Tom was a lazy boy. He hated going to school, studying and doing homework. One day, when Gluebeard, the famous captain, came to town in search of young sailors, Tom made sure he was the first in line.

On Gluebeard’s ship, every minute of every day was spent looking for treasure and if anyone was found reading or studying, they would be locked in a small room full of mice. And so Tom began his life as a treasure-hunting sailor, but it wasn’t easy. They hardly had enough money to buy food and clothes.

One day, someone on the ship stole the only food Tom had left. Two days later, Tom was so hungry that he secretly went to the room full of mice to find one and eat it. But when he entered, he couldn’t find a single mouse. He did find a secret room, one that was full of... books! Suddenly he heard some voices and he hid away to listen...

Tom was very angry. He heard Gluebeard laugh at how stupid the crew (全体船员) were, how easy it was to fool them, and how foolish and poor they would always be after leaving their studies behind.

From that day on, Tom waited every night until everyone was asleep. Then he visited the room full of books, where he spent his time studying all kinds of books. Soon he found that learning about so many things gave him better ideas.

After a few years, he left Gluebeard’s ship, used the money he made to buy his own boat and found his own crew. Unlike Gluebeard, however, he only chose people who studied. And instead of fooling them, he encouraged them to search for treasure with him. With so many clever people, ________.