"You see," stuttered Kenworth, absolutely shaken and flaccid, "I'm wireless officer, with Trevor as assistant. I'm not very good yet, and I——"
"On the contrary, it strikes me that you are remarkably efficient, Mr. Kenworth," snapped Ned; "and as for practicing, you assuredly choose an extraordinary time for it when the ship, for anything you know, is in danger."
"Danger?" exclaimed Kenworth, and Ned thought that he caught an evil glint in the midshipman's eyes.
"That remains to be seen," rejoined Ned coldly. "Tell me if you can, why, without orders and without informing anyone, you were in here trying to raise the Manhattan. You are silent. Then I will tell you myself. You wanted to send out word of the accident."
Kenworth shuffled from foot to foot uneasily.
"My duty——" he began.
Then Ned boiled over.
"Your duty, Mr. Kenworth, is to obey my orders. You will now oblige me by going to your cabin, unless you wish me to adopt harsher measures."
With a half-hearted salute, Kenworth turned and without a word left the wireless room. But as he descended the companionway stairs he muttered to himself:
"I guess I've got you badly worried already, Mr. Monkey-on-a-Stick, and this is only the beginning. I said I'd fix you and I will, too. If only I could have raised the Manhattan and got that message through with my version of the accident, Master Ned Strong's career would have ended with a hard bump."