The Skippers Wooing

The Skipper's Wooing, and The
Brown Man's
by W. W. Jacobs

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Skipper's Wooing, and The
Brown Man's
Servant, by W. W. Jacobs This eBook is for the use of anyone
anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You
may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project
Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
www.gutenberg.org
Title: The Skipper's Wooing, and The Brown Man's Servant
Author: W. W. Jacobs
Release Date: May 5, 2007 [EBook #21336]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
SKIPPERS WOOING ***

Produced by David Widger

THE SKIPPER'S WOOING

AND
THE BROWN MAN'S SERVANT
By W. W. Jacobs
[Illustration: Cover.jpg]
Copyright, 1897, By FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY
TO MY FATHER WILLIAM GAGE JACOBS
[Illustration: Titlepage.jpg]
THE SKIPPER'S WOOING
CHAPTER I.
The schooner Seamew, of London, Captain Wilson master and owner,
had just finished loading at Northfleet with cement for Brittlesea. Every
inch of space was packed. Cement, exuded from the cracks, imparted to
the hairy faces of honest seamen a ghastly appearance sadly out of
keeping with their characters, and even took its place, disguised as
thickening, among the multiple ingredients of a sea-pie that was
cooking for dinner.
It was not until the decks were washed and the little schooner was once
more presentable that the mate gave a thought to his own toilet. It was a
fine, warm morning in May, and some of the cargo had got into his hair
and settled in streaks on his hot, good-humored face. The boy had
brought aft a wooden bucket filled with fair water, and placed upon the
hatch by its side a piece of yellow soap and a towel. Upon these
preparations the mate smiled pleasantly, and throwing off his shirt and
girding his loins with his braces, he bent over and with much zestful
splashing began his ablutions.
Twice did the ministering angel, who was not of an age to be in any
great concern about his own toilet, change the water before the mate

was satisfied; after which the latter, his face and neck aglow with
friction, descended to the cabin for a change of raiment.
He did not appear on deck again until after dinner, which, in the
absence of the skipper, he ate alone. The men, who had also dined,
were lounging forward, smoking, and the mate, having filled his own
pipe, sat down by himself and smoked in silence.
"I'm keeping the skipper's dinner 'ot in a small sorsepan, sir," said the
cook, thrusting his head out of the galley.
"All right," said the mate.
"It's a funny thing where the skipper gets to these times," said the cook,
addressing nobody in particular, but regarding the mate out of the
corner of his eye.
"Very rum," said the mate, who was affably inclined just then.
The cook came out of the galley, and, wiping his wet hands on his dirty
canvas trousers, drew near and gazed in a troubled fashion ashore.
"E's the best cap'n I ever sailed under," he said slowly. "Ain't it struck
you, sir, he's been worried like these 'ere last few trips? I told 'im as 'e
was goin' ashore as there was sea-pie for dinner, and 'e ses, 'All right,
Joe' 'e ses, just as if I'd said boiled beef and taters, or fine mornin', sir,
or anythink like that!"
The mate shook his head, blew out a cloud of smoke and watched it
lazily as it disappeared.
"It strikes me as 'ow 'e'sarter fresh cargo or something," said a stout old
seaman who had joined the cook. "Look 'ow 'e's dressing nowadays!
Why, the cap'n of a steamer ain't smarter!"
"Not so smart, Sam," said the remaining seaman, who, encouraged by
the peaceful aspect of the mate had also drawn near. "I don't think it's
cargo he's after, though--cement pays all right."

"It ain't cargo," said a small but confident voice.
"You clear out!" said old Sam. "A boy o' your age shovin' his spoke in
when 'is elders is talkin'! What next, I wonder!"
"Where am I to clear to? I'm my own end of the ship anyway," said the
youth vindictively.
The men started to move, but it was too late. The mate's latent sense of
discipline was roused and he jumped up in a fury.
"My ----!" he said, "if there ain't the whole blasted ship's company
aft--every man Jack of 'em! Come down in the cabin, gentlemen, come
down and have a drop of Hollands and a cigar apiece. All the riffraff o'
the foc'sle sitting aft and prattling about the skipper like a parcel o'
washerwomen. And smoking, by ---! smoking! Well, when the skipper
comes aboard