"'Prejudicial to discipline and good conduct'," quoted Seton.
"So are a good many things," argued Branscombe. "In the Service there are two ways of getting a job done: the official and the non-official. It's only when you make a mess of things that you are hauled over the coals. Nothing happened to those fellows who refused to leave the Intrepid before she went into action. We'd both be able to do a bit with a quick-firer or a machine-gun."
"It's not a bad scheme," admitted Alec. "How do you propose to go about it?"
"You leave it to me," declared Branscombe "and I'm open to wager a month's pay that when the Vindictive sails for Ostend, you and I will be on board."
"Good enough!" exclaimed Alec.
CHAPTER XVII
"Good Old 'Vindictive'!"
"Clear lower deck, supernumeraries fall-in on the quarter deck."
To the accompaniment of the bo's'un's mates' pipes the order given in hoarse, strident tones, was repeated in various parts of the ship.
The Vindictive, with 200 tons of cement in her after-magazines and in the upper bunkers on both sides, was lying in Dunkirk Roads in company with the Sappho, which had been hurriedly fitted out at short notice to act as an additional block-ship in the operations against Ostend.