It was past midnight; and although the crews of both vessels had gone through a severe ordeal of physical endurance, they were each anxious to hear what the other had to say about the events of the last forty-eight hours, which were beset with peril, and had culminated by boldly running into the anchorage over the mines in defiance of the regulations—­to say nothing of the danger of being blown up, or the mysterious prospect of Siberia!  The captain of the Aureola was greatly perturbed, and he promptly ordered his gig to be manned to take him to the Claverhouse.  On getting aboard, he reproached his friend for leading him into what might prove a serious scrape.  The two men talked long of the exciting doings of the day and the policy that should be adopted on the morrow, when they would be confronted with officials that were not over well-disposed to British subjects.  They fully realized that the case would have to be managed with great astuteness, so they bethought themselves of one of the cleverest and most popular men in——­, and sent a message to him asking his help.  His name need not be mentioned; he is long since dead, and it is sufficient to say that he was an educated Maltese, and held a kind of magnetic influence over the harbour authorities.  The Admiral was an amiable man in an ordinary way, and susceptible to the temptations that beset officials in these places; but the Claverhouse’s offence was no common one, nor could it be approached in an ordinary way of speech.

On going ashore, the captains were ushered into the presence of the infuriated official who was to decide their destiny.  He fumed and foamed savagely, and whenever an attempt was made to speak his paroxysms became inhuman.  Their Maltese friend had come to their aid, and was waiting patiently for the storm to subside, so that he could explain how it happened that the regulations came to be broken.  Things looked black until Mr. C——­ began to speak in Russian.  It took him some time to get the great man pacified, and as soon as that was accomplished he said to the master of the Claverhouse—­“You know that you could be sent to Siberia or less.  How am I to explain it?  Why did you not keep at sea all night?  There is only one thing that will save you.”

“Well, then,” responded the captain of the Claverhouse, “let that one thing be arranged; but let me also state the cause of our breaking the law.  We could have kept the sea quite well had we known exactly where we were, but we could see nothing, and had to navigate by taking soundings, and as soon as we got into seven fathoms the water became smooth, and, fearing we might run aground, the anchor was let go.  As for the rockets that were fired by the gunboat, we had passed the line of torpedoes before our attention was attracted by the firing.  The Admiral himself could not have avoided it.  Surely he cannot think we deliberately ran into the anchorage?”

“That is just what he does think,” said Mr. C——.  “What am I to do?”