This left "Pen" to conjecture as to whether he should report his
misadventure, and, if so, how best to go about it.

"See here, Hallam," began the worried midshipman, "I begin to feel that
it will be safer to turn in some kind of report on myself."

"Much safer," agreed Hallam. "It will show good faith on your part if
you report yourself."

"And get me broken from the service, too, I suppose," growled the
unhappy one.

"I hardly think it will, if you report yourself first," urged Hallam.
"But you'll be about certain to get your walking papers if you wait for
the first information to come from other sources."

"Hang it," groaned Pennington, "I wish I could think, but my head aches
as though it would split and my tooth is putting up more trouble than I
ever knew there was in the world. And, in this racked condition, I'm to
go and put myself on the pap-sheet. In what way shall I do it, Hallam?
Can't you suggest something?"

"Yes," retorted Hallam with great energy. "Go to the medical officer and
tell him how your tooth troubles you. Tell him what you tried on shore.
I'll go with you, if you want."

"Will you, old man? I'll be a thousand times obliged!"

So the pair went off in search of the sick-bay, as the hospital part of
a battleship is called. The surgeon was not in his office adjoining, but