The boatswain’s mate brought his men to attention, and gravely saluted the passing young officers.
Lieutenant Morrison and Ensign Patterson were inspecting their position. A Colt gun commanded the main road and another the road leading inland along the Vaisaigo River. Temporary barricades were being built back of the camp, facing the bush, behind which a stand could be made if by chance the attack should come from that direction. This, however, was unlikely, owing to the dense underbrush and the boggy soil.
Phil and Sydney greatly envied the officers with the sailors. They were sure that there would be fighting soon, and very much feared that they would find themselves out of it. However, Commander Tazewell had shown the midshipmen that he trusted them and was willing to give them hazardous and important duty, and they had reason to congratulate themselves that the duty had been performed to their captain’s satisfaction.
“What about Captain Scott and the ‘Talofa’?” Sydney suddenly asked. “I thought the captain was bent upon capturing him.”
Phil shook his head. “I suppose he figures there are more important things for us to do than to chase the ‘Talofa.’ He’s landed his guns and gotten away by this time. Stump is still on board the ‘Sitka,’ eating his head off.”
“Captain Scott certainly played his game well,” Sydney declared. “He’s a Yankee, all right. No one else would have been able to get so handily out of the mess occasioned by Stump’s navigation.”
At the consulate they found only the consul’s daughters.
“They are having a meeting to decide what is to be done,” Alice told them. “The new king Panu-Mafili and his chiefs just came to ask protection. They have scarcely five hundred warriors, and Avao says many of those are disloyal, and all their guns are old and rusty. They bury them, you know, during peace, so they won’t be stolen.”
“Imagine that,” Phil exclaimed, “and in this damp soil. But where’s the meeting?”
“At the house of the chief justice. The Herzovinian consul sent word he was ill and couldn’t attend,” Alice replied. “Of course that means he won’t agree with anything we decide to do.”