After a few moments he plucked up courage to ask, ‘What trade have you chosen, Will?’

‘Same as you,’ Will replied. ‘Who wants to be cooped up in a stuffy room making boots or sewing shirts when you could be at sea?’

Gus grinned delightedly. ‘Yes, that’s what I think too.’

‘It’s not easy, mind,’ Will said. ‘Cap’n Thomas reckons you’ve got to be ready to do anything you’re asked and if he gives you an order you’d better jump to it, or you end up regretting it. But he’s fair. He treats everyone the same – not like some.’ On these last words his face clouded and Gus wondered if someone had treated him unfairly, and if so, how.

Another question came to his mind. ‘What about Murray? Is he with us?’

‘Him? No! You wouldn’t catch Murray climbing the mast. He’s happy to squat around with a needle and thread.’

The meal came to an end and Gus followed Will out to a patch of open ground behind the building. As they reached it he gave a gasp of amazement. There in the middle of the worn grass was a full-sized ship, its three masts towering above him.

‘It’s a real ship!’ he exclaimed.

‘Real enough,’ Will agreed, ‘except it isn’t floating.

Come on, the cap’n’s waiting.’

Captain Thomas was standing at the bottom of three rope ladders, which led up onto the deck high above them, surrounded by a group of boys of all ages. He checked their names off on a register and this time there were no titters when he called out ‘Gus Lavender?’

‘Right then,’ he said. ‘Let’s find out who is fastest today.’ He called three names and three boys stepped forward and took hold of the bottoms of the ladders.

The captain blew a whistle and the three started to climb, swarming up the ladders in an effort to outdo each other. The boys on the ground cheered them on until one gained the deck and raised his arms in a triumphant salute. Three more followed, and then Will’s name was called. Glancing at his face as he moved forward, Gus was surprised to see his usual cheerful grin replaced by a frown of grim determination. When the whistle blew the other two boys with him began to climb almost as fast as the first ones, but it was clear that Will was struggling. Halfway up he stopped and hung there, his head drooping; then he seemed to find a new reserve of energy and climbed on. He reached the deck safely, but well behind the others, and Gus felt a stab of disappointment, followed by another of shame at what felt like disloyalty.