I tried to soothe him, praised his great courage, and sent the picket-boat, which had already brought back the few people from the sunken gunboat who had not got aboard their own ships, to tow him and his boats down to the transports. I knew that the insurgents would not fire on her when she was protected by the steamboat's White Ensign, and as we had helped them several times, we might as well do the Government troops a good turn--once in a way. Then I went ashore myself--the smoke of the gallant armada smudging the opposite side of the bay as it steamed back to El Castellar. I went ashore in uniform, too--Perkins, my First Lieutenant, coming with me, and the Comfort, my coxswain, following at a respectful distance behind.
I was doing my best to work myself into a temper, for I wanted to know what the dickens the Provisional Government and Mr. Gerald Wilson meant by firing over my ship, but I'd hardly got ashore, before Mr. Gerald Wilson came galloping past--on his way back along the coast--and I forgot about the shells over my ship, and sung out, 'Beaten 'em again! Good lad! Good lad!'
'I hope he didn't hear the "good lad" part,' I said to Perkins, as Wilson galloped on. 'Afraid I wasn't very angry with him.'
'I don't think you were,' he said, smiling. I really don't think I was.
We met hundreds of the insurgents pouring back through the town, sweating like pigs, but wild with enthusiasm at the defeat of the Government troops, shouting '_Viva los Inglesas_' as they passed us on their long march back to El Castellar.
'I don't see how we helped 'em to-day,' I said to Perkins, who was hobbling along on his game leg beside me.
'Nor do I, sir, but they seem jolly pleased.'
I found de Costa and his blooming Provisional Government--they were all bows and scrapes and hand-spreading.
'I want to know how you had the confounded impertinence to fire over my ship?' was what I said to the little Secretary.
I don't know what he repeated, and for a minute there was terrible consternation among them. They all--theoretically--grovelled in the dust before me. But then they began to smile.
'His Excellency the Presidente will take you to see ze two gons,' the Secretary told me, and I think there was a twinkle in his eye.