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In a few minutes the tire was fixed. Clumsily but successfully, the great Irishman turned the car round away from the city. "She's a hummer," he muttered. "I'll make her go when we get the hang of it. Sit tight!" They drove clumsily off, gathering speed at every yard. Behind, in the shadow of the tower, the signalman lay dead.
But I don't like going too near Finisterre, though, Mr Quadrant, with a westerly gale threatening," said the captain. "We cannot help ourselves, however, at present, for we must go after this wreck and see if there're any unfortunate people aboard; though, I think those Frenchmen might have overhauled her themselves, instead of leaving it for us to do! Hoist `H V L, signalman!
Exiled from aft the main-hatchway, Mr Jocko took up his quarters with the boatswain, who offered to assume charge of him when Doctor Mopson gave him up as a bad job and the other officers repudiated him; and, being now able to associate with us forward more freely, he quickly learnt all manner of new tricks, using a glass, for instance, as well as a signalman, and another sort of glass, especially if it contained grog, as expertly as Joblins did, when he had the chance.
They pointed it out to others, and as the orders were strict to report anything out of the way, someone shouted to the nearest look-out. A cry went over the ship, and there was hasty wigwagging of the signalman, and three of the destroyers leaped away like hounds on the chase.
The signalman had run up B flag for the cutter's return; but, as no notice was apparently taken of the signal, the captain ordered one of the bow guns to be fired.
"I should think so, sir; but it's just like those Johnny Crapauds always gabbling a lot about nothing!" rejoined the commander, who, at last, had now found the right page of the signal book. "Yes, sir, you're quite right, as usual! I wish I had your memory for signals! He `wants to communicate. Signalman, hoist our answering pen'ant!"
Once `Mr Bim' got in a roundabout blow that landed on Mick's left cheek, which drew blood, and sent him all of a stagger into the corner where the signalman and I stood officiating as bottle-holders. This raised a wild yell of excited enthusiasm from all the assembled darkeys, both ladies and gentlemen alike. "Golly, dat fetch um, Bim!" they shouted. "Gib um goss, Bim!
"No, sir; alive itself." "How can that be? Hail him again. Ask him what it is." The officer went out, and hailed the signalman at the mast-head. "What is it?" "Sea-sarpint, I think." This hail reached the captain's ears faintly. However, he waited quietly till the officer came in and reported it; then he burst out, "Absurd! there is no such creature in the universe. What do you say, Dr. Staines?
B, C, D, E, P, and T; J and K; M and N, among others, are very much alike when pronounced by themselves; but "butter" could not well be mistaken for "Charlie," neither could "monkey" be confounded with "nuts." The Leading Signalman looked out the meaning of the different groups of letters in the book provided for the purpose and showed the result to his commanding officer.
"Now we'll get 'em.... Lord!" in a piercing undertone as some misguided humorist in the cruiser's stokehold inconsiderately allowed a puff of black smoke to issue forth from the foremost funnel, completely to obliterate the strings of flags. The Leading Signalman, not being a thought reader as well as a conjurer, put down his telescope with a grunt until the pall cleared away.
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