and hints of boycotting the offenders were spread about.
However, full explanations were quickly made, and the incident was
forgotten.

Amongst the recommendations made by Sir William Jervois, who had left
South Australia early in 1882, and had been succeeded by Sir William
Robertson, brother of Sir Hercules Robinson, was the acquisition of an
up-to-date gunboat as a beginning of a limited but efficient naval unit
for the defence of South Australia. At this time the Colonies of Victoria
and Queensland had started naval units of their own. Victoria had quite,
for those days, an imposing little fleet, the flagship of which was the
old _Cerberus_. The Colony of New South Wales had not deemed it necessary
to start a fleet on its own. Sydney was the base and headquarters of the
Imperial warships then attached to the Australian station. Consequently
they felt more than fully protected from the point of view of naval
defence. The South Australian Government gave effect to Sir William
Jervois's recommendation, and a gunboat, christened the _Protector_,
built by the firm of Sir William Armstrong, Newcastle-on-Tyne, was
selected, and left England on its outward-bound voyage. The citizens of
Adelaide were much interested in its arrival. This vessel, which was
still in commission two years ago, served for many years as a training
ship for the members of the Naval Reserve. On the occasion of the taking
over of the Defence Forces of the several colonies by the Commonwealth
Government, the captain of the _Protector_ became the senior naval
officer of the Naval Defence Forces. Captain William Cresswell was
afterwards appointed First Member of the Naval Board of Control in the
Commonwealth, promoted to admiral, and knighted. Curiously enough, he
spoke Spanish. He had been born in Gibraltar, not far from Jerez. His
sister was for many years head of the Post Office, in fact,
Postmistress-General at the Rock.

Sir William Jervois's son, my Woolwich mate, had taken on the duties of
Adjutant-General on the departure of his father. He was completing the
term of his engagement at the time when General Downes left for
Melbourne. Pending the arrival of Lieut.-Colonel J. F. Owen, R.A., he was
acting Commandant, and I became, for the time being, acting
Adjutant-General.

It was then we had a surprise. One morning the look-out station people at
Glenelg sighted columns of heavy smoke, evidently issuing from large
craft making towards Glenelg from