Every one embraced every one else. No one thought of sleep. On the bridge Fourgues tried to pour the champagne, but he spilled it on our hands in the dark, he was trembling so with excitement. We drank what was left. “With all this,” he said, “we don’t know when the thing started. Pretty fools we look without wireless or anything! We might have butted into the Boches! However, all’s well. Decent chaps, the English, to be on our side. What should we have done if they had left us in the lurch?” “What about the Russians?” queried Muriac. “They’re all right!” said Fourgues. “We are all going in together.” “And the Italians?” said Blangy. “Um! We must get some information. Could you hit it up a bit, Muriac?” “We ought to manage eleven knots. The coal is good and the shaft will hold.” “All right. Let her rip! We must get to H---- to-morrow.” We put on all the speed we could. As for me, I didn’t sleep. I had been counting on a leave in August while the boilers were being cleaned, and was going home, to La Rochelle. You know why, old man. I told you about it in New Orleans; it was to have been this year. What will she say, poor little thing? I had to put to sea again without seeing her! The _Pamir_ reached H---- at nine in the morning. Fourgues went to the Naval Préfecture and returned at noon with the daily papers and the news. “No one knows what is to be done with the _Pamir_. We have to wait for orders. I wired to the owner; I asked the Admiral to unload the cotton. They told me to keep it pending further instructions. We are forbidden to touch anything. No examination of our engine or boilers! Muriac, your shaft will be looked after later! This afternoon a Naval officer will come aboard to settle the destination of officers and crew.” If we had not been at war Fourgues would have exploded. To leave us with five thousand bales of cotton in the hold, the boilers and shaft unrepaired and without a notion of what we were going to do the next day! But he took it very well, even not being allowed to go ashore and the order to keep up steam. The Naval officer, one of the Tin Hat sort, came on board about three o’clock. He mustered the crew, looked at the Service certificates, and in half an hour had fixed everything up. Muriac went, Blangy also. Half the deck crew and three-quarters of the engine-room artificers packed up and landed. The officer said that it was to man the war-vessels and coast-defences. He told us to leave that very evening for the port of ---- in Morocco, where we should receive further orders. Fourgues became a bit restive. “See here! You want me to run over to Morocco with two officers missing and half the crew?” “We need the officers. Ships of war come first. Those registered for active service afloat serve in the Fleet, officers or men. As for men, we will send you at five o’clock a contingent of reservists, five seamen and ten engine-room ratings.”