Charles Beadle

“ Although Vi used the binoculars frequently never a sign of a ship, nor even the smoke of a steamer, stained the clear horizon.
Several times to Vi's annoyance Carnell, black with dust and sweat, ran up to the bridge “to get some air,” he said; and once Chi Loo appeared bearing a cup of tea and without comment held out in the other yellow palm a small packet which caused Vi literally to yelp with delight.
“Oh, you darling!” she exclaimed, abandoning the wheel to tear open the cigarets. “Where on earth did you get 'em?” ”

“ Carnell, please sign me as an A.B. or whatever you call it.”
“I don't see why she shouldn't,” concurred the captain.
“Good ——!” exclaimed Vi exasperatedly. “Won't you permit a woman to have the intelligence of an ordinary sailor? Is it so terribly difficult to twiddle a wheel this way and that and see that the ship's bow keeps on the compass-point?”
“Miss Kelvett's perfectly right, sir,” said Carnell.
“H'm, I suppose so,” assented the conservative old man. “All right, Mr. Carnell. Get steam on as soon as we can—but we'd better do this disagreeable job first, I think. ”

“ Then, each expressing a human emotion by a sigh of relief which even the war had not removed from the heart of man, the crew divided up and the first watch descended into the stoke-hole with the donkeyman to serve as amateur stokers. ”

“ Chi Loo says that he followed us down and that there was nobody there.”
“Seems queer,” commented Vi. “He can't have got drunk in such a short time even if he hadn't had his normal amount of food yesterday; and if he has, where could he have gone?”
On deck Carnell met them.
“The donkeyman seems to know enough to act as engineer, sir,” he reported, “so I've divided the other men into watches of six to act as stokers, and you and I, sir, I thought to take the wheel. We'll be able to keep one boiler going.”
“Very good, Mr. Carnell,” assented the captain. ”

“ Carnell insisted upon taking the wheel while uncle and niece dined. Afterward the captain, to please Vi, let her have the wheel until four bells, pretending to take another rest. When she retired to the chartroom, which was provided with a spare bunk, she found that the inimitable Chi Loo had provided a gorgeous silk dressing-gown which evidently he had found in one of the cabins. ”

“ After the usual little scrap between uncle and niece she had her way and he retired to the adjacent chartroom to pretend to take a nap, on the understanding that Vi gave up the wheel at eight bells in the evening, leaving the Old Man to take the wheel during the night. ”