“On board the Prince!” shouted Mr. Pelham from the deck of the Tritonia, which was moored next to the steamer.
“On board of the Tritonia!” returned Carson, the first lieutenant of the ship.
“That steamer is the Marian, Judge Rodwood’s yacht,” replied Mr. Pelham.
Carson communicated this information to the principal, for neither he nor Mr. Fluxion knew the name of the judge’s steam-yacht; or they did not recognize it if they had heard it mentioned. By this time the Marian had stopped her screw off the Loo Rock; and the government boat was pulling out to her. As she had a clean bill of health from her last port, she was subjected to no detention; and the government officers assigned her a place to moor near the Josephine. As she passed under the stern of the Prince, two gentlemen were seen on her rail, who seemed to regard the Prince with great interest. One of them was a tall man, with a white beard and white hair; he pointed to the name on the stern, and became quite excited.
“That must be Judge Rodwood,” said Mr. Fluxion. “He has come to look for his runaway ward.”
“And I wish we had his runaway ward for him,” added the principal. “However, I do not feel that any one is to blame for what has transpired.”
“Certainly not,” replied Mr. Fluxion. “We could not bring in the steamer without the young gentlemen; and that was just the kind of experience they needed to fit them for the business of life.”
“I have sent the young men away in charge of one of the vessels of the squadron several times, and this is the first time any of them has failed to report where he was ordered,” continued the principal. “Wainwright brought the Tritonia from the Baltic up the Mediterranean alone, when the vice-principal on board was worse than useless, and anchored her safely in the Golden Horn.”
“Yes, sir; and you may depend upon it that O’Hara will do as well on the present occasion as Wainwright did,” replied the vice-principal cheerfully.
“I hope he will; but I would give a thousand dollars at this moment to know that he and his shipmates are safe and well.”