“Nothing worth mentioning, sir,” replied the chief electrician.

“I asked you, Whittam, whether there had been any breaches of conduct,” retorted the officer with some asperity.

“One midshipman, sir, after having been instructed to touch nothing, rested his hand on one of the brass rods.”

“His name?”

“I don’t know the names of many of the young gentlemen yet, sir, so I don’t know the particular midshipman’s name, sir.”

“Then point him out to me,” insisted the officer.

There was hardly any need to do so.  Pennington’s face, flushed with mortification, was sufficient identification.  But the chief electrician stepped over, halting in front of the hapless one, and said: 

“This is the young gentleman, sir.”

“Your name, sir?” demanded the officer.

“Pennington, sir.”

“Mr. Pennington, you will place yourself on the report, sir, for disobedience of orders,” commanded the officer.  “Is this the only case, Whittam?”

“The only case, sir.”

The officer passed out of the dynamo room, leaving the unlucky one more than ever angry with Darrin, whom he incorrectly charged with his present trouble.

The recall sounding, Dave turned to Whittam, saying crisply but pleasantly: 

“Thank you for our instruction.”

“He’s thanking the fellow for my new scrape,” growled Pennington inwardly.

Dave marched his section back to deck and dismissed it.  Dan Dalzell, as section leader in steam instruction, immediately re-formed it.

“You will report in the engine-room, Mr. Dalzell, to Lieutenant-Commander Forman, who is chief engineer of this ship.  He will assign you to an instructor.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” Dan replied, saluting.  “Section, right wheel—­march!”

Dan already knew where, down in the bowels of the great battleship, to find the engine room.

Reaching that department, Dan halted his section.

“Section all present, sir,” reported Dan, saluting a strange officer, who, however, wore the insignia of a lieutenant-commander.

“Your name, sir?” inquired the officer.

“Dalzell, sir.”

“Let your section break ranks.  Then you may all follow me, and keep your eyes open, for you will go through one or two dark places.”

“Aye, aye, sir.  Section break ranks.”

Lieutenant-Commander Forman led the way, with all the members of the section wondering what was to be the nature of their first day’s work in the engineer department.

Descending lower into the ship, the chief engineer led the young middies over a grating, and paused at the head of an iron ladder.

“Pass down in orderly fashion, single file,” directed the chief engineer, halting.  “When at the foot of this ladder, cross a grating to port side, and then descend a second ladder, which you will find.”

All the midshipmen went down the first ladder in silence.  Dan, who had preceded the others, crossed the grating and found the second ladder.