Phil had not dared, with his guilt written plainly on his face, to look his captain in the eye while that officer showered praises upon the two midshipmen, and he was much relieved to be able to escape to his own room, there to map out a course of action.
“Our best plan, Syd,” Phil declared, “is to take all these papers to the captain and make a clean breast of it.”
Sydney agreed wholly with his friend’s plan and all that remained was to muster up courage to go to the captain. Both midshipmen would much rather have faced a hundred Chinese rifles than confess to their captain that a telegram and directed to him from the navy department had been purposely hidden.
A rap on the door caused Phil’s pulses to beat quicker and his heart rise to his mouth.
“The captain would like to see Mr. Perry and Mr. Monroe,” the orderly announced, peering in through the curtain at the startled lads.
“Come on, Phil,” Sydney urged; “we’d better get it over with.”
In silence they walked into the cabin. Phil’s head swam as his old friend Admiral Taylor shook his hand and spoke solid words of praise for his valuable services.
Hang-Ki had risen to go upon the entrance of the midshipmen, and after bowing to the admiral and captain he stepped quickly to Phil’s side, pressing into his hand the jade ring.
“He says,” Langdon interpreted, “that he has evidence enough without it if he is lucky enough to capture Ta-Ling.”
“I am delighted, Hughes,” the admiral said as Commander Hughes returned with the midshipmen, after having escorted the Chinese soldiers to the gangway, “at the successful end gained by your clear-headed policy. Washington, hearing nothing from you and at the same time receiving news of your doings from a foreign government, was quite justified, in view of your known impetuosity, in being anxious. It was current in Shanghai that you had been relieved of your command, yet I received no word up to the time of sailing, two days ago.”