'Grand chap! grand chap! a little too haughty for me. Grand chap
though--never thanked me for taking him that hydraulic machinery.'
'But he never thought you knew about it, sir,' I said, surprised.
He polished his eyeglass very carefully, screwed it into his eye, and
then very deliberately winked at me.
I shipped Cousin Bob off home that very day and was jolly glad to get
him away from the ship, although, as a matter of fact, I need not have
been in such a hurry, because all the mids. were sent to other ships a
few days later. Still he managed to get a little longer leave than the
others, and I had a very grateful letter from his sister Daisy.
I had a long letter, too, from Gerald some time afterwards. He had gone
back to the rubber plantation with Jose and the 'Gnome,' and said that
he was jolly glad to get back there again, start rebuilding the house
and planting more trees, but I feared that he was of much too restless a
disposition to remain there for long.
Old Zorilla had taken on his job as Commander-in-Chief, and Gerald said
that things were going on swimmingly, though what actual difference the
change of President had made, he was hanged if he could tell. Little
Navarro was limping about Santa Cruz as cheerful as ever, and every one
wanted to be remembered to me.
Well, however long I live, I shall never forget them.