 'im to be
careful not to bring on 'is brownchitis agin. Wot with temper and being
afraid to speak for fear they should let Mrs. Finch know that 'e wasn't a
captin, he could 'ardly bear 'imself, but he very near broke out when
Peter Russet advised 'im to 'ave his weskit lined with red flannel. They
all stayed on till closing time, and by the time they left they 'ad made
theirselves so pleasant that Mrs. Finch said she'd be pleased to see them
any time they liked to look in.
Sam Small waited till they 'ad turned the corner, and then he broke out
so alarming that they could 'ardly do anything with 'im. Twice
policemen spoke to 'im and advised 'im to go home afore they altered
their minds; and he 'ad to hold 'imself in and keep quiet while Ginger
and Peter Russet took 'is arms and said they were seeing him 'ome.
He started the row agin when they got in-doors, and sat up in 'is bed
smacking 'is lips over the things he'd like to 'ave done to them if he
could. And then, arter saying 'ow he'd like to see Ginger boiled alive
like a lobster, he said he knew that 'e was a noble-'arted feller who
wouldn't try and cut an old pal out, and that it was a case of love at first

sight on top of a tram-car.
"She's too young for you," ses Ginger; "and too good-looking besides."
"It's the nice little bisness he's fallen in love