FLOTILLA HUMOR—ASHORE[ToC]
The incident reported in the previous chapter was not young Chisholm's first interview with the British admiral.
Mac went on to tell how when, after his first cruise, Chiz came to the naval base to report. He had heard that the old fellow in charge believed that the Lord made the earth for admirals, especially British admirals, but beyond that he knew nothing of his peculiarities.
However, after his cruise, Chiz went whistling up the hill to report. By and by he was admitted to the presence of the admiral, who was seated at a flat desk in the middle of the room, gazing straight ahead.
The old chap looked pretty frosty. Chiz waited a moment, then ventured a cheery "Good morning, sir."
The face at the desk did not even turn to look at him, but the thin lips almost opened and a rasping voice said: "Got anything to say to me?"
Chiz was one of the sociable souls, and he would have liked to sit down and talk in an informal way of several little sea things that he thought were fairly interesting. But he had not been asked even to sit down, and the voice froze him. So, "Why, no sir, nothing special to report," was all he could find to say.
"H-m. Nothing to say? Then why waste my time or your own? Might as well get out, hadn't you?"