d the boat not
even manned."

The Surgeon eyed him severely. "You're none too smart on it yourself,
Bunje. Where's Thorogood? Where's Number One? Where's Gerrard?
Where's--ah, now they're coming."

A sleepy-eyed procession, athletically clad, but not otherwise
conveying an impression of vast enthusiasm in the venture, trooped up
the hatchway and congregated in a shivering group at the gangway.

"When I go away pulling," said the First Lieutenant, apparently
addressing a watchful-eyed gull volplaning past with outstretched
wings, "when I go away pulling, I like to get straight into the boat,
shove off and start right in. It's this hanging about----"

"It's Tweedledee's fault," protested the coxswain bitterly. "I wrote
it down last night on the slate. He's too busy guzzling cocoa to
attend to his job, that's the truth of the matter. Are we all here
now, anyway...?" He scanned the faces of his little band of heroes.
"Derreck!" he said suddenly. "Now, where's Derreck? Really, this is
just about the pink limit. How could anyone----"

"Hullo, hullo, hullo!" The form of the Engineer Lieutenant emerged
from the superstructure and came skipping towards them. "Sorry,
everybody! Am I late? My perishing servant forgot to call me. And
then I couldn't find my little short pants. Tweedledee, I've just been
having a lap at your cocoa: the Quartermaster said it was getting cold."

"Not mine," replied the Officer of the Watch. "I've finished mine.
You've probably drunk the Commander's. He put it down for a minute----"

The face of the Engineer Lieutenant grew suddenly anxious. "Well, what
about getting into the boat and shoving off? What are we all standing
about getting cold for? I vote we have a jolly good pull, too. Stay
away for half-an-hour or so--eh?"

The long, slim galley came at length alongside under the manipulation
of the two rather apathetic members of the galley's crew, and the
officers' racing crew descended the gangway and took possession of her.

"Now then," said the Young Doctor, "sort yourselves out: Number One
stroke, Gerrard bow, Bunje----"

"I'm going bow," said the Engineer Lieutenant. "I pulled bow at Keyham
for two years, and in China----"

"If you stand there kagging[1] we'll never get away," interposed the
coxswain, "and the Commander will want to know who drank his cocoa.
Bunje second stroke, James third stroke. Derreck, you're second bow,
and Tweedledum third bow, and fo