There wasn’t a long face or a sour face in the ship that day.
The Skipper had filled his pockets with his beloved Havanas, and pulled one out for me on the fore bridge too—a sure sign that he was in the best of tempers.
"That chap Hoffman couldn’t lift a hundredweight now," he chuckled. "I’ll take him ’on’ when he’s had a bit of sleep—the only chance I’ll get," and he gurgled and croaked with laughter. "He don’t exactly give himself away, does he, Truscott? Couldn’t get him to suggest a single thing."
"I told him not to, sir," I said, smiling.
"Umph! Think ’Old Lest’ an obstinate old fool, do you? Think you know ’Old Lest’ better’n he knows himself, do you? That’s the worst of having a commander who’s been shipmates for seven years. Umph!" And he glared at me, and was in a grand humour.
As a matter of fact, there were several reasons which made it inconvenient to leave so hurriedly. For one thing, we were, as you know, very shorthanded, and for another, we expected the gunboats to return at any moment with their tenders, and it would, at the best, be a tedious business to call them all in. Fortunately we met the old _Huan Min_ pounding back to Tinghai for more coal; judging by the smoke she made she seemed to grind it into dust and then blow it up her funnel. We stopped her, and the Skipper sent on board to tell her Captain where the _Vigilant_ was going, and to ask him to communicate with the other gunboats, and with the _Omaha_, which had gone off by herself.
Ching evidently wrote the letter which came back, promising to do this, and he sent a private one to his chum Lawrence to say that they were all immensely pleased to hear that there was a chance of rescuing the captives, and that the _Huan Min_ would come along after us as soon as possible.
"He says that his shoulder is practically all right again now, sir. He’s made a jolly sight less fuss about it than I should have done." Lawrence smiled when he’d finished reading this letter. "I wonder how much he cares whether we ever see Hobbs or Travers again? He doesn’t hurry the old _Huan Min_ round these islands to find them, I bet you anything you like, sir. He’s hunting for Sally. He’s simply head over heels in love with her."