"What are you doing?" he asked. "Are you crazy? Why have you tacked about?"
"Had orders, sir," said the engineer.
"You lay her northwest by north at once. Put the second engineer in charge and report to me immediately."
"Aye, aye, sir," said the engineer and started up to present himself to the first mate.
The ship was swung back on her proper course and had gone straight a little way, when all at once the whistles began to blow and bells to ring, and with this the captain came running up to the pilot room. The first mate already had his telephone off the hook and was screaming down to the engineer.
"What are you doing, sir?" he demanded. "I thought I told you to report to me at once!"
"This is the second engineer, sir," repeated the voice. "The chief engineer has just gone up to report to you, sir."
"Well, why did you blow a landing whistle out here in mid-ocean? Can't you obey orders? Are you crazy, too? Are you all crazy?"
"I had the signal and obeyed orders, sir," said the second engineer.
By that time the captain came bursting into the pilot room, while Billy Mischief and his mother were chewing wires.