"I shall do nothing of the sort. I am not in the habit of giving orders to my captain, sir. If the English government, through its Governor-General, desires to communicate with the captain of the 'Long Island,' let him do so in the proper manner. Good night."
Dan sat down, well satisfied with himself.
"There, Tommy Atkins, will you be good now?" jeered Sam Hickey.
The officer motioned for the boat's crew to pull away, which they did. Half an hour later, just before nine o'clock, the boat drew alongside the "Long Island," and the Battleship Boys ran up the sea ladder, reporting their arrival on board.
That evening they were summoned before the captain, who gave them a friendly talk regarding their duties and conduct when on foreign soil.
"I am not rebuking you, my lads," he said. "I am simply giving you some good advice. Foreign governments, especially monarchies, are very touchy, much more so than is your own country, so be careful."
"We will, sir," answered Dan.
"We will, sir," added Sam Hickey.
"Until the next time," thought Captain Farnham, passing a hand over his face to hide the smile that he could not repress.
At daylight next morning the four ships of the fleet weighed anchor, circled and steamed out of the harbor, soon after poking their noses into the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea.