"Leave!" echoed the colonel. "Won't you have to give evidence at the trial of Durango?"
"Yes, I suppose so," replied the young commander. "He is to be indicted on a list of charges as long as my arm. However, I am not at all keen on that part of the business. Hunting him down was exciting enough, but now the rascal is laid by the heels I wish I could regard the incident as closed. After a turn at active service in the air a fellow doesn't want to descend to the stuffy atmosphere of the Law Courts. I want to be up and doing, in a double sense, pater; I feel as keen as mustard."
"Basil, my boy, I'm afraid I've misjudged you."
"I don't think so, pater; I believe that once or twice you've blamed me for practical jokes I didn't play, but that's a mere detail. The mater's teapot, for example."
"I don't mean in that way," continued the colonel. "I thought that you might let your chances slip through your fingers, but, by Jove! you're a true Dacres after all."
"Thank you, pater," said the young commander simply.
THE END
THE LONDON AND NORWICH PRESS LIMITED, LONDON AND NORWICH, ENGLAND
Transcriber's note:
The original text contained a number of obvious spelling and typographic errors. They have been corrected without note. Inconsistent spellings and typographical errors have been preserved as printed.
These are:
- "Chili" and "Chile" both occur
- "Equadorean" instead of "Equadorian"