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We had refitted, and been four days at sea, on our voyage to Jamaica, when the gunroom officers gave our mess a blow out.
I had been invited to dine with the gunroom officers this day, and every thing was going on smooth and comfortable, when Mr Splinter spoke. "I say, master, don't you smell gunpowder?" "Yes I do," said the little master, "or something deuced like it." To explain the particular comfort of our position, it may be right to mention that the magazine of a brig sloop is exactly under the gunroom.
These are our realms, no limits to their sway. Our flag the sceptre all who meet obey. At three o'clock next morning, about an hour and a half before daydawn, I was roused from my cot by the gruff voice of the boatswain on deck "All hands up anchor." The next moment the gunroom steward entered with a lantern, which he placed on the table "Gentlemen, all hands up anchor, if you please."
"Oh, he won't lose anything by that," rejoined Commander Nesbitt, who did not have a very high opinion of my old training-ship, as I have already pointed out; and, just then, seeing me standing by, he said, "Take this young gentleman down to the gunroom, Vernon, and make him comfortable. I suppose you are already acquainted, both of you coming from the same ship?"
The first lieutenant was engaged on deck, and the master was in his cot, suffering from a severe contusion; so when got on board the corvette, and dived into the gunroom in search ol some crumbs of comfort, the deuce a living soul was there to welcome me, except the gunroom steward, who speedily produced some cold meat, and asked me if I would take a glass of swizzle.
There was not the least doubt about it. In every wardroom and gunroom of every Japanese warship there was an album containing a beautiful, complete set of photographs of every ship in the Russian navy, each ship being pictured from at least four different points of view; and it was a part of every officer's duty to study these photographs until he had acquired the ability to identify at sight any Russian warship he might chance to encounter.
This was carefully conveyed below, under a guard, to prevent embezzlement. I nevertheless found means, with the assistance of my associates, to convey a cleft of it into the Gunroom, where it was immediately secreted. Our mess was thereby supplied with a sufficient quantity for a long time, and its members were considered by far the most wealthy persons in all this republic of misery.
"Well, all this isn't my pidgin," Rand said to Gladys. "I only work here, Deo gratias, and I still have some work to do." With that, he walked past Goode and Dunmore and ascended the spiral stairway to the gunroom. Even at the desk, in the far corner of the room, he could hear them going at it, hammer-and-tongs, in the library.
'Kedgeree, the others called him. He's Sub of the Gunroom. That's about all of the old lot in the Channel Fleet. But I think you'll like all the rest. It's a very happy mess." The India-rubber Man was roving round the cabin examining photographs. "Hullo!" he said. "You've got poor old Torps's photo here." "Yes," was the reply. "I I met a woman when I was on leave, of whom he was very fond.
He had once had a commodious gunroom, but had given it up, under pressure from his wife, who thought she could make a better use of it, since Hazlehurst was small and she had numerous guests, but the study was his private retreat.
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