“The captain wishes to see you at once.”
An orderly had just stepped up to Ned and given the above message. Ned
hastened aft at once. Such orders were to be obeyed in a hurry. As he
went along the decks he wondered what the import of the summons might
be.
“I’ll bet it is something to do with that police business,” he thought
to himself uneasily as he quickened his steps.
The captain was seated at his desk writing, when Ned entered and stood
bareheaded and upright, respectfully waiting till the captain addressed
him. At last Commander Dunham looked up from his desk.
“Well, you got them all, I hear, Strong.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Excellent work. Any trouble?”
“Nothing to speak of, sir.”
The captain smiled.
“You hardly do yourself justice, Strong. A wireless from the shore has
just been placed in my hands highly commending your work. Incidentally,
there was a reward of three hundred dollars for the capture of that tea
smuggler you trapped on the roof.”
“Three hundred dollars, sir!”
Ned could hardly believe his ears.
“Yes, and from what I hear, you have fully earned it. Of course, you
won’t object to taking it?”
“Well hardly, sir.”
“Sit down now and tell me all about your adventures ashore, Strong. I
am interested in knowing the details of such a meritorious performance
as yours has been.”
Ned, with a very red face, seated himself at his superior’s orders and
launched into his story. He mentioned himself as little as he could,
but it was impossible for the captain not to read between the lines
of Ned’s plain, unembroidered story and recognize him for the plucky,
gritty young tar that he was.
He was half through his narration when the orderly entered the cabin.
“Officer of the deck reports a police launch approaching, sir.”
Poor Ned! His heart began to beat thick and fast. He hardly dared to
look up. Suppose that some charge should be made against him, how could
he face the captain who had just been complimenting him so highly? His
embarrassment was not lessened by his knowledge that he actually had no
reason to fear anything.
“Report to me when they make fast,” ordered the captain. “Now go on,
Strong. You had hidden behind a barrel, I think you were saying.”
Ned went on with his narrative, but he related it haltingly. His mind
was on the police launch and what its possible mission might be.
The orderly came back.
“The launch has made fast, sir. The British Consul and the Chief of
Police of San Francisco are on board. They wish to see you.”
“Show them in. You may remain, Strong.”
Ned got to his feet and took up a standing position in a corner of the
cabin. In a few minutes the orderly returned with the Chief of Police,
a fat, pompous-looking man with a large, straw-colored moustache and
goatee, and the British Consul, a tall, sun-burned man with a kindly
countenance and affable manner.
After the preliminaries of introduction were over, the Chief of Police
plumped out the question that Ned had been dreading to hear.
“You have a man named Strong on board this ship?” he asked.
“Yes, Gunner’s-Mate Strong,” was the rejoinder. “In fact, he is here
now.”
The captain waved a hand toward Ned, who swallowed hard and prepared
to take calmly whatever was to come. What game was this? The British
Consul, quite forgetting his official dignity, crossed the cabin in two
jumps and seized Ned’s hand and began wringing it as if it had been a
pump handle.
“Let me thank you, although no words can express my gratitude,” he
exclaimed, “for the noble act you performed in the Park when you saved
my daughter from almost certain death on a runaway horse.”
“Eh? What’s this?” exclaimed Captain Dunham.
“Simply, sir, that you have in your crew one of the most modest heroes
I ever heard of,” cried the consul enthusiastically. “He rescued my
daughter when her horse ran away with her and would almost certainly
have dashed her to death had it not been for this lad’s bravery. I want
to express my admiration for the nation that can produce such fine
types of young manhood.”
“I--I--just grabbed the horse, that’s all, sir,” replied Ned. “You see
on the farm I’d been used to horses and so it was really no trick at
all. I hope the young lady is recovered?”
“Yes, and I have here a letter from her asking you and your companion
who assisted you in your brave deed to come to dinner with us to-morrow
night. I also wish to express in some more solid manner the full burden
of my gratitude.”
“Thank you very much, sir,” replied Ned, “but the fleet sails to-morrow
at noon and all shore leave will be stopped to-morrow.”
“Too bad! Too bad!” exclaimed the consul. “My daughter was so anxious
to thank you personally for your bravery. Had it not been for the fact
that your cap was picked up on the drive, we should never even have
known who it was that performed such a brave deed.”
“How was that?” inquired Captain Dunham, very much interested.
“Why, right after the horse had been stopped, the two young men hurried
away. But Mr. Strong’s cap was picked up by a policeman on the drive,
and the fact that his name was inside it made it easy to trace him,”
said the Chief of Police. “And, incidentally, I also want to shake this
young man’s hand. His marooning of that gang of rascals on the roof of
the ‘Fair Wind’ was the cleverest bit of work I’ve heard of in many a
long day. They are all in for long terms in jail, too.”
“What about the reward, Chief?” asked the captain.
“That, of course, is a Federal matter, as the smuggling charges are not
under our jurisdiction. And now, if I may, I would like to take this
young man’s deposition, inasmuch as the fleet is to sail to-morrow.”
“Very well. There need be no delay,” said the captain.
“But pardon me, sir, I must take it before a notary public.”
“Is that so? Well, in that case, Strong, I will give you shore leave
till midnight. You have earned it.”
“Thank you, sir,” rejoined Ned, his cup of joy brimful, “and--and, sir,
may----”
“May Taylor, your inseparable, accompany you? Yes, by all means. This
will give you lads an opportunity to accept the kind invitation of Mr.
Bretherton to dinner. Now be off, my lad, and you can go ashore in the
Chief’s launch. The steamer will be at the landing at midnight. Don’t
fail to be there.”
“Oh, no, sir!”
Ned saluted and hastened to get ready for his shore trip. What a
wonderful day it had been, he thought, as he looked about for Herc to
impart the news to him!