"Now, my idea is this. The _Laird_ runs her after-repair trials to-morrow, and I will telegraph to her Captain and order him to report defects requiring twelve days to repair, and make arrangements as if our departure would be delayed till then, and give the information to the Press. "The scheme is this, Doc," he continued excitedly. "’No. 1’ destroyer runs her trials on Saturday next after coming out of dock. My idea is for us to go down to Portsmouth, take Hopkins with us—as if only for the trial, you understand—and, when we are out at Spithead, signal to the remainder of the squadron to prepare for sea, and to send a telegram to the _Laird_ at Birkenhead ordering her to meet me at a certain rendezvous." "That fellow Hopkins is a greater fool than I take him for if he is deceived by that," growled Dr. Fox. "Perhaps you are right, but I will try; and I will wire to Cummins of the _Laird_ at once." "You had better use the cipher code," Dr. Fox suggested. The twenty-four hours which followed the despatch of this telegram seemed like the same number of days. Helston could not sleep. Twice during the night he came to Dr. Fox’s room, with wild suggestions for warding off the blow he now felt certain was impending, and haggard and irresolute he paced to and fro in the smoking-room after breakfast next morning. At one moment he would decide to rush off to Birkenhead himself; at another, that he would pack up and go aboard the _Strong Arm_ at Spithead and await results there. Finally, he did not stir from the hotel till the evening, when the reply to his telegram arrived. "Full-speed trial successful; sundry small defects; condenser-tubes require fourteen days to repair." It was Hopkins who brought in the telegram. "Confound him!" cried Helston, with well simulated wrath. "We shall never get to sea at this rate." Orders were made out that the squadron would sail from Spithead in fifteen days’ time, and the date of sailing was communicated to the Press. It was only Helston and Dr. Fox who knew that it would actually sail a week earlier. "Thank God," exclaimed Helston, "there are only a few more days of these hateful Chinese!" *CHAPTER V* *The Squadron leaves hurriedly* A Break-down Averted—The "Sylvia" and the Destroyers _The Narrative is continued by Lieutenant Hugo John Pattison, R.N._ My name is Pattison, and I’m lieutenant in command of destroyer "No. 1", belonging to Captain Helston’s squadron; and trouble enough I had to get her, and shouldn’t have done so after all, but for a jolly little girl living at Fareham, who knew the Skipper when he was on half-pay.