I reckon that this is the door. And, by Jiminy! there is the
admiral himself, walking beside the other officer in gold lace--a
flag-captain, I should say, by his aiguillettes."

"That's him, right enough," agreed Frobisher, and together the two men
set off in pursuit, keeping a little in the rear until the two officers
should have finished their conversation.

Presently the captain saluted and went off about his own business, and
Wong-lih, turning, caught sight of Drake and Frobisher. As his eyes
fell upon the latter, he stood stock-still, his jaw dropped, his
eyebrows went up, and he looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"Why, Captain Frobisher," he exclaimed at last, coming forward and
holding out his hand, "is it then really you? My dear boy, I am glad to
see you again, safe and sound, too, by all appearances. I have been
mourning you as dead these three months and more, ever since I got back
from the south and learnt of the disaster to the _Su-chen_ on the
Hoang-ho. I never expected to see you alive again when I heard that you
had fallen into the clutches of the pirates; and I was more grieved than
I can tell you--as Captain Drake here can testify--not to be able to
send a rescue party after you to try to save, or at least avenge, you.
But it was absolutely impossible; I had neither ships nor men to spare.
The imminence of our war with Japan, which has been threatening daily
for months past, and which is now an all-but-acknowledged fact, would
not allow of it. Much as I regretted you, my country naturally was my
first consideration."

"Of course, sir," agreed Frobisher heartily; "I quite understand. I,
too, am delighted to see you once more; indeed, I came down here to the
yard on purpose to find you and report myself ready for duty. I hope,
sir, that you can still employ me."

"Employ you?" ejaculated the admiral. "I should rather say we can!
Why, I could use hundreds of men like you, if only they existed in
China. But come along to my office; we can talk more comfortably there.
And you too, Captain Drake, if you will so far honour my poor
quarters."

"With pleasure, with pleasure, my lord--your maj---er--Sir, I mean,"
Drake almost shouted, in his confusion, quite "flabbergasted", as he
himself would have called it, at the Chinaman's stately, old-world
courtesy. And a few minutes later they found themselves in Wong-lih's
comfortably-furnished office, in the ordnance department of the
dockyard. A