Section XXI Penalty for entertaining a Deserter.

Every Officer in Command of any Ship of Her Majesty who shall receive or entertain any Deserter from Her Majesty's Military or Naval Forces, after discovering him to be a Deserter, and shall not, with all convenient Speed, in the Case of a Deserter from Her Majesty's Naval Forces, give Notice to the Commanding Officer of the Ship to which such Deserter belongs, or, if such Ship is at a Distance, to the Secretary of the Admiralty or to the Commander-in-Chief, or, in case of a Deserter from Her Majesty's Military Forces, give Notice to the Secretary of War or the Commanding Officer of the Regiment to which such Deserter belongs, the Officer so offending shall be dismissed from Her Majesty's Service, or shall suffer such other Punishment as is herein-after mentioned.