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The fleet cannot get clear of the River, but expect the first wind to be out, and then to be sure to fight. The Queene and Maids of Honour are at Tunbridge. 23rd. All full of expectation of the fleet's engagement, but it is not yet. Sir W. Coventry says they are eighty-nine men-of- war, but one fifth-rate; and that the Sweepstakes, which carries forty guns. They are most infinitely manned.
The halyards could be heard whirring up toward the sky, while two bunches of us sagged and lifted on the deck below. Among us it was, "Now then o-ho sway away good," until topsails were flat as boards, and the schooner, hauled up, had heeled to her scuppers. "Slap the stays'l to her and up with the balloon. Half the fleet's driving to the no'the'ard. Lively." The Johnnie liked that rarely.
Here the women of their company succeeded first in bringing them to speak, and afterwards to eat and sleep together. And, by this time, several of the ships of burden and some of his friends began to come in to him from the rout, bringing news of his fleet's being quite destroyed, but that the land-forces, they thought, still stood firm.
But he faced the hopelessness of people to whom his utmost effort seemed mockery because it was so far from being enough. He gathered together the men who'd tried to keep the fleet's ships in working order during their flight. They were competent men, of course. They were resolute. But now they had given up hope. Hoddan began to lecture them. They needed machines.
Arten called and carefully inquired into Mrs. Fleet's symptoms. Her son stood anxiously by awaiting the result of the examination. At last the physician said, cheerily: "There is no immediate occasion for alarm here. I am sorry to say that your mother's lungs are far from strong, but they may carry her through many comfortable years yet. I will prescribe tonics, and you may hope for the best.
There is nothing a snob hates so much as snobbery in another. Viva to your new friend, Charmian!" She wondered a little whether Miss Fleet's perception of character was as keen as her breeding was definite, when she heard that Claude Heath had met her. Heath told Mrs. Mansfield this. Miss Fleet had made a strong impression upon him. At the moment when he had met her he had felt specially downcast.
Doubtless, this sortie, which ended so disastrously for the Russians, was prompted in part by anticipation of the Baltic fleet's approaching departure, and had the Port Arthur squadron, or any considerable portion of it, reached Vladivostok before Rozhdestvensky's coming, Admiral Togo might have been caught between two fires. The result of the sortie, however, dispelled that hope.
Of course, as he is in the Reserve, he may find himself employed on some form of home defence. I could see that Alick thinks that the Germans will probably try and land in England invade it, in fact, as the Normans did." The old lady smiled. "It's an amusing idea, isn't it?" "But surely the fleet's there to prevent that!" said Mrs. Otway.
Said Pyecroft, with a sigh: "The amount o' trouble me an' my bright spurs 'ad fishin' out that information from torpedo coxswains and similar blighters in pubs all this afternoon, you would never believe." "But has the Stiletto broken down?" I asked weakly. "How else are we to get Red Fleet's private signal-code? Any way, if she 'asn't now, she will before manoeuvres are ended.
"The fleet's sailed," said Pyecroft, "leavin' us on the beach as before. Had you any particular port in your mind?" "Well, I was going to meet a friend at Instead Wick, but I don't mind " "Oh! that'll do as well as anything! We're on leaf, you see." "She'll hardly hold four," said my engineer. I had broken him of the foolish habit of being surprised at things, but he was visibly uneasy.
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