The admiral didn’t want to spare any of the midshipmen in the flagship—midshipmen in the flagship are ornamental and also necessary satellites to the planetary omnipotence of the admiral—so he scribbled on the document, “Referred to you for immediate compliance”, and had it sent on to the captain of the light cruiser Ripon, in which Midshipman Raxworthy was “borne on the books”. And Ripon was the admiral’s choice as she was not one of the China Squadron, having been temporarily detached from the East.
The commander, having gained the point, retired from the captain’s cabin and made his way to his own.
“Ha, Pay! you’re just the bright lad I want,” he exclaimed, as he encountered the paymaster-lieutenant outside the wardroom. “Do you know of any passenger steamers about to leave here for Shanghai. We’re sending young Raxworthy to Sandgrub, and I don’t suppose the admiral will dispatch a destroyer for the purpose of conveying a snottie from Hong Kong to Shanghai.”
The paymaster-lieutenant considered the question. He, like all officers of the Accountant Branch, was supposed to be a sort of perambulating encyclopædia. He usually was, especially on matters concerning the King’s Regulations and Admiralty Instructions.
“No mail-boat until Monday next, sir. I think——”
“I said a passenger steamer.”
“There’s the Ah-Foo, Chinese owned, but under British officers. She’s leaving Hong Kong to-morrow.”
“That’ll do. Make out the necessary warrant,” decided the commander, and he proceeded to his cabin, there to write instructions in the order book for Midshipman Raxworthy’s temporary transference to H.M. Gunboat Sandgrub.
II
“Something that’ll interest you, Rax!” exclaimed Morton, the sub of the gun-room. “Catch!”