f her navigating bridge and gave a lengthy
reply, which the Englishman, of course, could not understand; but from
the expression on the admiral's face he could see that the news was not
at all of a satisfactory character. When the other officer had finished
speaking, Wong-lih ground out a few tense words that sounded
suspiciously like a Chinese execration, and, turning to Frobisher,
exclaimed in tones of the deepest annoyance:--

"This is most unfortunate indeed, Mr Frobisher. As I almost suspected
the moment I discovered that yonder craft was a cruiser, she is the
_Chih' Yuen_, the ship to which I intended you to be appointed. And now
look where your future command lies! So surely as either Admiral Ting
or I are out of the way, something of this sort inevitably happens.
It's those mandarins again, of course, who are at the bottom of the
whole trouble. That fool aboard there who calls himself the captain
tells me that, shortly after I sailed, Prince Hsi, who considers himself
an authority on Naval matters, decided that the guns in the fore
barbette of the _Chi' Yuen_ were of too small a calibre, and in my
absence he managed to prevail upon the Council to send her to
Wei-hai-wei to be docked and have her 9.4's replaced by 12-inch guns.
Twelve-inch guns in a ship of her size! The man is mad! But I know his
game. His intention was to have sold the 9.4's, replacing them with a
couple of old, out-of-date 12's which I happen to know are lying in the
yard, and pocketing the difference.

"That is the sort of thing that goes on in my unhappy country all the
time, Mr Frobisher--theft, bribery, corruption, all manner of petty
chicanery, especially in matters connected with the Army and Navy; and
then they expect us unfortunate officers to do our work with any old
material that the high officials have not thought it worth while to
pilfer! It is heart-breaking. There, in order to replenish the pockets
of Prince Hsi, lies one of the finest cruisers in our Navy, wrecked, and
likely to be lost entirely if it comes on to blow again. But," he went
on, still more excitedly, "she shall not be lost. I will get her off,
and she shall go to Wei-hai-wei to be repaired in dock--but not to have
her guns exchanged. Those in her shall remain there; and his Highness
can look elsewhere for something to fill his coffers."

Again seizing the megaphone, Wong-lih entered into a long conversation
with the temporary skipper of the _Chih' Yu