Hopkins is a careless fellow, and nearly brought us to grief. He had been down below poking about in the engine-room, and, just before we began to settle down to our trial, Elridge came up to the bridge to report to the Captain. As he was going away again he jokingly said to Hopkins: "It’s lucky I went round after you. You know those lubricator feeds you couldn’t understand? I found that you’d left every oil-cock turned off, and our starboard crank bearings would have been red-hot in a few minutes. You are a careless beggar." "I’m so mighty inquisitive," apologized Hopkins, and asked Elridge to let him come down below again. "Certainly not; I want you up here," said Captain Helston, in so angry a manner that everyone was quite astonished. The news that we were not going back soon spread amongst my men, and Captain Helston ordered me to fall them in, just abaft the bridge, and made them a little speech—just the right thing—no big words and high-sounding phrases. He told them he was very sorry they wouldn’t have the opportunity of wishing their friends good-bye, said he relied on them to do their duty, and held out the probability of prize-money. He has a fine, tall, commanding figure, and his speech went down with the men very well. Nothing important happened. We never pressed the engines to full speed, and after a short time dropped to fifteen knots, which we kept up all through the afternoon, steering out of the usual course of ships running up or down channel till we reached the rendezvous and stopped engines. Next morning "No. 2" and "No. 3" joined us. Late that afternoon the _Strong Arm_ and the _Sylvia_, armed store-ship, joined company, and, ten hours later, we were all exceedingly pleased to sight the _Laird_. Captain Helston, his secretary, and Dr. Fox went aboard her as soon as possible, and the squadron, now united for the first time, steamed for Gibraltar. I rather fancy we were all somewhat disappointed at sneaking away in the dark, as it were, and had rather expected, and looked forward to, a hearty send-off. There wasn’t much time for regrets, however, for we had all our time taken up keeping station with the next ships ahead and astern, and plenty to think about. Our little squadron made a brave show. First came the _Laird_. She was a cruiser of 6500 tons, with a narrow 4-inch belt all round her water-line. On her fo’c’stle she carried an 8-inch Q.F., another on the poop, and on each broadside were six 6-inch Q.F.—three on each side of the main deck in casemates, and three above on the upper deck behind shields.