As they entered the office the stranger turned and the boys saw he was a clean-shaven, leather-faced old man with a merry twinkle in his keen, blue eyes.
“Captain,” said the curator, “here are a couple of boys who want to ship on the _Hector_, Jimmy Lathrop and Tom Chester. You know Chester, the ship chandlery and hardware man, Tom’s father. How do you think they’ll do for whalemen? Boys, this is Captain Edwards of the _Hector_.”
Shaking hands cordially, the old whaleman considered for a moment.
“Hmm,” he said at last, “what’s your rating, boys, A. B.’s, boat steerers, coopers, cooks, cabin boys, navigators or just ordinary deck hands?”
“I don’t know,” admitted Jim. “Anything, if we can go, except cooks or coopers or boat steerers.”
“Then you’ve had previous experience, eh?” asked the captain striving to maintain a grave face. “What ships have you been on?”
“The _Hector_,” promptly replied Tom, with a grin. “We’ve been everything on her from stowaways to captain.”
Captain Edwards burst into a hearty laugh. “So you’re some of the youngsters that have been using my ship for a playground, eh?” he exclaimed. “And now you’d like to take a real try at the game. And your dads said you could if I’d take old Pem for mate, eh?”
“Yes, sir,” said Tom, “and father said that was just about as likely as for the _Hector_ to bring back a load of ambergris.”
The captain and the curator burst into hearty laughter.
“That’s pretty good!” declared the old skipper at last. “But stranger things _have_ happened to whalemen, boys. Many a ship’s brought home a mighty good cargo of ambergris and I’ve sailed with a wooden-legged captain, let alone a mate.”
“These boys can navigate,” put in the curator. “Cap’n Pem’s taught them nearly all there is to know about handling a ship, except going to sea.”
“Indeed!” exclaimed the captain with new interest. “Now, boys, let me ask you some questions.”
For the next half hour Captain Edwards plied the boys with queries on seamanship, navigation, ropes and rigging, handling sails, nautical and whalemen’s terms, and in fact, everything he could think of. Then, banging his fist on his knee, he exclaimed, “Why, hang it all, Frank! These two kids could get second officer’s tickets to-morrow, if they were old enough. Boys, come along over to Nye’s office.”