Yes, the midshipman in question was a bit of a problem even for the fiery-tempered commander to manage. It was something like the task of trying to harpoon a floating cork with a blunt fork. He might succeed in “putting the midshipman under”, but Raxworthy invariably succeeded in bobbing up again “as fresh as paint”.
It wasn’t that he was insubordinate, or anything of that sort. Raxworthy had a great reverence for discipline, but, somehow, and often through circumstances beyond his control, he found himself up against the Bloke who, in turn, imagined that the midshipman was everlastingly trying to get to wind’ard of him.
“I suppose so,” agreed the Owner. “Apparently the job to which he is to be lent requires considerable initiative and discretion.”
“Raxworthy has plenty of initiative,” the commander hastened to assert.
“And discretion?”
“I know of no midshipman with a better sense of that, sir.”
“What about Timpson?” inquired the captain, who still showed a disinclination to fall in with his subordinate’s suggestion.
“He’s all right while he’s under my eye, sir,” replied the Bloke. “Outside the ship I don’t quite know how he would shape. In lending a snottie we have to be careful to see that the one we choose doesn’t reflect discredit upon the ship.”
“Exactly,” agreed the Owner warmly. “Very well, then; make it so!”
The nature of the request was a somewhat unusual one. It came—through the commander-in-chief of the China Squadron—from the lieutenant-commander of the shallow-draught river gunboat Sandgrub, asking for the loan of a midshipman as soon as possible, and for an indefinite period. The reason given was that Sandgrub was about to proceed up the Yang-tse on particular service, details of which were already known to the admiral, since he had given orders for the gunboat to proceed up the river.