And of course theres the tale of a bold pirate captain, who, just prior to sailing into battle, or when raiding a merchant ship, would shout "Cabin boy, bring me my scarlet coat," which the cabin boy dutifully did.

After seeing this happen several times, a new second officer finally plucked up the courage to ask of the captain why he always called for the scarlet coat.

Well, the captain explained, if it should so happen that I became wounded, the color of the coat would mask any blood, and my men would not lose courage at the sight of my gore. Just then the lookout shouted down from the mast, "Captain, the whole British fleet is bearing down upon us and it looks like they mean business"

The captain hesitated for a moment and then loudly shouted, "Cabin boy, bring me my brown trousers!"