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I must send down and tell the captain at once." With that, he hailed the midshipman of the watch and despatched him with the news to Captain Hankey's cabin aft; while at the same time he rang the engine-room gong, and shouted down through the voice-tube to tell them below to `stand by, as probably we would want steam up in a very short time; directing also the coxswains of the boats alongside to make ready, as well as passing the word forward for the boatswain's mates and the drummer and bugler to be handy when wanted.
But I wasn't going to let her get into action before me, if I could help it, and I called down the voice-tube to Carmichael, our Engineer Commander, explaining the state of affairs, and begging him to do his best.
The Covadonga had come up level with the Peruvian monitor, and the Union, being obliged to circle to seaward as she found herself in shoal water, was about three-quarters of a mile astern, although still firing incessantly. Condell gave one last look round and then shouted "Fire!" through the voice-tube which led to the gunboat's little turret.
He yelled into a supplementary voice-tube to "starboard your wheel slowly." This was not answered, and with his own hands he coupled up the steering-wheel on the binnacle and gave it a turn.
Condell now shouted down the voice-tube to the engine-room, ordering the staff to let him have as much steam as the boilers would carry, and rang for full speed at the same time.
"Bravo!" cried the skipper, sounding the gong again and yelling down the voice-tube that led below like one possessed. "Fire up, below there, and let her rip!" "Dear, dear," panted Mr Stokes, whose fears for his engines, which he regarded with the affection which a young mother might bestow on her first baby, began to overcome his interest in the chase after the black pirates.
Presently another sound greeted my ears and made me jump. It was that of the electric bell in the wheel-house, giving warning that those below in the emporium wished to make some communication. Mr Stokes went to the voice-tube that led down thither from the bridge. "What's the matter?" he roared into the mouthpiece so loud that I heard every word he uttered, although a-top of the mast.
The blare of bugle and beat of drum rang through the ship, mingled with the hiss and roar of the steam rushing up the funnels; the captain, as he sang out his orders to those on deck, mechanically, from force of habit, putting his hand on the engine-room telegraph to prepare the `greasers' in the flat below, and rapidly shouting down the voice-tube, as soon as the electric bell on the bridge gave a responsive tinkle, that they were to `get up steam' as quickly as possible.
So now I called to him down the voice-tube, begging him to speed her up as far as he dared; and a few minutes later I noticed that we were gaining upon the Iwate, our next ahead, while the Asama, our second astern, was also stoking up. Thereupon I signalled the flagship that we had speed in hand, if required, and the order was at once given to increase speed by half a knot.
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