The concession to build the railroad to Peking was made more secure to the American company, and before the “Phœnix” sailed for Shanghai the lads saw the material, which had long waited for permission to be landed, safely stored in go-downs and the work on the road started.
Ta-Ling made good his escape, and it was believed that he had gone to the mountains, there to remain in hiding until another opportunity might present itself to avenge himself on the despised foreigner.
O’Neil’s wound was found by the doctors to be not dangerous and, with his arm in a sling for several days, he was gazed at admiringly by his less fortunate shipmates.
Langdon received the personal thanks of the admiral, and Commander Hughes stoutly declares that he is as good a pilot ashore as he is on the river.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Mexican dollars.
[2] There is a prescribed rule for hailing a boat at night. A ship, seeing a boat approaching, hails, “Boat ahoy!” If enlisted men are in the boat the proper answer is “Hello!” If midshipmen are in the boat the answer is “No! No!” if commissioned officers, “Aye! Aye!” If a captain is in the boat the answer is the name of his ship, and an admiral’s proper answer is “Flag”—meaning that the boat carries an admiral’s flag.
[3] Twelve rifles.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.