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 oakum, 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."

"Yes," he said. "Do it velly well. Chinese pilate velly cunning
fellow. You go gettee two junk, put men on board."

"You go and get the men ready," said Mr Reardon shortly. "That