-jacket with "HMS Blazer"
printed in gold letters on the ribbon of his straw hat, handing me the
sidelines of the accommodation ladder, which reached far enough down for
me to step on to it from the gunwale of the sampan; and when the
lieutenant in command of the gunboat, a handsome fellow like Mr Mackay,
addressed me, I could not at first speak from emotion.

But my mission was too important to be delayed, and I soon found my
voice; a very few words being sufficient to explain all the
circumstances of the case to the lieutenant.

"Full speed ahead!" he called out to the officer on the bridge, as soon
as he had heard me out, directing also the blue-jacket who had received
me at the entry port to pass the word down that he wanted to speak to
the gunner; while Ching Wang was invited to come on board and the sampan
veered astern by its painter and taken in tow.

The lieutenant turned to me when these orders had been given, although
he did not keep me half a minute waiting; and, calling me by my name,
which I had told him, said, "We shall be up to the pirates before
nightfall, Mr Graham, for the old Blazer can go ten knots on an
emergency like this. I've no doubt we'll be in plenty of time to rescue
your shipmates before they have another brush with the pirates."

He then invited me to go below and have some refreshment; but I was too
anxious about those on board the poor Silver Queen to care about eating
then. However, I took a nice long drink of some delicious lemonade with
pleasure, for I was so thirsty that my tongue had swollen to the roof of
my mouth; while Ching Wang, who had recovered his usual placid and
imperturbable demeanour, accepted the hospitalities of the crew with
great complacency, his emotion not affecting his appetite at any rate.

If I did not care about eating, though, I was highly interested in the
preparation of the Blazer presently for action, her five-inch breech-
loaders being loaded with Palliser shell and the hoppers of her machine-
guns filled; while the crew with rifles in their hands and cutlasses by
their side mustered at quarters.

"I think, Mr Graham," said the lieutenant, noticing my admiring gaze,
"we'll be able to teach your Malay friends something of a lesson--eh?"

"I hope so, sir," I replied. "I don't think there's much thinking about
it, though. I'm only afraid they'll run away before we can reach them."

"No fear of that," said he laughing. "The Blazer, as I've told you