“Nice to have been aboard your vessel, Captain,” Hackenticker said.
“Delighted to have you, sir. Delighted.”
Hackenticker gave a final grin. “I’ll bet,” he said and stepped into the gasoline gig. Captain Watkiss gave a perfunctory salute and turned round on Halfhyde.
“Now, Mr Halfhyde, those blasted Uhlans and the parson. I propose taking the parson aboard the Commodore’s ship if he’s sober enough, and he’ll be accompanied by my report and submissions as to his conduct, the bugger. But what about the Uhlans?”
“They’ve given no trouble, sir—”
“I didn’t say they had, and anyway they can’t do much without their blasted horses, can they? I’d better leave that to Commodore Marriot-Lee, I think. He may wish to take them into Hong Kong for questioning, or something.” Captain Watkiss gave a brisk rub of his hands. Things were not too black–why, they were not black at all really. Good heavens, no! He summarized his virtues to Halfhyde: “Well, Mr Halfhyde, I’ve done my duty, I fancy.”
“Yes, indeed, sir.”
“I took off the Consulate staff and the blasted civilians, I achieved what I was sent to do, I believe. I outwitted the Americans, too!”
“Outwitted them, sir?”
Watkiss glared angrily. “Well, dealt with them, then. Hackenticker had rather a hang-dog look, I thought. One of them was a German anyway.”
“Yes, sir.” Halfhyde coughed. “And the treaties, sir? They’re not yet—”
“Oh, balls to treaties, Mr Halfhyde, I’m a sailor not a blasted diplomat, and as I said, I’ve done my duty, what more could be expected I’d like to know! One day the British Consulate in Chungking will re-open, and then the dagoes’ll know they can’t cock snooks at British power and get away with it, won’t they?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And talking of damn diplomacy,” Watkiss went on with a belligerent look in his eye, “if I hadn’t allowed that blasted Hun to make a dash for the Russians there would have been a very nasty incident and what would have happened to diplomacy then, may I ask? I avoided that quite neatly, I thought.”
“Very neatly indeed, sir.”
Watkiss bounced up and down on the balls of his feet. “Obstinate bugger’s probably been shot by now I shouldn’t wonder, or on his way to the Siberian salt mines.”
“Perhaps, sir.” Halfhyde paused. “The signal, sir?”
Watkiss looked blank. “What signal, pray?”
“The Commodore. You had not yet decided what to make when we raised the flagship off the estuary—”
“Oh, yes, yes. Well, now I have decided, Mr Halfhyde, so kindly take a note and inform my yeoman of signals. He’s to make, to Commodore China Squadron from Senior Officer First River Gunboat Flotilla, mission accomplished in every particular in accordance with your orders. I am able to report complete success and propose to board you shortly with twelve Uhlan Lancers and a clerk in Holy Orders.”
Halfhyde on the Yangtze Page 20
