V 
 
 V \ EDV/ARJ 
 
 STRATEMEYER- 
 
\ LIBRARY } 
 
 UHIVtITY OF 
 CAUFftftMIA 
 
 SAN DIEGO 
 
EDWARD STRATEMEYER S BOOKS 
 to lorg Series 
 
 C/0M Illustrated Price per volume $1.25, 
 
 UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA Or the War Fortunes of a Castaway. 
 A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA Or Fighting for the Single 
 
 Star. 
 
 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS Or Under Schley on the Brooklyn. 
 UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES Or A Young Officer in the 
 Tropics. (In Press,) 
 
 OTfje 330untj to Sttrceeli Series 
 
 Three volumes Cloth Illustrated Prick per volume $1,00. 
 RICHARD DARE S VENTURE Or Striking Out for Himself. 
 OLIVER BRIGHT S SEARCH Or The M>stery of a Mine. 
 TO ALASKA FOR GOLD Or The Fortune Hunters of the Yukon. 
 
 (In Press.) 
 
 2Tf)E Sfjip anfc Sfjore Scries 
 
 Three volumes Cloth Illustrated Price per volume $1,00. 
 
 THE LAST CRUISE OF THE SPITFIRE Or Larry Foster s Strange 
 
 Voyage. 
 REUBEN STONE S DISCOVERY Or The Young Miller of Torrent 
 
 Bend. 
 TRUE TO HIMSELF Or Roger Strong s Struggle for Place. (In 
 
 Press.) 
 
TiiK FLAGSHIP HK(;A.\ THK FIRING. 
 
FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 UNDER SCIILEY ON THE BROOKLYN 
 
 BY 
 
 EDWARD STRATEMEYER 
 
 AUTHOR OF "UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA" "A YOUNG VOLUNTEER 
 
 IN CUBA" "RICHARD DARE S VENTURE" "OLIVER BKIGHT S 
 
 SEARCH " " TO ALASKA FOR GOLD " ETC. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY 
 A. B. SHUTE 
 
 BOSTON 
 LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS 
 
 1899 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY LEE AND SHEPARD. 
 
 All Eights Reserved. 
 
 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS. 
 
 Nortaoot 
 
 J. S. Cushinpc & Co. Berwick & Smith 
 Norwood Mass. U.S.A. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 " FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS," although a com 
 plete story in itself, forms the third volume of the 
 u Old Glory Series," tales depicting the various cam 
 paigns in our late war with Spain. 
 
 In " Under Dewey at Manila " we followed Larry 
 Russell s adventures on board of the flagship Olym- 
 pia during the memorable contest off Cavite ; in 
 " A Young Volunteer in Cuba " we marched and 
 fought with Ben Russell in that notable campaign 
 leading up to the surrender of Santiago ; and in the 
 present volume are narrated the haps and mishaps 
 of Walter Russell, who joins Commodore Schley s 
 flagship, the Brooklyn, and sails with the Flying 
 Squadron from Hampton Roads to Key West, thence 
 to Cienfuegos, and at last succeeds in " bottling 
 up " Admiral Cervera s fleet in Santiago Bay. The 
 long blockade and the various bombardments are 
 described, and then follow the particulars of that 
 masterly battle on the part of the North Atlantic 
 
 iii 
 
iv PREFACE 
 
 Squadron which led to the total destruction of the 
 Spanish warships. 
 
 Walter Russell s bravery may seem overdrawn, 
 but such is far from being a fact. That our sailors 
 were heroes in those days we have but to remember 
 the sinking of the Merrimac, the Winsloiv affair, and 
 a score of deeds of equal daring. " The hour makes 
 the man," and the opportunity likewise makes the 
 hero. Walter was brave, but he was no more so 
 than hundreds of others who stood ready to lay down 
 their lives in the cause of humanity and for the 
 honor of Old Glory. Like his two brothers, his 
 religious belief was of the practical kind, and he 
 went into battle convinced that so long as he did his 
 duty according to the dictates of his conscience, an 
 all- wise and all-powerful Providence would guide 
 him and watch over him. 
 
 The author cannot refrain from saying a word 
 about the historical portions of the present work. 
 They have been gleaned from the best available 
 authorities, including the reports of Admiral Samp 
 son, Commodore Schley, and a number of captains 
 who took part in the contest ; also the personal 
 narratives of one man who was on board the Merri- 
 mac at the time that craft was sunk, and of a 
 
number who have made the Brooklyn their home for 
 several years past, and who will probably remain 
 on the pride of the Flying Squadron for some time 
 to come. 
 
 In presenting this third volume, the author begs 
 to thank both critics and the public for the cordial 
 reception accorded to the previous volumes, and 
 trusts that the present story will meet with equal 
 
 commendation. 
 
 EDWARD STRATEMEYER. 
 
 NEWARK, N.J., 
 
 March 1, 1899. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. WALTER DETERMINES TO ENTER THE NAVY . 1 
 
 II. A VISIT TO THE NAVY-YARD .... 14 
 
 III. A CHASE AND ITS RESULT .... 28 
 
 IV. ON THE WAY TO THE " BROOKLYN " . .42 
 V. SOMETHING ABOUT WAR AND PRIZE MONEY . 55 
 
 VI. A GLIMPSE OF THE PRESIDENT ... 68 
 
 VII. A TALK ABOUT SPANISH SAILORS ... 82 
 
 VIII. THE MEN BEHIND THE GUNS .... 95 
 
 IX. COMMODORE WINFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY . . 108 
 
 X. WALTER SHOWS HIS PLUCK .... 121 
 
 XL THE SAILING OF THE FLYING SQUADRON . 133 
 
 XII. AN ADVENTURE OFF CHARLESTON . . . 143 
 
 XIII. IN WHICH THE GOLD PIECE COMES TO LIGHT 154 
 
 XIV. KEY WEST, AND THE LAST OF JIM HASKETT 164 
 XV. FROM CIENFUEGOS TO SANTIAGO BAY . . 174 
 
 XVI. THE FINDING OF ADMIRAL CERVERA S FLEET 184 
 
 XVII. IN WHICH THE " MERRIMAC " is SUNK . . 194 
 
Vlii CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XVIII. WALTER S ADVENTURE ON SHORE . . 204 
 
 XIX. CARLOS, THE REBEL SPY .... 215 
 
 XX. IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY . . . 223 
 
 XXI. THE FLIGHT TO THE SEACOAST . . . 232 
 
 XXII. THE LANDING OF THE MARINES AT GUAN- 
 
 TANAMO . 243 
 
 XXIII. IN A SPANISH PRISON 251 
 
 XXIV. BACK TO THE " BROOKLYN " AGAIN . . 202 
 XXV. THE BOMBARDMENT OF THE SANTIAGO BAT 
 TERIES 272 
 
 XXVI. IN WHICH THE ARMY OF INVASION ARRIVES 282 
 
 XXVII. THE SPANISH FLEET AND ITS COMMANDER 294 
 
 XXVIII. " THE ENEMY is ESCAPING ! " . . .304 
 
 XXIX. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET 315 
 
 XXX. FINAL SCENES OF THE GREAT FIGHT . . 320 
 
 XXXI. TOGETHER ONCE MORE CONCLUSION. 335 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 " The flagship began the firing "... Frontispiece 
 
 PAGE 
 
 " He bent over Walter again " 35 
 
 " The President bowed in return " 80 
 
 " See here, I want to talk to you " 116 
 
 " I ll get square on all of you 1 " 166 
 
 " With a final lurch the Merrimac went down " . . 205 
 
 " Surrender, or I ll shoot you where you stand ! " . . 234 
 
 " Rammer in hand, Walter edged close to the muzzle " . 327 
 
FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATEKS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 - WALTER DETERMINES TO ENTER THE NAVY 
 
 " WELL, Walter, I suppose the newspapers are 
 going like hot cakes this morning." 
 
 " They are, Mr. Newell. Everybody wants the 
 news. I ran out of Globes and Heralds before 
 seven o clock, and sent Dan down for fifty more 
 of each." 
 
 " That was right. It s a windfall for us news 
 dealers, as well as a glorious victory to match. It 
 makes me think of my old war days, when I was 
 aboard of the Carondelet under Captain Walke. 
 We didn t sink so many ships as Dewey has at 
 Manila, but we sank some, and smashed many a 
 shore battery in the bargain, along the banks of 
 the Mississippi. What does that extra have to 
 say ? " and Phil Newell, the one-legged civil-war 
 naval veteran, who was also proprietor of the 
 
 1 
 
2 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 news-stand, took the sheet which Walter Russell, 
 his clerk, handed out. 
 
 " There is not much additional news as yet," 
 answered Walter. " One of the sensational papers 
 has it that Dewey is now bombarding Manila, but 
 the news is not confirmed. But it is true that 
 our squadron sunk every one of the Spanish war 
 ships, and that, I reckon, is enough for one 
 victory." 
 
 " True, my lad, true ; but there is nothing like 
 keeping at em, when you have em on the run. 
 That is the way we did down South. Perhaps 
 Dewey is waiting for additional instructions from 
 Washington. I hope he didn t suffer much of a 
 loss. Some papers say he came off scot free, but 
 that seems too good to be true." 
 
 " The news makes me feel more than ever like 
 enlisting," continued the boy, after a pause, during 
 which he served out half a dozen newspapers to 
 as many customers. " What a glorious thing it 
 must be to fight like that and come out on top ! " 
 
 " Glorious doesn t express it, Walter. Why, if 
 it wasn t for this game leg of mine, and my age 
 being against me, I d go over to the navy-yard 
 to-day and reenlist, keelhaul me if I wouldn t ! " 
 
WALTER DETERMINES TO ENTER THE NAVY 3 
 
 "But what of the stand?" 
 
 "The stand could take care of itself until the 
 Dons were given the thrashing they deserve for 
 making the Cubans suffer beyond all reason." 
 Phil Newell threw back his head and gave a 
 laugh. " That puts me in mind of something that 
 happened when the Civil War started. A young 
 lawyer in New York locked up his office and 
 pasted a notice on his door : Gone to the front. 
 Will be back when the war is over. I d have to 
 put up something similar, wouldn t I ? " 
 
 "I wish you and I could go together, Mr. Newell." 
 
 " So do I, Walter, but I m over sixty now, and 
 they want young blood. By the way, what of 
 that brother of yours down in New York ? " 
 
 " Ben has joined the militia of that State, and 
 is now at Camp Black waiting to be sworn into 
 the United States service. I wish he had come on 
 to Boston." 
 
 " Well, Uncle Sam wants soldiers as well as 
 sailors, or he wouldn t call for a hundred and 
 twenty-five thousand volunteers. But give me 
 the deck or gun-room of a warship every time. 
 Nothing finer in the world. I served for nearly 
 ten years, and I know." 
 
4 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 Walter smiled, and then waited on several 
 additional customers. " My youngest brother, 
 Larry, takes to the ocean," he answered. " He 
 is out on the Pacific now, somewhere between the 
 Hawaiian Islands and Hong Kong. He was al 
 ways crazy for a boat when we were at home in 
 Buffalo together, and spent all his spare time on 
 Lake Erie." 
 
 " Going to Hong Kong, eh ? That s not so far 
 from the Philippines. It is a pity he is not with 
 Commodore Dewey. It would be a feather in his 
 cap when he got home." 
 
 A steady stream of customers for five minutes 
 broke off the conversation at this point, and throw 
 ing down his newspaper, Phil Newell he never 
 wanted to be called Philip entered the stand to 
 help his young assistant. The stand was situated 
 in the heart of Boston, just outside of one of the 
 leading hotels, and trade at this hour in the morn 
 ing, eight o clock, was always brisk. 
 
 When there came a lull later on, Walter turned 
 again to his employer. " Mr. Newell, what if I 
 do enlist? Can you spare me?" he questioned. 
 
 "What! do you really mean it, Walter?" 
 
 " I do, sir. As you know, I ve been thinking 
 
WALTEli DETERMINES TO ENTER THE NAVY 5 
 
 the matter over ever since this war with Spain 
 started." 
 
 " But you ve got to have your guardian s con 
 sent, or they won t take you." 
 
 " I ve got it in my pocket now. I wrote to him 
 last week, and he answered that, as Ben had al 
 ready joined the soldiers, I could do as I pleased, 
 but I mustn t blame him if I was killed." 
 
 " Which you wouldn t be likely to do, if you 
 were killed dead, so to speak," laughed Phil Newell. 
 Then he slapped Walter on the back, for twenty 
 odd years on land had not taken his " sea-dog " 
 manners from him. " Enlist, my lad, enlist by all 
 means, if you feel it your duty. Of course I don t 
 like to lose such a handy clerk, but Uncle Sam can 
 have you and welcome." 
 
 " Didn t you say there was a young man named 
 Gimpwell looking for this position ? " 
 
 "Yes, and he wants it badly, for he has a sick 
 sister to support." 
 
 " Has he any experience ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ; he tended a railroad stand for several 
 years." 
 
 "Then, perhaps you could break him in with 
 out much trouble if I went away." 
 
6 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " Do you want to go at once ? " 
 
 " If I am to enlist, then it seems to me the 
 quicker the better. I see by the papers that some 
 of our warships are still at Hampton Roads and 
 Key West, but there is no telling when they will 
 start for Cuban waters. Besides, I ve been think 
 ing that if I could manage it, I should like to get 
 aboard of the Brooklyn, the flagship of Commodore 
 Schley s Flying Squadron, which is now at Hamp 
 ton Roads awaiting orders." 
 
 "It s not so easy to pick your ship, my lad. 
 However, if you wish, you can go over to the navy- 
 yard this afternoon and see what you can do, 
 and I ll go along and leave Dan in charge here," 
 concluded Phil Newell. 
 
 Walter Russell was one of three brothers, of 
 whom Ben was the eldest and Larry the youngest. 
 Their home had been in Buffalo, where at the death 
 of their mother, a widow, they had been turned 
 over to the care of their step-uncle, Mr. Job 
 Dowling, an eccentric old bachelor, whose prime 
 object in life was to hoard up money. 
 
 In the two volumes previous to this, entitled 
 respectively, "Under Dewey at Manila," and "A 
 Young Volunteer in Cuba," I related how the boys 
 
WALTER DETERMINES TO ENTER THE NAVY 7 
 
 found it impossible to remain under Job Bowling s 
 roof, and how they ran away, each to seek fortune 
 as he might find it. Larry drifted first to San 
 Francisco and then to Honolulu, the principal city 
 of the Hawaiian Islands, where he shipped on a 
 vessel bound for Hong Kong. From this ship he 
 was cast overboard with a Yankee friend named 
 Luke Striker, and both were picked up by the 
 flagship Olympia of the Asiatic Squadron and taken 
 to Manila Bay, there to serve most gallantly under 
 the naval commander whose name has since be 
 come a household word everywhere. As Walter 
 had intimated, Larry was a sailor by nature, and 
 it was likely that he would follow the sea as long 
 as he lived. 
 
 Ben and Walter had gone eastward, but at 
 Middletown, in New York State, they had sepa 
 rated, Walter to drift to Boston, and Ben to make 
 his way to New York. At the latter city the 
 eldest of the Russell brothers had secured employ 
 ment in a hardware establishment, but this place 
 was burned out, and then Ben enlisted in the 
 71st Regiment of New York, while his intimate 
 friend, Gilbert Pennington, joined Roosevelt s 
 Rough Riders, and both went to Cuba, there to 
 
8 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 fight valorously in that campaign which led to the 
 surrender of Santiago and caused Spain to sue for 
 peace. 
 
 As Walter had written to Larry, the recital of 
 the former s adventures in getting from Middle- 
 town to Boston would fill a volume. He had stolen 
 a ride on the cars from Middletown to Albany, 
 and during this wild trip his hat blew off and 
 was not recovered. He was put off the train just 
 outside of the capital city; and, stopping at a 
 farmhouse to inquire the way, had his clothing 
 torn by a bull-dog that was more than anxious to 
 get at what was beneath the garments. Walter 
 hardly knew what to do, when a tramp put in an 
 appearance, and sent a well-directed stone at the 
 dog s head, causing the beast to slink away. The 
 tramp introduced himself as Raymond Cass, a brick 
 layer, out of luck, and bound for Boston on foot. 
 He proposed that they journey together, and Walter 
 rather hesitatingly consented. They moved east 
 ward in company for two days, when, on awaken 
 ing one morning, Walter found Raymond Cass 
 missing. The boy s coat was also gone, and with 
 it his entire capital, forty-seven cents. 
 
 The pair had made their bed in the haymow of 
 
WALTER DETERMINES TO ENTER THE NAVY . 9 
 
 a large barn, and while Walter was searching for 
 the tramp, the owner of the place came up and 
 demanded to know what the youth was doing on 
 his premises. Walter s tale was soon told, and 
 Farmer Hardell agreed to give him a week s work 
 in his dairy, one of the dairymen being sick. For 
 this Walter received four dollars, and an old hat 
 and a coat in addition. 
 
 Leaving Cornberry, the name of the hamlet, 
 Walter had struck out once more for Boston, but 
 this time steering clear of all tramps, of the Ray 
 mond Cass type or otherwise. He was sparing of 
 his money, and the first day out earned his dinner 
 and a packed-up lunch for supper, by putting in 
 two panes of glass for an old lady who had waited 
 for a week for a travelling glazier to come around 
 and do the job. In addition to this, the lad 
 worked for two days at a village blacksmith s es 
 tablishment during the absence of the regular helper 
 who had gone to his aunt s funeral in another place, 
 and also found a regular position with a florist, 
 who had a number of large greenhouses up the 
 Charles River. Walter was not used to working 
 where there was so much glass, and on the third 
 day he allowed a step-ladder he was using to slip. 
 
10 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 The ladder crashed through several hot-bed frames, 
 and poor Walter was discharged on the spot, with 
 out a cent of pay. 
 
 The boy s next move had been to the river, 
 where he had obtained a position on a freight 
 steamboat. His duty was to truck freight on and 
 off, and the work blistered his hands and gave 
 him many a backache. But he stuck to it for two 
 weeks, thereby earning fourteen dollars, and with 
 this capital entered Boston. 
 
 Walter had not expected an easy time finding a 
 situation in the Hub, but neither had he antici 
 pated the repeated failures that one after another 
 stared him in the face. For over a week he 
 tramped up and down, without so much as a 
 " smell of an opening," as he afterwards wrote to 
 his brothers. In the meanwhile his money dimin 
 ished rapidly, until more than two-thirds of it 
 was gone. 
 
 A deed of kindness had obtained for him the 
 position with Phil Newell. Chancing to walk 
 along School Street one afternoon, he had seen two 
 boys beating a small boy unmercifully. The small 
 boy had turned into Province Street, and the big 
 boys had followed, and here they had thrown the 
 
WALTER DETERMINES TO ENTER THE NAVY 11 
 
 little fellow down, and were on the point of kick 
 ing him, when AV alter rushed up and flung both 
 back. " You brutes, to attack such a small boy ! " 
 lie had cried. " Clear out, or I ll call a policeman, 
 and have you both locked up." 
 
 " We told him to keep back at de newspaper 
 office," growled one of the big fellows. " Do it 
 again, Dan Brown, and we ll give it to you worse," 
 and then as Walter advanced once more, both 
 took to their heels and disappeared. 
 
 Dan Brown had been very grateful, and ques 
 tionings had elicited the information that the lad 
 worked for Phil Newell, as a paper carrier and to 
 do errands. "His regular clerk, Dick Borden, left 
 yesterday," Dan had continued; "perhaps you can 
 get the job." And Walter had lost no time in follow 
 ing the small youth to Newell s place of business. 
 Here Dan s story was told, and the lad put in a 
 good word for Walter, with the result that the 
 youth was taken for a week on trial. How well 
 Walter pleased the old naval veteran we have 
 already seen. He had now occupied the place as 
 head clerk for nearly two months, and his salary 
 had been increased from four dollars a week to 
 six. He boarded with Dan s mother, in a little 
 
12 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 suite of rooms on a modest side street, not a great 
 distance from the Common. 
 
 It must not be supposed that Job Dowling, who 
 held a good deal of money in trust for the boys, 
 had allowed them to run off without making an 
 effort to bring them back. Larry was out of his 
 reach, but Ben and Walter were not, and the 
 miserly man had descended upon Ben in New 
 York and tried his best to " make things warm," 
 as Ben had mentioned in a letter to Larry. But 
 Job Dowling had overreached himself by attempt 
 ing to sell a watch and some jewelry which had 
 belonged originally to Mr. and Mrs. Russell, heir 
 looms which were not to be disposed of under 
 any circumstances. On his trip to New York 
 after Ben, the articles had been stolen from him at 
 the Post-office something that had so frightened 
 Job Dowling that he had consented to Ben s en 
 listing in the army with scarcely a murmur, fear 
 ful the youth might otherwise have him brought 
 to book for what had happened. A vigorous 
 search had been made for the thief, but he was 
 not found. Later on, when Ben was in the army, 
 Job Dowling received information that caused him 
 to reach the conclusion that the thief had gone 
 
"WALTER DETERMINES TO ENTEE THE NAVY 13 
 
 to Boston. The miserly guardian of the boys 
 returned to his home in Buffalo and, as much 
 worried as ever, wrote to Walter to keep an eye 
 open for the missing property. Walter did as re 
 quested, but in such a large place as the Hub 
 the youth had little hope of ever seeing the 
 precious heirlooms again. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 A VISIT TO THE NAVY-YAHD 
 
 THERE was a rush of business at the news-stand 
 between twelve and one o clock, but shortly after 
 one this died away, and inside of half an hour 
 Phil Newell told Walter that they might be on 
 their way " If you are bound to enlist in Uncle 
 Sam s service," he added. 
 
 Walter made sure that the paper containing Job 
 Bowling s permission for him to enter the navy 
 was safe in his coat pocket, and then announced 
 his readiness to depart. The owner of the stand 
 called up Dan Brown and gave him a few direc 
 tions, and in another minute Newell and Walter 
 had boarded a Charlestown car and were off. 
 
 " I haven t been over to the navy-yard for sev 
 eral years," remarked Phil Newell, as they rode 
 along. "I used to know several of the boys that 
 were there, but they ve grown too old for the 
 service. I reckon the yard is a busy place these 
 days." 
 
 14 
 
A VISIT TO THE NAVY-YARD 15 
 
 And a busy place it proved to be as they turned 
 into Chelsea Street, and moved along the solid 
 granite wall which separates the yard from the 
 public thoroughfare. From beyond came the creak 
 ing of hoists, and the ringing of countless hammers 
 and anvils, for the government employees were 
 hard at work, fitting out a warship or two and 
 converting several private vessels into naval craft. 
 
 " I don t know if I m just right about this," 
 went on Phil Newell, as they headed for one of 
 the numerous buildings near the wall, after being 
 passed by a guard. " It may be that they want 
 to keep strangers out, now the war is on, and 
 you ll have to go elsewhere to sign articles. But 
 I know old Caleb Walton is here, and he ll tell 
 me all lie can, and set us straight." 
 
 Walter s heart beat violently, for he began to 
 realize that the step he was about to take was a 
 serious one. Who knew but that, after getting 
 into the navy, he might be sent to the Philippines 
 or to the coast of Spain ? Already there was 
 some talk of carrying the war into the enemy s 
 home Avaters. 
 
 " But I don t care," he said to himself. " If 
 Larry can ship for Hong Kong, I guess I m safe 
 
16 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 in shipping to anywhere. But I do hope I can 
 get on the Brooklyn, or on some other ship of the 
 Flying Squadron." 
 
 "Hi, there, Phil Newell I What brought you 
 here, you old landlubber ? " came a cry from their 
 left, and Phil Newell turned as swiftly as his 
 wooden leg permitted, to find himself confronted 
 by the very individual he had started out to find. 
 
 " Caleb Walton ! " he ejaculated joyfully, and 
 held out his bronzed hand. " I just came in to 
 see you. Here is a young friend of mine who 
 wants to sign articles under Uncle Sam. Do you 
 think you can take him in ? " 
 
 "Take him in?" Caleb Walton held out his 
 hand, brown and as tough as a piece of leather. 
 " Sure we can take him in, if he s sound, and 
 glad to get him." He gave Walter s hand a grip 
 that made every bone crack. " So you want to 
 enlist, eh ? Go right over to 3 r onder office, and 
 they ll soon put you through a course of sprouts," 
 and he laughed good-naturedly. 
 
 " But, hold on, Caleb," interposed Newell, as the 
 seaman was about to show Walter the way. " He 
 don t want to sign articles and go just anywhere. 
 He would like to get aboard the Brooklyn." 
 
A VISIT TO THE NAVY-YARD 17 
 
 " That is what half of all who come here want," 
 answered Caleb Walton. " I reckon they think 
 Commodore Schley s Flying Squadron is going 
 to settle the whole war by going after that Span 
 ish fleet said to be at Cadiz, or thereabouts. 
 Well, the lad better come with me. I belong to 
 the Brooklyn now." 
 
 " You ! " came from both Phil Newell and Wal 
 ter simultaneously. 
 
 " I thought you were stationed here ? " con 
 tinued the wooden-legged man. 
 
 "I was, but I ve just received orders to join 
 the Brooklyn and bring at least fifteen men with 
 me. It seems they are short-handed and can t 
 get the men at Norfolk. If this lad wants to 
 go with me, now is his chance. What s his 
 handle ? " 
 
 " My name is Walter Russell, sir. But but 
 are you going to join the Brooklyn at once ? " 
 stammered Walter, never having dreamed that 
 he would be taken away on the spot. 
 
 " Uncle Sam doesn t wait long when he picks 
 his man," replied the old gunner, for such Caleb 
 Walton was. "Orders were to leave Boston to 
 night, but I fancy we ll be kept until to-morrow 
 
18 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 night, for we are shy three men, not counting 
 you. Come on." And he led the way to the 
 building he had previously pointed out. 
 
 " He s all right, and you re in luck," whispered 
 Phil Newell, when he got the chance. " Cotton 
 to Caleb Walton, and you ll have a friend worth 
 the making." How true were Newell s words the 
 chapters to follow will prove. 
 
 The building to which Caleb Walton led them 
 was one in which were situated the main business 
 offices of the yard. This was now a busy place, 
 and they had to fairly push their way through 
 the crowd of seamen, officers, and workmen, who 
 kept coming and going, on one errand or another. 
 Several telephones were ringing, and from a cor 
 ner came the steady click-click of a telegraph 
 sounder. 
 
 " Uncle Sam has his shirt sleeves rolled up and 
 is pitching in," whispered Caleb Walton. " Here 
 we are. Captain Line, here is another man for 
 my party." 
 
 " He s rather a boy," rejoined Captain Line, as 
 he gave Walter a searching glance. " Is your 
 father with you ? " 
 
 " My father is dead," answered Walter, softly. 
 
A VISIT TO THE NAVY-YAKD 19 
 
 "Here is my guardian s consent." And he handed 
 over the sheet. 
 
 " That seems to be correct. Walton, take him 
 over to the examination room. And hurry up, 
 for I must catch the four-fifty train for New 
 York." 
 
 The " course of sprouts " had begun, and almost 
 before he knew it, Walter had been passed upon 
 as able-bodied. Time was pressing, and in a quar 
 ter of an hour the youth received a slip of paper 
 signed and sealed by Captain Line. 
 
 " That is good for your passage to Fortress 
 Monroe," he said. " You will make the journey 
 in company with Walton and a number of others. 
 When you get there you will report to Lieu 
 tenant Lee, who will have you transferred to the 
 Brooklyn, unless the flagship has already sailed, 
 in which case you will be assigned to some 
 other ship." 
 
 "And when do I start, sir?" 
 
 " Walton will have the orders inside of the 
 next hour. Go with him, and he will tell you 
 what to do." Then came a bang of the curtain 
 to a roller-top desk, a shoving back of a revolv 
 ing chair, and in a twinkle Captain Line had dis- 
 
20 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 appeared from view. Truly, Uncle Sam and all 
 under him were rushing things. 
 
 Walter wished very much to visit the dry dock 
 and the great west basin, filled as both were with 
 vessels in various stages of construction, altera 
 tion, or repair, but he felt if he was to leave that 
 night he must be getting back to Boston and to 
 his boarding-house, to pack his "ditty box," as 
 Phil Newell had dubbed his valise, for all such 
 receptacles are called ditty boxes in the navy. 
 
 " All right, Walter, you go ahead," said Newell. 
 I ll stay with Caleb and let you know just when 
 you are to leave, so you won t be left behind." 
 And in a moment more the youth had run out of 
 the navy-yard and was on board of another car. 
 He made one transfer, and in less than half an 
 hour entered Mrs. Brown s home. 
 
 "Why, Mr. Russell, what brings you?" queried 
 Dan s mother, surprised at his appearance, for he 
 rarely showed himself during the day excepting 
 at the dinner and the supper hours. 
 
 " I ve enlisted, Mrs. Brown, and I m to get off 
 to-night or to-morrow," he answered. " You can 
 let Mr. Keefe have my room now. I m glad that 
 it won t be left empty on your hands." 
 
A VISIT TO THE NAVY-YARD 21 
 
 " So am I, Mr. Russell, for a poor widow can t 
 afford to have a room vacant long," replied 
 Mrs. Brown, with a faint smile. " So you have 
 really entered the navy? Well, I wish you all 
 the luck in the world, and I hope you will come 
 out of the war a a commodore, or something 
 like that." And she wrung his hand. 
 
 Walter s belongings were few, and soon packed 
 away in his valise. Then he ran downstairs 
 again and bid Mrs. Brown good-by and settled 
 up with her. "I ll write to you and Dan some 
 time," he said, on parting. 
 
 " Well, did you make it ? " was Dan s question, 
 when Walter appeared at the news-stand. 
 
 "I did, Dan." And the protege of Uncle Sam 
 told his youthful friend the particulars. 
 
 " I m glad you got on the Brooklyn" said Dan, 
 with a shake of his curly head. "She s going to 
 lick the Spaniards out of their boots, see if she 
 ain t ! " And his earnestness made Walter laugh. 
 Dan was but eleven, yet he read the newspapers 
 as closely as do many grown folks. 
 
 The afternoon papers were now coming in and 
 trade picked up, so that Walter had to help 
 behind the counter. While he was at \vork a 
 
22 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 tall, thin boy sauntered up and gazed at him 
 doubtfully. 
 
 " That s George Gimpwell," whispered Dan. 
 " Didn t the boss say something about hiring 
 him ? " 
 
 "He did, Dan. Call him over." 
 
 The errand boy did so. " Russell wants to see 
 you," he explained. 
 
 " I believe you were speaking to Mr. Newell 
 about this situation," began Walter. 
 
 " Well er I asked him if he had any open 
 ing. I want work the worst way," sighed George 
 Gimpwell. " Of course, I don t want to do you 
 out of your job." 
 
 " That s all right ; I ve just enlisted in the 
 navy," replied Walter, and he could not help but 
 feel proud over the words. " So if you want this 
 situation, you had best remain around here until 
 Mr. Newell gets back." 
 
 "I will." George Gimpwell s face brightened. 
 " So you ve enlisted ? I wanted to do that, but I 
 was too tall for my weight, so they told me." 
 
 " So you ve enlisted ? " broke in a gentleman 
 standing by. " Glad to hear it, young man ; it 
 does you credit." And buying a magazine, lie 
 
A VISIT TO THE NAVY-YARD 23 
 
 caught Walter by the hand and wished him well. 
 Soon it became noised around on the block that 
 Newell s clerk was going to join the Brooklyn, 
 and half a dozen, including the clerk of the 
 hotel, came out to see him about it. In those 
 days, anybody connected with our army or navy 
 was quite a hero, and somebody to be looked up 
 to, people unconsciously told themselves. 
 
 It was after seven o clock, and Walter was 
 wondering if anything unusual had delayed his 
 employer, when Phil Newell hove into appearance. 
 " It s all right, my lad, don t worry," he said at 
 once. " You don t leave until to-morrow noon. 
 You are to meet Caleb Walton at the New York 
 and New England railroad depot at exactly eleven 
 o clock, and all of the others of the crowd are to 
 be there too. The government wants to get you 
 down to Norfolk as soon as it can, and will, 
 consequently, send you by rail instead of by 
 water." 
 
 " Hurrah ! that will make a jolly trip," cried 
 Walter. " If only I could stop off at New York, 
 take a run out to Camp Black, and see Ben." 
 
 " I doubt if you ll be given time to stop any 
 where, time seems to be so precious. Caleb Wai- 
 
24 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 ton thinks the Flying Squadron will up anchors 
 before another week is out." 
 
 " Well, I don t care how quickly they leave 
 after I am on board," laughed the youth, much 
 relieved that nothing had occurred whereby he 
 had been left behind. 
 
 George Gimpwell now came up again, and soon 
 he was engaged to take Walter s place. Phil 
 Newell promised him five dollars weekly, and as 
 Walter had gotten six, the good-hearted news 
 dealer put the extra dollar on Dan s salary, much 
 to that lad s delight. 
 
 Eight o clock found Walter at the stand alone, 
 and it was then that he penned the letter mailed 
 to Ben, as mentioned in a previous volume, stat 
 ing he had enlisted and was making a strong 
 " pull " to get on the Brooklyn. " I won t say I 
 am on her until it s a fact," he thought, as he 
 sealed up the communication, stamped it, and 
 placed it in the corner letter-box. 
 
 The stand was located in a niche of the hotel, 
 and was open only in the front, above the counter. 
 At night this space was closed by letting down 
 two large shutters attached to several hinges and 
 ropes. 
 
A VISIT TO THE NAVY-YARD 25 
 
 "I reckon this is the last time I ll put these 
 shutters down," thought Walter, as he brought 
 one down on the run. He was about to drop the 
 second, when a burly man, rather shabbily dressed, 
 sauntered up, and asked for one of the weekly 
 sporting papers. 
 
 " I m thinking of going to the theatre," he 
 said, somewhat unsteadily, and now Walter learned 
 by a whiff of his breath that he had been 
 drinking. " What s the best variety show in 
 town ? " 
 
 " I ll give it up," said the youth, laughingly. 
 " I haven t been to a show since I came to Bos 
 ton, and that s a number of weeks ago." 
 
 " Humph ! What do you do with yourself 
 nights ? " 
 
 " I m here up to eight or half past, and after 
 that I either go home or to one of the public 
 reading rooms, or to the Young Men s Christian 
 Association Hall." 
 
 "Humph! that must be dead slow." The man 
 lurched heavily against the counter. " What time 
 is it now ? " 
 
 " About half past eight. I haven t any watch, 
 so I can t tell you exactly." 
 
26 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 "I ve got a watch right here," mumbled the 
 newcomer, still leaning heavily on the counter. 
 " Here it is. But your light is so low I can t see 
 the hands. Turn it up." 
 
 Walter obligingly complied, and the fellow tried 
 again to see the time, but failed. " Strike a 
 match," he went on; "I ain t going to no theatre 
 if it s as late as you say it is." 
 
 Walter did not like the man s manner, but not 
 caring to enter into any dispute, he lit a match as 
 requested, and held it down close to the time 
 piece, which lay in the man s open palm. 
 
 "Only eight-twenty," grumbled the fellow, 
 slowly. " I knew you was off. You don t 
 What s up ? " And suddenly he straightened him 
 self and stared at Walter. 
 
 " I want to know where you got that watch," 
 demanded the youth, excitedly. 
 
 " That watch ? " The man fell back a pace. 
 "What do you ahem why do you ask that 
 question, boy?" 
 
 " Because I know that watch," was Walter s 
 ready reply. " It was stolen from my uncle in 
 New York only a few weeks ago ! " 
 
 " Was it ? " The man s face changed color. 
 
A VISIT TO THE NAVY-YARD 27 
 
 " You you re mistaken, boy," he faltered, and 
 fell back still further, and then, as Walter leaped 
 over the counter, he took to his heels and started 
 down the half-deserted street at the best speed at 
 his command. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 A CHASE AND ITS RESULT 
 
 WALTER knew that watch, which had belonged 
 first to his father and then his mother, quite well, 
 but if there was anything 1 needed to convince him 
 that there was no mistake in the identification, it 
 was furnished by the hasty and unceremonious 
 manner in which the partly intoxicated wearer 
 was endeavoring to quit the scene. 
 
 " If he was honest, he wouldn t run ! " thought 
 the youth. " Ten to one he s the thief who took 
 the grip from Uncle Job." He started after the 
 fleeing one. " Come back here ! " he shouted. 
 " Stop, thief ! " 
 
 But the man did not stop ; instead, he tried to 
 run the faster. But he did not turn any corners, 
 and consequently, aided by the electric lights, 
 Walter could see him for quite a distance ahead. 
 
 The youth ran but a few yards, then turned 
 and dashed back to the stand. Bang ! the second 
 
 28 
 
A CHASE AND lj.S .RESULT 29 
 
 shutter came down with a crash, and in a trice 
 he had the padlock secured. Then off he set, 
 satisfied that a form in the distance was the one 
 he wanted to overtake. 
 
 "What s the matter?" questioned a policeman 
 on the second corner, as he clutched Walter by 
 the arm. " What are you running for ? " 
 
 " Didn t I call out to catch the thief ? " answered 
 the youth, sharply. " Let me go. If you weren t 
 so dead slow, you d be doing something, instead 
 of standing there looking at the moon." And on 
 he went again, the officer shaking his fist after 
 him, half of the opinion that Walter was trying 
 to joke him. 
 
 At this hour of the evening the street was far 
 from crowded, and Walter kept the man ahead in 
 sight with comparative ease. Four blocks were 
 covered, when the fellow paused and looked back. 
 Seeing he was being followed, he turned and 
 darted into a small side street. Here were a 
 number of warehouses and several tenements. The 
 door to one of the latter stood open, and he lost 
 no time in seeking the shelter of the dark hall 
 way. 
 
 " That s the time I made a bad break," he mut- 
 
30 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 tered thickly. " When I came up to Boston Avith 
 that stuff I reckoned I was safe. I wonder if 
 he ll follow me to here? He had better not, 
 unless lie wants a broken head." 
 
 In the meantime, Walter had reached the corner 
 of the side street and come to a halt. The narrow 
 thoroughfare was but dimly lighted, and not a soul 
 was in sight. 
 
 "He turned in here, I am certain of that," 
 said the boy to himself. " More than likely he is 
 in hiding in some dark corner. I wonder if I 
 hadn t better call an officer?" 
 
 With this intention he gazed around, but no 
 policeman was in view, and he did not think it 
 advisable to go back for the guardian of the 
 peace before encountered. He entered the side 
 street slowly and cautiously, peering into every 
 nook and corner, and behind every bill-board, box, 
 and barrel as he moved along. 
 
 He had just passed the tenement where the 
 man was in hiding when the sounds of muffled 
 voices broke upon his ears, and the front door 
 was thrown back with a bang. 
 
 "Who are you, and what are you doing in 
 here?" came in an unmistakable Irish voice. 
 
A CHASE AND ITS RESULT 31 
 
 "Excuse me I I made a mistake," was the 
 answer ; and now Walter recognized the tones of 
 the fellow who had the watch. "I am looking 
 for a man named Harris." 
 
 " Well, he doesn t live here, so you had better 
 get out." 
 
 "Will you er tell me who lives next door?" 
 asked the man Walter was after, in a lower tone, 
 evidently wishing to gain time ere leaving the 
 building. 
 
 " A man named Casey and another named Bar 
 ton live there. There ain t a Harris on the block. 
 If you" 
 
 " Hold him, please," burst in Walter, mounting 
 the tenement steps. " He has a watch that was 
 stolen from my uncle." 
 
 " Shut up, boy ! " answered the man fiercely. 
 " My watch is my own, and this is all a mistake." 
 
 " There is 110 mistake. Hold him, will you ? " 
 
 " I ve got him," came from the gloom of the 
 hallway. " I thought he was a sneak or some 
 thing by the way he was tip-toeing around here." 
 
 " You are both of you crazy. I never stole a 
 thing in my life. Let go, both of you ! " And 
 then the man began to struggle fiercely, finally 
 
32 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 pushing the party in the hallway backward, and 
 almost sending Walter headlong as he darted 
 down the tenement steps and continued his flight 
 along the side street. 
 
 As Walter went down, he made a clutch at the 
 man s watch-chain, or rather the chain which be 
 longed among the Russell heirlooms. He caught 
 the top guard and the chain parted, one half 
 remaining in the boy s hand, and the other fast 
 to the timepiece. 
 
 " Help me catch him ! * gasped the youth, as 
 soon as he could get up. His breast had struck 
 the edge of one of the steps, and he was momen 
 tarily winded. 
 
 "I will," answered the man who lived in the 
 tenement. " Stop there ! " he called out, and set 
 off in pursuit, with Walter beside him. But the 
 Irishman was old and rheumatic, and soon felt 
 compelled to give up the chase. " I can t match 
 ye ! " he puffed, and sank down on a step to rest ; 
 and once again Walter continued the chase alone. 
 
 Had the thief, Deck Mumpers, been perfectly 
 sober, he might have escaped with ease, for he 
 was a good runner, and at this hour of the even 
 ing hiding-places in such a city as Boston, with 
 
A CHASE AND ITS RESULT 33 
 
 its many crooked thoroughfares, were numerous. 
 But the liquor he had imbibed had made him 
 hazy in his mind, and he ran on and on, with 
 hardly any object in view excepting to put dis 
 tance between himself and his pursuer. 
 
 He was heading eastward, and presently reached 
 a wharf facing the harbor and not a great dis 
 tance from the Congress Street bridge. Here 
 there was a high board fence and a slatted gate, 
 which for some reason stood partly open. With 
 out a second thought, he slipped through the 
 gateway, slid the gate shut, and snapped the 
 hanging padlock into place. 
 
 "Now he ll have a job following me," he 
 chuckled. " I wonder what sort of a place I ve 
 struck ? " And he continued on his way, among 
 huge piles of merchandise covered with tarpaulins. 
 
 Walter had come up at his best speed and was 
 less than a hundred feet away when the gate was 
 closed and locked. 
 
 " You rascal ! " he shouted, but Deck Mumpers 
 paid no attention to his words. "Now what s to 
 do ? " the boy asked himself, dismally. 
 
 He came up to the gate and examined it. It 
 was all of nine feet high, and the palings were 
 
34 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 pointed at the top. Could he scale such a bar 
 rier? 
 
 " I must do it ! " he muttered, and thrust one 
 hand through to a cross brace- He ascended with 
 difficulty, and once slipped and ran a splinter into 
 his wrist. But undaunted he kept on until the 
 top was gained, then dropped to the planking of 
 the wharf beyond. 
 
 Several arc lights, high overhead, lit up the 
 wharf, and he ran from one pile of merchandise 
 to another. Half the wharf was thus covered, 
 when he suddenly came face to face with Deck 
 Mumpers. The thief had picked up a thick bale 
 stick, and without warning he raised this on high 
 and brought it down with all force upon Walter s 
 head. The boy gave a groan, threw up both hands, 
 and dropped like a lump of lead, senseless. 
 
 " Phew ! I wonder if I ve finished him ? " mut 
 tered the man, anxiously. " Didn t mean to hit 
 him quite so hard. But it was his own fault 
 he had no right to follow me." He bent over 
 Walter and made a hasty examination. " He s 
 breathing, that s certain. I must get away before 
 a watchman shows up." 
 
 He started to go, then paused and bent over 
 
HE BENT OVER WALTER AGAIN. 
 
 Page 35 
 
A CHASE AND ITS RESULT 35 
 
 Walter again. With a dexterity acquired by long 
 practice in his peculiar profession, he turned out 
 one pocket after another, transferring the cash 
 and other articles to his own clothing. Then, as 
 Walter gave a long, deep sigh, as if about to 
 awaken, he took to his heels once more. He was 
 in no condition to climb the wharf fence as Walter 
 had done, but helped himself over by the use of 
 several boxes ; and was soon a long distance away. 
 
 When Walter came to his senses and opened his 
 eyes, the glare from a bull s-eye lantern struck 
 him, and he saw a wharf watchman eyeing him 
 curiously. 
 
 "What are you doing here, young fellow?" 
 were the watchman s words. 
 
 "I I where is he ? " questioned the youth, 
 weakly. 
 
 "He? Who?" 
 
 "The thief the man who struck me down?" 
 
 "I haven t seen anybody but you around here." 
 
 "A thief who has my uncle s watch came in 
 here, and I followed him, and he struck me down 
 with a club. When how long is it since you 
 found me here ? " 
 
 " Several minutes ago. I thought you were 
 
36 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 drunk at first, and was going to hand you over 
 to an officer." 
 
 "I don t drink." Walter essayed to stand up, 
 but found himself too weak. " Gracious, my 
 head is spinning around like a top ! " he groaned. 
 
 " You must have got a pretty good rap to be 
 knocked out like this," commented the watchman 
 kindly. "So the man was a thief? It s a pity 
 he wasn t the one to be knocked down. Do you 
 know the fellow?" 
 
 "I would know him if we ever meet again. 
 But I fancy he won t let the grass grow under his 
 feet, after attacking me like this." 
 
 "I ll take a run around the wharf and see if I 
 can spot any stranger," concluded the watchman, 
 and hurried off. Another watchman was aroused, 
 and both made a thorough investigation, but, of 
 course, nobody was brought to light. 
 
 By the time the search was ended, Walter felt 
 something like himself, and arose slowly and 
 allowed the watchmen to conduct him to their 
 shanty at one side of the wharf. Here he bathed 
 his face, picked the splinter from his wrist, and 
 brushed up generally. A cup of hot coffee from one 
 of the watchmen s cans braced him up still further. 
 
A CHASE AND ITS RESULT 37 
 
 " It must be ten o clock, isn t it ? " lie asked. 
 
 " Ten o clock ! came from the man who had 
 found him. " I reckon that clip on the head has 
 muddled you. It s about three o clock in the 
 morning." 
 
 "Three o clock in the morning!" repeated 
 Walter. " Then I must have been lying out there 
 for several hours. That thief has escaped long 
 ago." And his face fell. 
 
 " Yes, he s had plenty of time, if he did the deed 
 as long ago as that. Did he have anything else 
 besides your uncle s watch?" 
 
 " I don t know, but it s likely. You see my 
 uncle came to New York from Buffalo to sell some 
 heirlooms which were left to my brothers and my 
 self when our folks died. The heirlooms were 
 in a travelling-bag, and consisted of the watch and 
 chain, two gold wedding rings, and a diamond that 
 a grandfather of mine once picked up in Australia. 
 My uncle left his bag standing in the post-office 
 for a few minutes, and when he got back the grip 
 was gone. The police hunted everywhere for the 
 thief, but all that could be discovered was that 
 it looked as if the rascal had come to Boston. 
 To-night or rather, last evening a man came 
 
38 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 up and showed the watch, which I know only too 
 well, as it has a little horseshoe painted on the 
 dial plate. I tried to collar the fellow, but he ran 
 away, and after stopping in a tenement house, he 
 came here. Now I suppose he is miles away 
 perhaps out of the city altogether." 
 
 " That s so, yet there is no telling, lad. The 
 best thing you can do is to report to the police 
 without delay if you are able to do it." 
 
 " Yes, I guess I am able, although my head aches 
 a good bit, I can tell you that. I am much obliged 
 for what you have done for me." 
 
 " Oh, that s all right hope you get your belong 
 ings," replied the watchman, and led the way to 
 the gate, which he unlocked. Soon Walter was 
 on the street, and walking as rapidly as his condi 
 tion permitted to the police station. 
 
 At this hour of the night he found only a ser 
 geant and several roundsmen in charge. The ser 
 geant listened with interest to what he had to say. 
 
 " I remember that case it was reported to here 
 from New York some time ago. The pawnshops 
 were ransacked for the jewelry and the watch, 
 but nothing was found. So you are certain you 
 would recognize the man again if you saw him?" 
 
A CHASE AND ITS KESULT 39 
 
 " I am unless lie altered his appearance a good 
 deal. He had a small, dark moustache, but other 
 wise he was clean-shaven." 
 
 " Come into the rear office and look over our 
 album of pickpockets and sneak-thieves. That is 
 what this fellow most likely is and a peculiar 
 one too. No first-class criminal would do this job 
 as he is doing it." 
 
 " He drinks heavily he was partly intoxicated 
 when I met him," said Walter, as he followed the 
 station official into a rear office. 
 
 " Then that accounts for it. A man can t be a 
 really successful criminal unless he keeps his wits 
 about him. Here is the album. Look it over 
 carefully, and let me know if you see anybody that 
 looks like your man." And he left Walter to 
 himself and reentered the outer office, to hear the 
 reports of the roundsmen coming in. 
 
 The book given to Walter was a thick one, 
 filled with cards, photos, and tin-types of criminals. 
 Under each picture was written a name, usually 
 accompanied by several aliases, and also a number, 
 to correspond with the same number in the crim 
 inal register. 
 
 " Gracious, but they keep pretty good track of 
 
40 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 them," thought Walter, as he turned over page 
 after page. "Who would think all these good- 
 looking men were wrong-doers ? Some of them 
 look a good deal more like ministers." 
 
 Walter had gone through half the book, and the 
 photographs were beginning to confuse his already 
 aching head, when a certain picture arrested his 
 attention. " I ve found him ! " he cried out. 
 " That s the fellow, although he is minus that 
 moustache of his ! " 
 
 " Did you call ? " asked the sergeant, coming 
 to the door. 
 
 " I ve found him. This is the man. His name 
 is given as Deck Mumpers, alias Foxy Mumpers, 
 and S wilier Deck." 
 
 " If he is called Swiller Deck, he must drink a 
 good deal," said the sergeant, with a laugh. " You 
 are sure of this identification ? " 
 
 "I am. But he wants a moustache put on that 
 picture." 
 
 " We take them bare-faced if we can. This 
 photo was taken in Brooklyn." The officer turned 
 to an official register. " Deck Mumpers, age forty- 
 two, height five feet seven inches, weight one hun 
 dred and thirty-two pounds. Kound face, big 
 
A CHASE AND ITS RESULT 
 
 ears, broad shoulders, poor teeth. Sent to Sing 
 Sing in 1892 for two years, for robbery of Scott 
 diamonds. A hard drinker when flush. Xow 
 wanted for several petty crimes in New York. 
 Came originally from South Boston, where he was 
 in the liquor business." The sergeant turned again 
 to Walter. "I guess you have struck your man. 
 I ll send out the alarm. What is your address ? " 
 
 " I have just joined the navy and am bound for 
 the Brooklyn. But I can leave you my uncle s name 
 and address, and he can come on to Boston from 
 Buffalo, if it s necessary." 
 
 " That will do, then," answered the sergeant. 
 
 He brought forth a book in which to put down 
 the details of the affair. While he was writing, 
 Walter slipped his hand into his pocket to see if 
 the slip of paper he had received at the navy-yard 
 was still safe. The paper was gone. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 ON THE AVAY TO THE "BROOKLYN" 
 
 " OH, what luck ! " 
 
 " What is the matter now ? " 
 
 " My order for a railroad ticket from Boston to 
 Fortress Monroe is gone ! " 
 
 " Is that true ? Perhaps Deck Mumpers cleaned 
 you out after he struck you down," suggested the 
 sergeant, quickly. "Feel in your pockets." 
 
 Walter did so, and his face blanched. " He did 
 everything, my money, keys, cash, all are 
 missing. What in the world shall I do now ? " 
 
 " How much money did you have ? " 
 
 " About twenty dollars. The main thing was 
 that railroad ticket order. If that is gone, how 
 am I to get to Norfolk?" 
 
 " Was your name mentioned on the paper ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 " Where was it to be presented ? any particular 
 depot ? " 
 
 42 
 
ON THE WAY TO THE " BBOOKLYN " 43 
 
 " Yes, the New York and New England railroad 
 depot." 
 
 "Then the best thing to do is to ring the rail 
 road folks up and have the bearer of the order 
 detained, if the slip is presented," went on the 
 police officer, and stepping to the telephone he 
 rang up central and had the necessary connection 
 made. 
 
 " Is this the ticket office of the New York and 
 New England railroad depot ? " he questioned. 
 
 " Yes," came the reply over the wire. 
 
 " A navy-yard order for a ticket from here to 
 Norfolk, or Fortress Monroe, has been stolen. It 
 is made out in the name of Walter Russell. If 
 it is presented, hold the party having it and com 
 municate with police headquarters." 
 
 "Is the name Walter Russell?" was the excited 
 query, and Walter s heart began to sink as he 
 seemed to feel what was coming. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " That order has already been filled. It was 
 presented about ten o clock last night." 
 
 " I ve missed it ! " groaned the youth, and dropped 
 into a chair. " What will the navy-yard people 
 say to this when they hear of it ? " 
 
44 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " I don t see how they can blame you," returned 
 the sergeant, kindly, " seeing as you were knocked 
 senseless by the thief. Deck Mumpers has got 
 the best of it so far." 
 
 He called through the telephone for a description 
 of the party having the order, and soon learned it 
 must have been Mumpers beyond a doubt. 
 
 " Can t you telegraph to Norfolk to have him 
 arrested when he arrives ?" asked Walter suddenly. 
 
 " You don t think he ll go all the way to Nor 
 folk, do you ? " smiled the police officer. Then 
 he turned again to the telephone. " What kind 
 of a ticket did that party get on the order ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 " First-class, with sleepers." 
 
 "He got a first-class ticket. Ten to one he ll 
 not use it at all, but sell the pasteboard at some 
 cut-rate ticket office right here in Boston and then 
 buy another ticket for somewhere else." 
 
 " I see ! " cried Walter. " But if the ticket 
 was sold here, could we trace it ? " 
 
 " It is not likely, for many first-class tickets are 
 alike. We might trace the sleeping-car checks, 
 but I doubt if Mumpers will try to do anything 
 with those." 
 
ON THE WAY TO THE "BROOKLYN" 45 
 
 ; But he may use the ticket," ventured Walter, 
 hardly knowing what else to say. 
 
 " Oh, possibly. I ll have the men at the various 
 stations keep an eye open for the rascal," con 
 cluded the sergeant, and after a few more words 
 Walter left the station. 
 
 It must be confessed that the youth was con 
 siderably out of sorts. " I start off to recover 
 some stolen property and end by losing more," he 
 groaned. " I m not fit to join the navy, or do 
 anything." And he gave a mountainous sigh. 
 
 It was almost five o clock, and knowing Dan 
 would soon be on hand with Gimpwell to open the 
 stand, he walked slowly in that direction. To 
 keep up his courage he tried to whistle, but the 
 effort was a dismal failure. Walter was naturally 
 very light-hearted, but just now no one looking at 
 his troubled face would have suspected this. 
 
 Reaching the stand, he opened the shutters and 
 put out the light which he had forgotten to extin 
 guish. Soon the first bundles of papers came along, 
 and he sorted them over and arranged them for 
 sale and for Dan s route. The work was almost 
 done when the carrier came along, followed imme 
 diately by the new clerk. 
 
46 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " Hullo, I didn t know you d be here ! " cried 
 Dan. " Why didn t you come home last night ? 
 Mother expected you to use the room, and you 
 paid for it." 
 
 " I wish I had used the room," answered Walter, 
 and went over his tale in a few words, for Dan 
 must be off, to serve several men with news 
 papers before they themselves started off to their 
 daily labors. 
 
 " Say, but that s too bad ! " cried the errand 
 boy. " I ve got two dollars, Walter. You can 
 have the money if it will do you any good." 
 
 " Thanks, Dan, I want to see Mr. Newell first. 
 But it s kind of you to make the offer." 
 
 " I d offer you something, Russell," put in the 
 new clerk. " But the fact is I haven t even car 
 fare ; had to tramp over from Charlestown." 
 
 Phil Newell put into appearance shortly before 
 seven o clock, coining a little earlier than usual, 
 to see that Gimpwell got along all right. Calling 
 him aside, Walter told of what had happened. 
 He was getting sick of telling the story, but, in 
 this case, there was no help for it. 
 
 " Douse the toplights, but you ve run on a 
 sunken rock, and no mistake, Walter," cried the 
 
ON THE WAY TO THE " BROOKLYN " 47 
 
 old naval veteran. " So lie cleaned you out com 
 pletely, eh?" 
 
 " Yes, Mr. Newell. I don t care so much for the 
 money, but that order for the railroad ticket " 
 
 " It s too bad ; too bad ! " Phil Newell ran 
 his hand through his bushy hair. " I don t be 
 lieve the navy-yard authorities will issue a dupli 
 cate order." 
 
 "Neither do I." 
 
 " You see, some sailors wouldn t be none too 
 good for to get such a paper and then sell it for 
 what she would fetch." 
 
 "Yes, that s the worst part of it. I shouldn t 
 want them to think I was was getting in on 
 them or trying to do so." 
 
 "The best thing to do, as far as I can see, is 
 to call on Caleb Walton and get his advice." 
 
 " Where does he live ? " 
 
 " In Charlestown, only a few blocks from the 
 Bunker Hill monument. I don t know the num 
 ber, but it s on Hill Street, and I know the house." 
 
 "Will you go with me? If I haven t the num 
 ber" 
 
 " To be sure I ll go with you, just as soon as I 
 can set the new clerk on his proper course." 
 
48 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " And, Mr. Newell, would you mind that is, 
 would you make me a a loan " faltered Walter. 
 
 "Out with it, my boy, how much do you want? 
 I told you before I d be your friend, and what 
 Phil Newell says he means, every trip." 
 
 " You are very kind, sir. I don t know how 
 much I want. I had twenty dollars and thirty- 
 five cents, and Mr. "NValton said that was more 
 than enough to see me through until pay day 
 came along." 
 
 " Then here are twenty dollars." The pro 
 prietor of the news-stand pulled a roll of small 
 bills from his pocket and counted out the amount. 
 " You can pay me back when you recover your 
 money, or else out of your pay money, if they 
 don t collar that thief. Have you had breakfast 
 yet?" 
 
 "No, sir." 
 
 "Then you had better get a bite while I in 
 struct Gimpwell. I ll be ready for you in quarter 
 of an hour." 
 
 Fifteen minutes found them on the way, taking 
 a car which took them directly over to Charles- 
 town, along the navy -yard and up Hill Street. 
 
 " Here we are," cried Phil Newell, as he stopped 
 
ON THE WAY TO THE "BROOKLYN" 49 
 
 the car. "And just in time, for there is Caleb 
 Walton leaving his house now." 
 
 " What brings you up ? " demanded the gunner, 
 when confronted, " Well, this is certainly a 
 mess," he continued, after he had been told. 
 "No, I m certain they won t issue a duplicate 
 order, for Captain Line is out of the city." 
 
 " But we might try and see what we can do," 
 insisted Phil Newell. 
 
 "To be sure ; come on." And the three set off 
 for the navy-yard. Here it looked at first as if 
 nothing could be gained, but finally one of the 
 higher officers took it upon his own shoulders to 
 give Walter a new order, at the same time say 
 ing something about charging it up to the Emer 
 gency Account. 
 
 " Well, that s a big relief," murmured Walter, 
 on coming away. " I feel as if a thousand pounds 
 were taken from my heart." And he certainly 
 looked it. 
 
 " I -must leave you now," said Caleb Walton. 
 "Be sure and be at the depot on time, and take 
 care of that new order." 
 
 " It s pinned fast in my pocket," said the youth. 
 "If it goes, so does my coat." 
 
50 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 On returning to the news-stand, Walter pro 
 cured some paper and an envelope, and in the 
 reading-room of the hotel sat down and wrote a 
 long letter to his uncle, Job Dowling, telling of 
 his enlistment in the navy and of what had hap 
 pened during the night. " I think you ought to 
 come to Boston," he concluded. " If the police 
 can t do anything, a detective ought to be set on 
 this Deck Mumper s track. You are holding a 
 good deal of money in trust for Ben, Larry, and 
 me, and for my part, I would spend a good deal 
 rather than see father s watch and his and mother s 
 wedding rings gone forever, not to mention 
 grandfather s diamond, which alone is worth at 
 least two hundred dollars. Write to me concern 
 ing this, and send the letter to the Brooklyn, Off 
 Fortress Munroe, Va." 
 
 This letter was mailed without delay, and soon 
 after Walter bade Phil Newell, Dan, and several 
 others good-by, and, grip in hand, walked to the 
 depot. Here he found several jackies already 
 assembled, and soon learned that they were mem 
 bers of Walton s party. In a few minutes Walton 
 himself came hurrying down Federal Street, with 
 several green hands in tow. 
 
ON THE WAY TO THE " BROOKLYN " 51 
 
 " All here ? " lie demanded, and began to " count 
 noses." Only one man was missing, and he soon 
 put in an appearance, and all entered the depot 
 and procured their tickets. Then Walter asked 
 about the stolen order, but the clerk had heard 
 nothing new concerning it. " You were mighty 
 lucky to get another order," he said with a grin. 
 " Next time they may make you walk the tracks." 
 
 The train was in, and hurrying out to the long 
 shed, they found their proper places. Soon there 
 came a sharp jerk, the train moved off ; and the 
 long journey southward was begun. 
 
 For a seat-mate Walter had a typical Yankee 
 lad, one from the coast of Maine, a young fellow 
 who knew but little about warships, but who had 
 spent several years on the rolling deep, in voyages 
 to South America, to Nova Scotia, and elsewhere. 
 His name was Silas Doring, and Walter found him 
 talkative, although not objectionably so. 
 
 " Yes, I couldn t hardly wait till I got to 
 Boston," said Si, for that was what he said all of 
 his friends " to hum " called him. " We ll lick 
 the Spanish out of their boots, see if we don t ! " 
 
 "You are bound for the Brooklyn? 1 asked 
 Walter. 
 
52 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " Thet s it, if they want me, otherwise I m 
 booked for the Texas. Putty good for a boy from 
 Maine to go on the Texas, ain t it, lie ! he ! But 
 I don t care much. They can put me 011 the San 
 Francisco if they want to so long as they give 
 me a chance at them tarnal Dons. When the 
 Maine was blowed up, why, I jest jumped up an 
 down an up an down with rage. Si Boring, 
 sez I, Si Doring, ape you a-going to let such an 
 insult an crime go by unnoticed ? Not much ! 
 sez I. I ll join the navy, an help blow all of 
 the Spanish to Jericho, an I m going to do it ! " 
 And the Yankee lad struck his fist into his open 
 palm with a thump of energy. 
 
 " I wish I knew as much about ships as you 
 do," ventured Walter. " I ve been on two trips 
 across Lake Erie, and know something, but I m 
 afraid I ll feel like a fish out of water when I get 
 on a man-o -war." 
 
 " We ll keep our eyes and ears open, and try to 
 learn that s the only way. I know every rope 
 on a merchantman, kin name em from fore royal 
 stay to topping lift, but that ain t the hundredth 
 part on it. We ve got to learn our vessel jest as 
 a person has got to learn a new city and its 
 
OX THE WAY TO THE "BROOKLYN" 53 
 
 streets, fer boats ain t built one like another, not 
 by a jugful And after we have learned the 
 ship, we ve got to learn the guns, and the fire- 
 drill, and how to clear ship for action, and a 
 lot more, not to say a word about learning how 
 to knock out them Dons, as some calls em. Oh, 
 we ll have our hands full after we get 011 board, 
 don t forget it I " And Si . Doring shook his 
 head vigorously. 
 
 On and on sped the train until Hyde Park was 
 reached. Here a brief stop was made, and several 
 persons including a sailor got on board. The 
 sailor came through the car as if looking for 
 somebody and finally found Caleb Walton and 
 shook hands. 
 
 " Yes, I m bound for Norfolk, too," Walter and 
 Si Doring heard him remark. 
 
 " By gum ! " whispered the Yankee sailor. " I 
 wonder if thet chap is going with us?" 
 
 " Do you know him ? " asked the boy. 
 
 " Know him ? jest guess I do ! His name is 
 Jim Haskett, and he used to be the mate of the 
 Sunfloiver, a three-master from Penobscot. I sailed 
 under him once, and he was the hardest man on 
 shipboard I ever got next to. If he gets in the 
 
54 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 navy, hell make everybody under him dance to 
 his pipings, and worse." 
 
 " If that s the case, I sincerely hope he isn t 
 assigned to my ship," was Walter s comment. " I 
 haven t any use for a bully, big or little." 
 
 " I owe Jim Haskett many an old score ; I 
 would like to get the chance to even up," went 
 on the Yankee. " But I ve enlisted to do my 
 duty and lick the Spanish, and if Haskett leaves 
 me alone, I ll leave him alone. Here he comes 
 now." And Si straightened up. 
 
 The former mate of the Sunflower passed down the 
 aisle slowly. When he saw the Yankee he started 
 and then scowled at him. "Have you enlisted?" 
 he asked, in a voice that was far from pleasant. 
 
 " I have," returned Si. " Got any objections, 
 Haskett ? " 
 
 " Humph ! " was the only answer, and the ex- 
 mate of the Sunflower passed on, to drop into a 
 vacant seat some distance behind them. 
 
 " Oli, he s a corker," whispered the Yankee, 
 and Walter nodded to show that he agreed with 
 him. Walter was destined to many an encounter 
 with Jim Haskett before his first term in the 
 navy should come to an end. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 SOMETHING ABOUT WAR AND PRIZE MONEY 
 
 COMMODORE GEORGE DEWEY S great victory 
 over Admiral Montojo occurred on May 1, 1898, 
 and was the first to be scored during our war with 
 Spain. 
 
 Previous to this time, matters had moved along 
 swiftly, but with no definite results. Following 
 the wanton destruction of our battleship Maine 
 in the harbor of Havana, in February, popular 
 indignation arose to a fever heat against the coun 
 try which had offered the American flag several 
 insults in the past, and which was now engaged 
 in a ruthless effort to put down the long-standing 
 rebellion in Cuba, be the cost what it might. 
 
 For many months our President, Congress, and 
 the people had watched, with anxious eyes, the 
 progress of events in Cuba had seen the Cubans 
 doing their best to throw off the yoke of Spanish 
 tyranny and oppression. From a little uprising 
 
 55 
 
56 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 here, and another there, the rebellion spread all 
 over what was no longer " the ever-faithful isle," 
 until rich and poor, those of Cuban-Spanish blood, , 
 and those whose ancestors had been negroes and 
 Indians, became involved in it. At first there 
 was no army, only bands of guerillas, who fled 
 to the mountains whenever a regular Spanish 
 force presented itself, but soon the conflict as 
 sumed a definite shape, a rebel army was formed, 
 to be commanded by Generals Gomez, Antonio 
 Maceo, Calixto Garcia, and others, and then Spain 
 awoke to the realization that Cuba, her richest 
 colonial possession, with the possible exception of 
 the Philippines, was about to break away from her. 
 This crisis filled the rulers in Spain with alarm, 
 for Cuba had turned into her treasury millions of 
 pesetas every year, for which the island got little 
 or nothing in return. " Cuba must, and shall be 
 subdued," was the cry, and thousands of soldiers 
 were transported from Spain and elsewhere, to be 
 landed at Havana, Santiago, and other points. 
 These soldiers immediately took possession of all 
 the larger cities, causing those in rebellion to with 
 draw to the villages and to the forests and 
 mountains. 
 
SOMETHING ABOUT WAR AND PRIZE MONEY 57 
 
 A bloody warfare lasting between two and three 
 years followed, and thousands of the rebels, includ 
 ing the noble Antonio Maceo, one of the best negro 
 patriots that ever existed, were slain. In addition 
 to this, millions of dollars worth of property were 
 destroyed, in the shape of torn-up railroads, burnt 
 sugar and tobacco plantations, and sacked vil 
 lages and towns. Every owner of property was 
 compelled to take sides in the conflict, and if he 
 did not side with those who waited upon him, 
 then his property was either confiscated or de 
 stroyed. 
 
 The Spanish authorities had started out to 
 crush the rebellion on the spot. As time went 
 by and the rebels grew stronger and stronger, 
 those in command saw that extreme measures 
 must be resorted to, or the campaign would prove 
 a failure. The majority of the Cuban men were 
 away from their homes. At once orders were 
 issued to drive all the defenceless women and 
 children into the cities held by the Spanish. This 
 was accomplished under the pretext that Spain 
 wished to keep them from harm. Once driven into 
 the larger places, these women and children were not 
 fed and cared for, but were allowed to either live 
 
58 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 upon the charity of those about them, or starve. 
 These poor people were called reconcentrados, and 
 it is a matter of record that before the war closed 
 nearly three hundred thousand of them gave up 
 their lives through neglect and lack of food. 
 
 The people of the United States had stood by 
 mutely and seen the war waged against the rebels 
 who well deserved their liberty, but no one could 
 stand by and see women, children, and helpless 
 old men starved to death. At once it was pro 
 posed to send relief ships to Cuba, but Spain 
 frowned at this, saying that such relief was only 
 one way of helping those who had taken up arms 
 against her. 
 
 At this time there were many Americans in 
 Havana and elsewhere in Cuba, and as a matter 
 of self-protection the battleship Maine was sent 
 down to Havana harbor to see that no harm came 
 to them. How the battleship was blown up and 
 over two hundred and fifty lives lost, has already 
 been told in the previous volumes of this series. 
 A Board of Inquiry was appointed by the Presi 
 dent, and it was soon settled that the explosion 
 which had wrecked the warship had come from 
 the outside and that Spain was responsible for 
 
SOMETHING ABOUT WAR AND PRIZE MONEY 59 
 
 the loss. Spain denied the charge ; and the war 
 was practically on. 
 
 The first movement of the authorities at Wash 
 ington was to blockade the city of Havana and 
 a large portion of the coast to the east and the 
 west of that port. This work was intrusted to 
 Commodore (afterwards Admiral) Sampson, and 
 he left Key AVest with the North Atlantic Squad 
 ron on the morning of April 22, and in a few 
 days had a grand semicircle of warships stationed 
 on the outside of Havana, Matanzas, Mariel, Carde 
 nas, Bahia Honda, Cabanas, and other ports of lesser 
 importance. Later on, other ports were likewise 
 blockaded, and these portions of Cuba suddenly 
 found themselves cut off from the outside world. 
 Sampson wished to bombard Havana and bring 
 the Spanish stationed there to terms at once, but 
 this suggestion was overruled, as it was imagined 
 that Spain might be brought to terms without 
 such a great loss of life. 
 
 As soon as the blockading of the ports men 
 tioned began, the President called for volunteers, 
 and how nobly all our states responded we have 
 already learned in "A Young Volunteer in Cuba." 
 The regular army was also hurried to the south- 
 
60 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 east and concentrated at Tampa and other points, 
 while the volunteers remained in their various 
 state camps, waiting to be mustered into the 
 United States service. Of the grand movement 
 to Cuba we shall hear later. 
 
 The news of Commodore Dewey s glorious vic 
 tory, as related in " Under Dewey at Manila " 
 thrilled our people as they had not been thrilled 
 for years. In the army and the navy were men 
 from both the North and the South, and section 
 alism was now wiped out forever, and all stood 
 shoulder to shoulder under Old Glory, fighting for 
 the sake of Humanity. The battle-cries were "Free 
 Cuba ! " and " Remember the Maine ! " and cer 
 tainly none could have been more inspiring. 
 
 The blockading of so long a coast line required 
 a great many warships, and as it was not deemed 
 advisable to place all our big vessels on this duty, 
 the authorities lost no time in buying or leasing 
 a number of ocean steamers and coast craft and 
 converting them into vessels of war. These ves 
 sels required a great number of men, and the 
 Naval Reserves were in great demand, as were 
 also volunteers for the regular navy. This was 
 the reason that Walter and those with him were 
 
SOMETHING ABOUT WAR AND PRIZE MONEY 61 
 
 taken on so quickly. Had he applied for enlist 
 ment into the navy during times of peace, he 
 would have found an entrance far more difficult, 
 for Uncle Sam is growing more and more par 
 ticular every day as to the class of men he allows 
 to tread the decks of his men-o -war. 
 
 Shortly after Havana and its neighboring ports 
 were blockaded, it was rumored that Spain would 
 send over a powerful fleet to bombard New York 
 or some other principal city along our eastern 
 seacoast. This caused a good deal of uneasiness, 
 and steps were immediately taken to fortify all 
 principal points and mine many of the harbor 
 entrances. Patrol boats were also placed on duty, 
 to give the alarm at the first sight of an enemy. In 
 some cases channel buoys were removed, and light 
 house lamps were left unlit, so that no Spanish 
 vessel might creep in under cover of darkness. 
 
 Acting Rear-Admiral Sampson, as he was offi 
 cially designated, was kept busy watching the 
 blockade along the northern coast of Cuba, and 
 in distributing his auxiliary vessels to such points 
 as would be most advantageous. This being the 
 case, Commodore Schley, next in command, was 
 left at Hampton Roads, near Fortress Monroe, 
 
62 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 Virginia, with what was known as the Flying 
 Squadron, a number of the fastest warships 
 riding the Atlantic. The Flying Squadron was to 
 wait until the Spanish fleet started westward, when 
 it was to do its best toward doing as Dewey had 
 done to Montojo s fleet, " find it and engage it " ; 
 in plain words, to fight it to the bitter end. Great 
 things were expected of the Flying Squadron, and 
 in this the people were not to be disappointed, as 
 we shall see. 
 
 The trip by rail from Boston to the South 
 proved full of interest to Walter, who loved riding 
 on the cars. So far two transfers had been made, 
 one at New York, and the other at Baltimore, but 
 at neither city was any time allowed for seeing 
 the sights. " It s a case of get there," explained 
 Caleb Walton. " You see, that Spanish fleet may 
 sail for the United States at any moment, and 
 then Schley will be bound to go out on a hunt 
 for it in double-quick order." 
 
 " I see that the Spanish Cape Verde Squadron 
 has joined the fleet at Cadiz, which is ready for 
 sea," observed Walter, pointing to a morning news 
 paper he had purchased on the train. " There 
 are four first-class cruisers, the Viscaya, the Almi- 
 
SOMETHING ABOUT WAR AND PRIZE MONEY 63 
 
 rante Oquendo, the Infanta Maria Teresa, and the 
 Christobal Colon, besides two or three torpedo-boat 
 destroyers. At Cadiz there are the Pelaya, Al 
 fonso XIII., and several other ships. If they all 
 come over here, it seems to me they may make 
 matters mighty warm for us." 
 
 " We want em warm," interrupted Si Doring. 
 " 1 wouldn t give a rap for a milk-and-water battle. 
 Let us have it hot, say I, hot, and knock the 
 Spanish to kingdom come ! " 
 
 " They won t dare to send all of the ships over," 
 said Caleb Walton. " They must guard their own 
 coast. If they don t, some of our ships may slip 
 over there and make it interesting for them." 
 
 " Do you think we ll carry the war to Spain ? " 
 asked Walter, with deep interest. 
 
 " There is no telling, lad. Some folks have it 
 that half of Europe will be mixed up in this muss 
 before it s over. One thing is certain, Dewey s 
 victory at Manila isn t going to be such a smooth 
 thing out there, for the Filipinos are in a state 
 of revolt and won t want us to govern them any 
 more than they want the Spanish ; and besides, 
 Germany, France, and other nations have big inter 
 ests there." 
 
64 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " Well, I guess the best we can do is to look 
 out for our little end," smiled the boy. u As for 
 the rest, the authorities at Washington must settle 
 that." 
 
 " Well said, lad ; you and I couldn t run the 
 government if we tried. But we can do our duty, 
 and that will be to obey orders and take what 
 comes." 
 
 " How is it that you got Jim Haskett to enlist ? " 
 asked Si. 
 
 " Oh, that fellow is after prize money," was 
 the gunner s reply. " He has been reading of 
 the luck down around Havana, and he wants the 
 chance to earn a few hundred extra. Well, maybe 
 he ll get it." 
 
 "I ve heard of prize money before, but I don t 
 exactly know what it is," observed Walter. 
 
 " It s the money got out of a captured ship when 
 she s sold. You see, when a ship is captured she s 
 taken to some port and turned over to a prize 
 court, and if she doesn t turn out a Scotcli prize 
 she is knocked down under the hammer." 
 
 " I know what you mean by knocking her down 
 under the hammer. But why doesn t the rule 
 apply to a Scotch vessel?" 
 
SOMETHING ABOUT WAR AND PRIZE MONEY 65 
 
 At this query of Walter s Caleb Walton burst 
 into a roar of laughter. " It s easy to see you re 
 a landsman," he said. " I didn t say a Scotch 
 vessel ; I said a Scotch prize a ship captured 
 illegally, and one that must be given back to her 
 owners. I don t know where that term came 
 from, but it s what the men in the navy always 
 use." 
 
 "I see." 
 
 "A legitimate prize is sold, and then the money 
 is divided. If the vessel captured was the equal 
 of that taking her, then all the prize money goes 
 to her captain and crew ; but if the captured ship 
 is inferior, then her takers get only half of the 
 money, and Uncle Sam keeps the balance." 
 
 "And what part would I get if my ship took 
 a prize ? " went on Walter, more interested than 
 ever, for the question of prize money had not 
 appealed to him before. 
 
 " You would get a share according to your regu 
 lar pay perhaps one dollar out of every five 
 or ten thousand." 
 
 " That wouldn t be much on a small craft." 
 
 " You are right, lad, but it would be a tidy 
 amount on a big warship worth two or three mil- 
 
66 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 lions. The division of the prize money is regulated 
 according to law, so there can t be any quarrelling. 
 The commander of a fleet gets one-twentieth, the 
 commander of a ship one-tenth of that coming to 
 his ship (when there are more ships than one 
 interested in the prize), and so on, and we all 
 get our money even if we are on temporary leave 
 of absence." 
 
 " But what does Uncle Sam do with his share ? " 
 put in Si. 
 
 " His share is put into a fund that is used toward 
 paying naval officers, seamen, and marines the pen 
 sions due them. These pensions are, of course, 
 not as large as those of the army, but they are 
 considerable." 
 
 " Well, I hope we strike a big prize, or half a 
 dozen little ones," said Walter. u On a pay of 
 eleven dollars a month a fellow can t expect to get 
 very rich." 
 
 " Do your duty, lad, and you may rise before the 
 war is over." The old gunner caught Walter by 
 the arm. " Come with me," and Caleb Walton 
 arose, and led the way to the smoking-car. Won 
 dering what was meant by this movement, Walter 
 followed. 
 
SOMETHING ABOUT WAR AND PRIZE MONEY 67 
 
 " I want to have a quiet talk with you," went on 
 Caleb Walton, after they were seated in a secluded 
 corner. " Do you smoke ? " 
 
 "No, sir." 
 
 "You re just as well off. But I must have my 
 pipe." Caleb Walton drew forth a brier-root, filled 
 it with a dark mixture of tobacco, and lit it. "Ah, 
 that s just right. And now to business." And he 
 threw one leg over the other. For a moment he 
 gazed thoughtfully at Walter, and the boy won 
 dered what was coming next. He was satisfied 
 that it must be of more than ordinary importance, 
 otherwise the old gunner would not have asked 
 him to come to the smoking-car, away from their 
 companions. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 A GLIMPSE OF THE PRESIDENT 
 
 "You see it s this way," began Caleb Walton, 
 after gazing for a moment at Walter. " Phil New 
 ell is your friend, isn t he ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed ! " responded the boy, warmly. 
 
 "Exactly likewise he is my friend, too. We 
 served together for years, and I sometimes looked 
 up to Phil as a kind of elder brother. Well, after 
 you left us at the navy-yard he and I had a long 
 talk about you, and he made me promise to keep 
 my eye on you do you understand?" 
 
 "I think I do." 
 
 " Now, keeping an eye on you is out of the ques 
 tion unless you are placed where I can see you." 
 
 "But aren t we both to go aboard of the Brook 
 lyn?" cried Walter. 
 
 "Yes, according to the course we re steering now. 
 But both being on the Brooklyn doesn t cover the 
 bill. I expect to be in charge of one of the guns 
 will be if Bill Darworthy is still in the hospital. 
 
A GLIMPSE OF THE PRESIDENT 69 
 
 Now if you enter as a mere boy, or even as a lands 
 man, it may be that you ll never get around to 
 where I am. You must remember that the Brooklyn 
 is a big ship, and all the men on her are divided 
 into classes, officers, petty officers, seamen, gunners, 
 marines, and so on, and one class is pretty well 
 separated from another." 
 
 "I presume that is so, but I never thought of it 
 before." 
 
 " Even seamen are divided into seamen gunners, 
 apprentices and the like, and if you went on as a 
 mere boy you might not see me once a week, unless 
 we happened to be off duty at the same time." 
 
 " I see what you are driving at, Mr. Walton ; 
 you-" 
 
 " Avast there, Walter, no mister for me, please. 
 I m plain Caleb Walton." 
 
 "Well then, Walton, you want to get me at 
 tached to that gun you hope to have placed in your 
 charge ? " 
 
 "Now you ve struck the bull s-eye, lad. The 
 thing of it is, can I manage it ? " 
 
 " I m sure you must know more about that than 
 I do. I ll like it first-rate if you could, for I 
 well, to be plain, I like you." 
 
70 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 Caleb Walton held out his horny hand. "The 
 liking is mutual, Walter, and there s my fist on it. 
 Now I have an idee." The old gunner took several 
 puffs at his pipe. " I know Captain Cook of the 
 Brooklyn tolerably well served under him for a 
 short spell, and once did a little private business 
 for him. Now, Captain Cook won t do a thing as 
 is out of his line of duty, but still 
 
 " He may aid you in having me assigned to the 
 
 */ i/ O O 
 
 gun you expect to have charge of ? " finished 
 Walter. 
 
 " That s it. I think I can work the deal almost 
 sure of it, but you must help me." 
 
 " What must I do ? " 
 
 " Say nothing and leave it all to me, and if my 
 plan goes through, don t tell any one that you 
 were favored. If you do, you ll only make ene 
 mies." 
 
 " I ll remember that. But what of Haskett, 
 Doring, and the others?" 
 
 "I d like to have Doring in my gang he s the 
 right sort. I don t want that scowling Jim Haskett,- 
 not after what Doring has told me of him. But 
 he s out of it, anyway, for he enlisted as a first- 
 class seaman, at twenty-six dollars per month." 
 
A GLIMPSE OF THE PRESIDENT 71 
 
 " I wish I knew a little more about a warship," 
 said the youth, longingly. " The more I hear, 
 the less I seem to know." 
 
 " It will all come to you in time, and when you 
 are on board I ll show you all I can. It would 
 do no good to talk about guns and the like until 
 I can point out the different parts to you, for you 
 wouldn t know a breech-block from a priming-wire 
 until you laid eyes on it." 
 
 " But how is a ship commanded ? Won t you 
 tell me something about that ? " 
 
 " Of course you mean a warship, not a merchant 
 man. Well, the highest officer is, of course, the 
 captain, although the vessel may be the flagship 
 of a commodore or an admiral." 
 
 " And what of a commodore and an admiral ? 
 You see I m awfully green, when it comes down 
 to the navy. My younger brother Larry is the 
 real sailor in our family." 
 
 " You ll get there, lad ; anybody will who is 
 in for learning as you are. An admiral is the 
 highest officer in any navy, and he commands 
 everything that floats, from battleship to despatch 
 tug. Next to him is the vice-admiral. In the 
 United States navy these offices don t exist any 
 
72 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 more, having died out with the deaths of Admiral 
 Porter and Vice- Admiral Ilowan." 
 
 " But the newspapers speak of Admiral Samp 
 son." 
 
 " He is acting rear-admiral, but holds only the 
 office of commodore. He commands a fleet of 
 warships, while a commodore commands only a 
 squadron ; that is, four or six, usually, although 
 he may have more at times. His ships are generally 
 divided into two divisions." 
 
 "I understand. Please go on." 
 
 " Well, as I said before, the captain really com 
 mands the ship. Next to him are the commander 
 and the lieutenant-commander. The first of these 
 takes orders from the captain and issues them to 
 those under him. The lieutenant-commander is 
 called the executive officer, and he s always put 
 down as the hardest worked man on the ship. 
 What he does would fill a book, and he rarely 
 gets leave of absence, for nobody can spare him." 
 
 " But what does he do ? " 
 
 " Well, in the first place he sees that the whole 
 crew keeps straight, and he keeps a conduct book for 
 reference. He hears all complaints and straightens 
 out all difficulties. He sees to it that the ship is 
 
A GLIMPSE OF THE PRESIDENT 73 
 
 kept clean, and he has the say about arranging 
 messes. He must also station the hands for the 
 various fire, sail, and boat drills, the gun exercises, 
 and the drills with small-arms and cutlasses. Then 
 every night at eight o clock he receives the reports 
 of petty officers, to show that each department is 
 O. K. up to that hour. And there is a lot more 
 besides." 
 
 " Thanks, but I don t care to be an executive 
 officer," smiled Walter. " But perhaps he gets 
 well paid for it." 
 
 " He earns from twenty-eight hundred to three 
 thousand dollars per year. The commander gets 
 five hundred more than that. A commodore gets 
 five thousand a year, arid a rear-admiral six thou 
 sand, when at sea. When on shore all these figures 
 are slightly reduced." 
 
 "Those are nice salaries." 
 
 " That is true. But don t forget that every 
 body on the ship in the shape of an officer must 
 board himself. The crew does that too, but 
 Uncle Sam makes them an allowance for that 
 purpose." 
 
 " Don t the higher officers get anything ? " 
 
 " They have a ration allowed them that or thirty 
 
74 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 cents. Of course such a ration cuts no figure with 
 a commander or a captain." 
 
 " I suppose that s so. But please go on. Who 
 is next to the executive officer ? " 
 
 " The junior lieutenant, and then come the 
 ensigns and naval cadets ; that is, those young 
 fellows from Annapolis who are studying up to 
 become higher officers." 
 
 "And after that what?" 
 
 " Then come the warrant officers, that is, those 
 warranted by our President, and they include boat 
 swain, gunner, carpenter, and sail-maker. And 
 you mustn t forget the marines the soldier- 
 sailors." 
 
 " Gracious, what a lot ! Any more ? " 
 
 " We are not half through, lad, but the others 
 will explain themselves by their titles, such as 
 chief engineer, chief surgeon, paymaster, and chap 
 lain. The chaplain holds the relative position to a 
 captain or a commander, but his whole duty is to 
 hold church and keep the men from going wrong, 
 morally and spiritually. Besides these, we have 
 boatswain s mate, gunner s mate, and the like. 
 Then among the seamen the leading men are 
 called captains ; as, for instance, captain of the 
 
A GLIMPSE OF THE PRESIDENT 75 
 
 top, captain of the afterguard, and like that. You ll 
 soon get to know them all, never fear." 
 
 " How will I know them by their uniforms ? " 
 
 " By their uniforms, and also by the stripes and 
 devices they wear. Don t you see this flaming 
 spherical shell of silver that I wear ? That shows 
 that I am a gunner and have seen over twenty 
 years of service. If I was a gunner with less time 
 to my credit, the shell would be of gold." 
 
 " And does everybody wear some device ? " 
 
 " Everybody, from a rear-admiral with his two 
 silver stars and anchor down to the apprentice 
 who has his figure 8 knot. If I get to be a chief 
 gunner, I ll wear two crossed cannons instead of 
 this shell." 
 
 " And if you got to be a captain, what would 
 you wear ? " 
 
 " A silver spread eagle, with an anchor at each 
 end, on my shoulders." 
 
 " That s another deal to learn. I should think 
 a fellow would get mixed on all these stars, eagles, 
 shells, cannons, and the rest." 
 
 "It takes time to learn, lad. Let me give you 
 a bit of advice. If you meet another person on 
 shipboard and you are in doubt about it, salute. 
 
76 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 You may be making a mistake, but it will be a 
 mistake on the right side." 
 
 "I ll remember that. But I feel as if I had 
 more than ever to learn. Can t I get some book 
 and study it?" 
 
 "I ve got such a work in my valise. I ll get it 
 for you," concluded Caleb Walton, and he arose. 
 " But remember about that other thing mum is 
 the word." 
 
 "I certainly shall remember," and Walter smiled. 
 " I m awfully glad I ve found such a friend as you," 
 and he squeezed the old gunner s hand. 
 
 They returned to the other car, and soon Walter 
 was deeply interested in the volume which Caleb 
 Walton loaned him. It was a technical \vork, 
 issued by the authority of the Navy Department, 
 and contained all that he desired to learn, and a 
 deal besides. 
 
 " Going to learn your duty as soon as possible, 
 eh ? " observed Si Doring, as he looked over the 
 boy s shoulder. " That s right. If you want 
 to know anything about sails or knots, call on 
 me." 
 
 " What s the matter with calling on me ? " put 
 in the voice of Jim Haskett, as he slid into the 
 
A GLIMPSE OF THE PRESIDENT 77 
 
 seat behind them, and leaned over. " I reckon I 
 know as much as Doring about a ship, and maybe 
 a leetle more." 
 
 At this Si Doring fired up on the instant. " See 
 here, Haskett, I ain t under ye no longer, remem 
 ber that ! " he cried. " I don t want you to talk 
 to me, or about me. I owe you one, and more, and 
 I ain t forgetting it remember that ! " 
 
 " Oh, don t get on a high horse," growled the 
 former mate of the Sunflower. " I won t talk to 
 you if you don t want me to." 
 
 " And ye needn t talk about me, either. Think 
 ye know a leetle more about a ship than I do, eh ? 
 Well, maybe Captain Pepperill didn t think so, 
 when you let the Sunfloiver split her foremast in 
 that blow off " 
 
 " I wasn t responsible for that ! " interrupted 
 Jim Haskett, his surly face growing red. " You 
 let the past drop, and I ll let it drop." He glared 
 savagely at Si, then turned to Walter. " Do you 
 want some p ints explained, Russell ? " 
 
 " Thank you, but I would just as lief study this 
 book for the present," answered Walter, coldly, 
 and somewhat astonished to learn that Haskett 
 knew his name. 
 
78 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " Maybe I can make some p ints clearer. I m 
 an old sea-dog, you know." 
 
 " I think Doring can explain all I wish to know," 
 continued the boy, feeling he ought to stick up for 
 the Yankee who had made himself so agreeable 
 since leaving Boston. 
 
 " Don t want my advice, then ? " 
 
 "I think not." 
 
 " All right, then, suit yourself. If you want to 
 cotton to such a fellow as Doring, you can do so, 
 but " he lowered his voice "I reckon you 
 are making a mistake." And then, before either 
 Walter or Si could answer, he bounced up, and 
 strode down the aisle and into the smoker. 
 
 The train was approaching Washington, and 
 shortly after this conversatio.n it rolled into the 
 depot at the Capitol city, and came to a standstill. 
 
 " We stop here for fifteen minutes," said the 
 porter to Walter, when questioned on the point. 
 " Give you sailor-boys time to stretch your shoah 
 legs." And he grinned, having been on a warship 
 himself once, serving as a " striker," one who 
 waits on the mess tables. 
 
 " Let us take a few minutes walk ; I am all 
 cramped up," said Walter to his Yankee friend ; 
 
A GLIMPSE OF THE PRESIDENT 79 
 
 and Si readily agreed. Caleb Walton was willing 
 they should go, but warned them not to stay too 
 long. 
 
 " Fifteen minutes don t mean sixteen ; remember 
 that," he called after them. 
 
 " I should like to spend a few days here," ob 
 served Walter, as he and his companion hurried 
 on. " The Capitol, patent offices, and other build 
 ings must be very interesting." 
 
 " I d rather see President McKinley," returned 
 the Yankee. " My, but he must have his hands 
 full these days ! " 
 
 " Do you want to see the President ? " ques 
 tioned a man who was just passing them. " If 
 you do, he s in his carriage three blocks below 
 here. There s a cave-in of a sewer, and his car 
 riage just stopped." 
 
 " Then here s our chance, Si ! " cried Walter, 
 eagerly. " Come on ; we can make it if we run. I 
 wouldn t miss seeing the President for a good 
 deal ! " 
 
 " Thet s me ! " burst out the Yankee. " Off we 
 go ! " And he started to run, his long legs giving 
 Walter all he could do to keep up with him. The 
 three blocks were covered, and they came to where 
 
80 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 the cave-in was located, but only some very ordi 
 nary vehicles were in sight. 
 
 " We re too late ! " grumbled Si, crestfallen. 
 " Gome on back." 
 
 " Too late for phwat ? " asked an Irishman stand 
 ing near the sewer. 
 
 "We wanted to see the President." 
 
 " Sure an there goes his carriage down beyant." 
 And the Irishman pointed to a side street. 
 
 It was still less than a block away, and without 
 stopping to think twice they made after it, and 
 came up just as it was turning a corner. A very 
 trim driver sat on the box of the turn-out, and on 
 the rear seat, the sole occupant of the carriage, sat 
 our country s chief executive. 
 
 " Hurrah ! " shouted Walter, impulsively, and 
 waved his cap, and Si did the same. Several 
 others bowed and tipped their hats, and the Presi 
 dent bowed and tipped his silk hat in return. 
 Then the carriage rolled swiftly away. 
 
 " It was him all right enough," exclaimed Si, 
 enthusiastically, and with a total disregard for 
 grammar. ; He looks jest like his pictures, only a 
 little more care-worn. I suppose he loses lots o 
 sleep these nights." 
 
THE PRESIDENT BOWED IN RETURN. 
 
 Pare 80 
 
A GLIMPSE OF THE PRESIDENT 81 
 
 "Yes, indeed. Being the President isn t the 
 easiest berth in the world. If I Walter 
 broke off short. " Our train I ll wager a dollar 
 we ll miss it ! " 
 
 " Creation ! don t say that ! " gasped Si ; and 
 then both took to their heels as if running the 
 race of their lives. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 A TALK ABOUT SPANISH SAILOES 
 
 " THE train is gone ! " 
 
 It was Walter who gasped out the words, as 
 lie and his companion rushed upon the depot plat 
 form. In the distance they could see the end of 
 the rear car just vanishing from view in a cloud 
 of dust. 
 
 " Thet s so ! " groaned Si, panting for breath, 
 for they had done their best to reach the depot 
 in time. " What s to be the next move ? " And he 
 looked anxiously at his companion. 
 
 " I m sure I don t know," was Walter s slow 
 answer. "I I almost wish I hadn t seen the 
 President now." 
 
 " Can t we take a later train ? " 
 
 " I don t know if the tickets will be good. Cer 
 tainly we ll have no sleeping accommodations for 
 to-night. 
 
 "Who cares for that, so long as we get to For- 
 
 82 
 
A TALK ABOUT SPANISH SAILOES 83 
 
 tress Monroe? Come on, let us see what can be 
 done." And Si led the way to the ticket office. 
 
 The ticket-seller was busy, and it was several 
 minutes before they could get to him. " Yes, 
 there will be another train in an hour and a quar 
 ter," he said. "About your tickets, did you have 
 stop-over privileges ? " 
 
 "We did not we didn t intend to stop over," 
 answered Walter. 
 
 "Then I don t believe the conductor will accept 
 them." 
 
 " Gee shoo ! " groaned Si, dismally. " Do you 
 mean to say we ve got to pay the fare from here 
 to our destination ? Why, it will take all I ve 
 got with me, and maybe more." 
 
 " There ought to be some way of having our 
 tickets fixed up," said Walter. " Can t we go to 
 the main office and see about them ? " 
 
 " Certainly, if you desire," rejoined the ticket 
 seller, and turned to a number of others who were 
 waiting impatiently to be served. 
 
 The main offices of the railroad company were 
 not far distant, and hither they made their way. 
 Inside, a young clerk learned what they wanted, 
 and then took them to an inner apartment. 
 
84 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " Government fares, eh ? " questioned the elderly 
 gentleman to whom they had been conducted. 
 "What was the reason you didn t catch your train? " 
 
 " We lingered to see President McKinley, who 
 was out in his carriage," said Walter. " We got 
 so interested we forgot the time until we were 
 just about a minute late." 
 
 " Well, I can t blame you much for wanting to 
 see the man you are lighting under," said the 
 railroad official. " Let me see your tickets." And, 
 taking them, he wrote upon the back of each in 
 blue pencil. "There you are, but you ll have to 
 ride in an ordinary coach." 
 
 " We don t care if it is a freight," put in Si, 
 earnestly. "We want to get there." And, after 
 both had thanked the official for his kindness, they 
 withdrew. 
 
 " We re all right so far," observed Walter, as 
 "to kill time," they walked slowly down one of 
 the broad avenues for which our Capitol city is 
 famous. " The question is, what will Caleb Walton 
 think of us when he finds us missing ? 
 
 " I hope he doesn t think we are trying to 
 desert ! " cried Walter, to whom this idea had not 
 before occurred. 
 
A TALK ABOUT SPANISH SAILOKS 85 
 
 " Some fellows wouldn t be any too good to de 
 sert, Walter. Only last week a lot of fellows 
 deserted on their way from one of the western 
 states. They got to Chicago, where they wanted 
 to go, and that was the last seen of them. They 
 were like tramps willing to do anything for a 
 free ride on the cars. But they ran the risk of 
 being court-martialled for it." 
 
 " I think the fact that we had our tickets fixed 
 up will go to show what our intentions were, Si. 
 However, we have put our feet into it, and must 
 take what conies." 
 
 After a walk of half an hour, both felt hungry 
 and entered a modest-looking restaurant on a side 
 street. They had just ordered a cheap meal each, 
 when a newsboy entered with a bundle of after 
 noon newspapers. 
 
 " Have a paper, sir ? Extra, sir ; all about the 
 Flying Squadron going to sail. Only one cent, 
 sir." 
 
 "What s that?" questioned Walter. "Here, 
 give me a paper." And he grasped the sheet 
 eagerly, while Si also purchased one of another 
 sort. Soon both were devouring the "scare-heads" 
 showing upon each. 
 
86 
 
 THE FLYIXG SQUADROX READY TO SAIL! 
 
 Schley and His Warships May Leave Hampton Roads 
 
 To-night ! 
 
 The Spanish Fleet Said To Be On Its Way Westward! 
 Has It Sailed for Cuba or Will It Bombard Some 
 
 City on Our Coast? 
 
 The Authorities Very Reticent, but a Strict Watch 
 
 To Be Kept from Maine to Florida for the Appearance 
 
 of the Enemy ! 
 
 " By ginger, they re a-comin over here, sure 
 pop ! " burst from the Yankee youth s lips. " Sup 
 posing they bombard New York? Why, I heard 
 tell that they could lay out in the harbor and plant 
 a shell right on the top of Trinity Church, or 
 come up to Boston Harbor and knock the top 
 off of the Bunker Hill monument ! " 
 
 " Our ships and forts won t give them the chance 
 to come so close, Si. But what I m thinking of 
 is, supposing the warships sail before we can get 
 on board?" 
 
 " Thet s so ! " Si Doring heaved a long sigh. 
 " Why didn t we wait some other time for to see 
 the President ? If we miss the ships, I don t know 
 what we ll do. We ll be stranded." 
 
A TALK ABOUT SPANISH SAILORS 87 
 
 " Oh, I presume, they ll put us on some other 
 vessel. But my heart was set on getting aboard 
 the Brooklyn. And Walter sighed, too. 
 
 Both had lost interest in eating, and swallowed 
 the food mechanically. Then, without waiting, 
 they hurried back to the depot, bound that the 
 next train should not slip by. 
 
 The route to Fortress Monroe was by way of 
 Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Newport News. Soon 
 the train came along and they got aboard. The 
 cars were comfortable, but not nearly so elegant 
 as the one previously occupied. 
 
 " It is odd to me to see separate cars for negroes 
 and whites," observed W alter, after the journey 
 had begun. " We don t have any such thing up 
 North." 
 
 " They will be done away with in time, I guess," 
 answered Si. "By the way, I see in this news 
 paper that among the first troops to be sent to 
 Cuba will be two regiments of negroes. Hurrah 
 for those boys, say I." 
 
 It was growing dark, and soon the car lamps 
 were lighted. The boys read their newspapers 
 through from end to end, and Walter learned that 
 the volunteer regiments were everywhere being 
 
88 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 sworn into the United States service as rapidly 
 as possible. 
 
 " I wonder who will get to the front first ? " he 
 mused. " It would be odd if they should send 
 Ben to the Philippines instead of Cuba. If only 
 Larry was with me to go into the navy. I am 
 sure he would enjoy this sort of service." And 
 thus musing, he dropped asleep, never dreaming 
 of the part his younger brother had taken in the 
 contest of Manila Bay. 
 
 " Richmond ! Change cars for James City, Wil- 
 liamsburg, and Newport News ! " Such was the 
 cry which awoke him. He arose sleepily, to find 
 Si snoring heavily. 
 
 " Si, wake up ! " he cried, and shook his com 
 panion. " We have to change here." 
 
 " Change for what ? " questioned the Yankee, 
 as he blinked his eyes in the glare of an electric 
 light. " How far have we got ? " 
 
 " Richmond. Come the other train leaves in 
 a few minutes." 
 
 It was early morning, and the depot platform 
 was deserted excepting for the passengers that 
 left the train. Soon the second train rolled in, 
 and they found a double seat, and proceeded to 
 make themselves comfortable. 
 
A TALK ABOUT SPANISH SAILORS 89 
 
 " By ginger ! I never thought of em before," 
 remarked Si, suddenly. 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " Our satchels, that we left in that first train." 
 
 "I had mine checked through." 
 
 " I didn t, because I wanted to look over some 
 things of mine on the way down." Si shook his 
 head in dejection. " Say, but ain t I running up 
 against the worst luck ever was ! I ll bet a 
 new pocket-knife the satchel is gone when I get 
 to the end of this trip." 
 
 " Oh, I hope not, Si. Did it contain much of 
 value ? " 
 
 " It had my clothing in, a Bible that my mother 
 gave me, and a ten-dollar gold piece that I ve 
 been carrying around for twelve years for luck, 
 because it was given to me by a South American 
 rain-maker, a kind of water-witch I met in San 
 Luiz, Brazil. And that ain t the worst on it, 
 either. The grip wasn t locked." 
 
 "It s too bad. But let us hope it s all right, Si. 
 Anyway, I wouldn t worry until you know the 
 truth," said Walter, trying to put a bright face on 
 the matter, and then he dropped asleep again, and 
 the Yankee youth presently followed his example. 
 
90 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 Luckily the train ran right through from New 
 port News to Hampton, which is within two miles 
 and a half of Old Point Comfort and Fortress 
 Alunroe. The ride proved uneventful, and when 
 they reached Hampton they fell directly into the 
 arms of Caleb Walton. 
 
 " What does this mean ? " demanded the old 
 gunner, as he caught each by the arm. " Missed 
 the train, eh? I told you to be careful." 
 
 " We ll know better next time," answered Wal 
 ter. " But what of the Flying Squadron ? Has 
 it sailed?" 
 
 "Not yet, but the ships may leave Hampton 
 Roads at any hour. I made up my mind to wait 
 for this train and then go on. I sent the others 
 ahead." 
 
 " What of my satchel ? " put in Si. 
 
 "It s in the baggage room. But hurry up; 
 every hour counts just about now." And he led 
 the way to where the .bag had been left. 
 
 " Here is a big wagon bound for the fort," said 
 Walton, as they left the station. " We ll ride 
 down on that, for the soldiers in charge gave me 
 permission, should you show up." 
 
 The wagon was loaded with blankets, and the 
 
A TALK ABOUT SPANISH SAILORS 91 
 
 pile made a soft seat. Soon there came a crack 
 of a whip, and they were off, down a sandy high 
 way leading directly to the sea. Soon the salt air 
 filled their nostrils. 
 
 "Oh, we re in good shape to give the Dons a 
 hot reception, if they show themselves around here," 
 said one of the soldiers, in reply to a question from 
 Walter. " We ve got some of the finest guns in 
 the country at the fort, and can reach a ship ten 
 or twelve miles out in the harbor." 
 
 " I should like very much to inspect a real 
 fort," answered the youth. " The guns must be 
 even more complicated than on board a warship." 
 
 "The disappearing guns are very fine. But I 
 doubt if you could get permission to go through 
 now at least, not until you were duly enlisted 
 into the navy and had your uniform on. You 
 know we have strict orders to keep all outsiders 
 at a distance. We don t want any Spanish spies 
 to get plans of our hidden batteries and the fort 
 itself." 
 
 " Would they dare to try to get them ? " asked 
 Si. " Tears to me that would be a mighty risky 
 piece of business." 
 
 " Certainly they would try. You mustn t think 
 
92 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 that all Spaniards are cowards even if the 
 authorities are responsible for blowing up the 
 Maine. They ll give us a good shake up, if they 
 get the chance." 
 
 "I don t think so," said Caleb Walton. "They 
 are not as up-to-date as we are. I know we can 
 beat em at gun practice every round." 
 
 " Don t brag. Wait till the war is over." 
 
 " I m not bragging only talking facts, sergeant. 
 I have a friend at the Brooklyn Navy-Yard, and 
 he wrote to me about the gunners on the Vizcaya, 
 when that Spanish warship was lying off Staten 
 Island this spring. He said they were well 
 tired, I reckon we d call it, and didn t have 
 any drills worth mentioning all the while the 
 ship was there Now you know that won t do." 
 
 " Oh, yes, I know a man must keep at his drills 
 if he doesn t want to grow rusty." 
 
 " Besides that, you must remember that four- 
 fifths of their sailors don t enlist for themselves. 
 They are shanghied out of the seaport towns, 
 made drunk, and taken on the ships like so many 
 cattle, and they are lucky if they get away inside 
 of ten or fifteen years. And in addition the cat- 
 o -nine tails is always dangling afore their eyes. 
 
A TALK ABOUT SPANISH SAILORS 93 
 
 Now a man treated like that can t make a good 
 sailor, for the simple reason that he knows he has 
 been treated unjustly, and he can t take an interest 
 in his duties." 
 
 " Gracious, don t you think you are stretching 
 it a bit?" put in Walter. "What of their 
 officers ? " 
 
 " Nearly every one of them comes from the 
 ranks of the nobility, and that takes a good 
 deal of ambition from the men, too, knowing it 
 will be next to impossible for them to rise, even 
 to a petty office. Now in our navy it s totally 
 different. A man enlists of his own free will, he 
 is treated fairly even though subject to rigorous 
 discipline, and if it s in him he can rise to quite a 
 respectable office and earn a good salary and 
 he s certain to get his money, while the Spanish 
 sailors and soldiers go without a cent for months 
 and months." 
 
 " I know what you say about wages is true," 
 said the sergeant in command of the army wagon. 
 " I have it from a friend who left Havana when 
 Lee, our consul, came away, that the majority of 
 the Spanish troops stationed about the city hadn t 
 seen a pay-day for nearly a year." 
 
94 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " And then there is another thing," continued 
 Caleb Walton. " The Spaniards have little me 
 chanical ability, and before this war broke out 
 they had a great number of engineers and the like 
 who were foreign born Englishmen, Frenchmen, 
 and Germans principally Now those men won t 
 stay on Spain s warships during this little muss, 
 at least the Englishmen and Germans won t, and 
 a green hand at a marine engine can do more dam 
 age in ten minutes than a ship-yard can repair in 
 a month. Take it, all in all, therefore, I think we 
 have the best of it," concluded the old gunner. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE MEN BEHIND THE GUNS 
 
 BY the time Fortress Monroe was reached it was 
 quite dark, so but little could be seen outside of 
 those sturdy and frowning walls behind which 
 were concealed the heavy guns intended to pro 
 tect the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. 
 
 The warships rode at anchor some distance be 
 yond. To the squadron had just been added the 
 protected cruiser Minneapolis, and the New Orleans 
 and St. Paul were also expected, and all was a 
 buzz of excitement alongshore. 
 
 "They ll be off before long," said one old sol 
 dier. " I know because I saw one of the captains 
 saying good-by to his family. Such a parting 
 means a good deal." 
 
 " I understand a Spanish warship was sighted 
 last night," put in another. " We may have a 
 fight right here unless Schley keeps his eyes open." 
 
 " Oh, he s got the Scorpion out on scout duty 
 95 
 
96 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 she can take care of any sneak work," Avas the 
 answer. He referred to the gunboat Scorpion of 
 the auxiliary navy, which Avas doing duty just 
 beyond the capes. The Scorpion Avas fast, and 
 carried a strong searchlight, so it Avas likely noth 
 ing could pass her without being detected and the 
 alarm being giA en. Alarms Avere numerous, but 
 they Avere likewise all false, for no Spanish ship of 
 Avar came anywhere near our coast. 
 
 A boat Avas in Avaiting at the \vharf, and Walter, 
 Si, and the others Avere ordered aboard Avithout 
 delay. The boat Avas manned by eight sturdy 
 jackies. 
 
 " Up oars ! " came the command, and up Avent 
 the eight blades straight into the air ; " Let fall ! " 
 and the oars fell into the Avater ; " Give Avay ! " 
 and the blades moved in a clock-like stroke, and 
 they Avere off to the ships. It Avas destined to be 
 many a day before Walter should set foot on land 
 again. 
 
 " Halt ! Avho goes there ? " came suddenly from 
 out of the darkness, and Walter saAV that they 
 Avere lying beside Avhat looked to be a bulging 
 Avail of dark-colored steel. 
 
 " Aye ! aye ! " Avas the ansAver, and there fol- 
 
THE MEN BEHIND THE GUNS 97 
 
 lowed a short talk. " Got ten of them, sir," said 
 the wardroom officer, in charge of the small boat. 
 Then a rope ladder was thrown down, and the 
 newcomers clambered aboard the warship that was 
 to be their home for so long to come. 
 
 Walter gazed about him eagerly, but that look 
 was hardly satisfactory, for to the darkness was 
 now added a heavy fog through which the ship s 
 lights shone but faintly. All had their baggage, 
 and without ceremony they were told to fall in, 
 and were then inarched below by order of the offi 
 cer of the deck. 
 
 "This looks like home to me," exclaimed Caleb 
 Walton, as he gazed around the berth deck. " I 
 went over the Brooklyn many a time when she 
 was up at the navy-yard, so I know her from stem 
 to stern." He took Walter by the arm. "Here 
 is the baby I hope to manage," he whispered, and 
 pointed to one of the starboard monsters, whose 
 long muzzle pointed frowningly outward. " Isn t 
 she a daisy ? " 
 
 " I suppose she is," was the boy s reply. " But 
 how in the world do you manage such a mass of 
 metal? Surely a man can t do it by hand." 
 
 " It might be done by hand, but nowaday 
 
98 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 everything is worked by electricity and hydraulic 
 pressure. You ll learn it all after you have been 
 on board awhile. At present just do what you 
 are told and keep your eyes open." 
 
 Supper had been served some time before, but 
 as it was not intended to let the newcomers go 
 hungry, a table was set and they messed together. 
 The swinging table and the tableware all inter 
 ested Walter, especially when he was provided 
 with his own personal cup, plate, spoon, knife, and 
 fork. 
 
 " As a gunner I ll mess with the other warrant 
 officers," exclaimed Caleb Walton, in reply to a 
 question about messes from Walter. " You see, 
 there are a great number of tables. The com 
 modore is entitled to dine alone, so is the captain 
 and the commander, while the other officers have 
 what they call the wardroom mess. Then there 
 are the steerage mess, for midshipmen, ensigns, 
 and clerks ; the master-at-arm s mess, for yeomen, 
 machinists, boiler-makers, and so on ; and three 
 or four other messes besides, including that to 
 which you will belong. We gunners dine with 
 the boatswain, sail-maker, and carpenter." 
 
 The meal was a plain one, of bread and butter, 
 
THE MEN BEHIND THE GUNS 99 
 
 coffee, cold corned beef, and apple sauce, but it 
 was well cooked, and all the new men and boys 
 ate heartily. As soon as it was finished, Walton 
 hurried off to interview Captain Cook, if he could 
 obtain that privilege. 
 
 "Well, where are we going to sleep? I don t see 
 any beds," said one of the boys, a timid lad named 
 Paul Harbig. His query brought forth a roar. 
 
 " Your bed is rolled up and lashed away, Paul," 
 answered Si, who had rather taken to the little 
 lad. " Do you see those gratings over yonder ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Well, all the hammocks for this deck are 
 stowed away behind that. When it comes time 
 to go to bed, we ll get them out, fasten them up 
 to the hooks you see about you, and there you 
 are. And let me tell you there is nothing finer 
 nor a good canvas hammock to sleep in. I ll take 
 it before I take a greasy, dirty bunk in a buggy 
 fo castle every time." 
 
 " But a fellow may fall out," suggested Paul. 
 
 " If you re afraid of that, get a rope s-end 
 and tie yourself in," answered Si, philosophically. 
 " But you won t tumble, unless we strike some 
 putty rough weather." 
 
100 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 The order was now passed to bring along all 
 baggage, and Walter and Si picked up their 
 satchels. Thinking to take out several things he 
 needed, the Yankee youth opened his bag and put 
 his hand inside. 
 
 " By ginger ! " came from him in an undertone, 
 but loud enough for Walter to hear. 
 
 "What s up, Si?" 
 
 " Thet ten-dollar gold piece is gone ! " 
 
 " Are you sure ? Perhaps it has slipped among 
 some of the clothing." 
 
 " I ll soon see," was the quick response, and the 
 Yankee youth dumped the articles out in a heap. 
 Sure enough, the golden eagle was gone. 
 
 " Somebody has robbed me," came in a groan. 
 u Now who did it, do you suppose ? " 
 
 " I m sure I don t know. It might have been 
 done here or on the train, or at the depot." 
 
 Si looked around him sharply. Not far away 
 stood Jim Haskett, watching him intently. As 
 soon as the ex-mate of the Sunflower saw that he 
 was noticed he turned away. 
 
 "I ve got half a notion Haskett was the one to 
 play me foul," he whispered to Walter. " What 
 do you think? " 
 
THE MEN BEHIND THE GUNS 101 
 
 " He wouldn t be much of a man to rob a mess 
 mate of ten dollars." 
 
 "Oil, you don t know Haskett. He s as close 
 as he is brutal. Once we got up a list to give 
 Captain Pepperill a birthday present, but Haskett, 
 although he was first mate, only gave twenty-five 
 cents, no more than Cooley, the cook, chipped 
 in. In his eyes a ten-dollar gold piece is a big 
 lot of money." 
 
 " It wouldn t do you any good to accuse him if 
 you wasn t pretty certain he was guilty," returned 
 Walter, cautiously. " You don t want to get into 
 trouble right after coming on board. If you 
 raised a row, they might put both you and Haskett 
 in the brig." 
 
 " I m going to ask him about it, anyway," an 
 swered the Yankee youth. " See, he is looking at 
 us, and it pears to me as if he was enjoying 
 himself to see me in trouble." 
 
 Leaving his satchel and scattered clothing as 
 they were, Si advanced upon Haskett and without 
 ceremony caught the man s shoulder. 
 
 " Haskett, I want to ask you something," he 
 said, in a low tone. " Do you know anything 
 about this, or don t you?" 
 
102 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 "I don t know " The ex-mate of the Sun- 
 floiuer stopped short. " What are you talking 
 about, Doring?" 
 
 " I left my satchel on the train, as you know. 
 A ten-dollar gold piece is missing. I want to 
 know " 
 
 " What ! do you accuse me of taking it ? " de 
 manded the man, wrathfully. 
 
 "I asked you if you knew anything about it." 
 
 " No, I don t. I ve got my own affairs to look 
 after. More than likely the car porter took your 
 money if you really had that amount." 
 
 "Well, I m going to find that gold piece sooner 
 or later, as sure as my name is Si Doring," ex 
 claimed the Yankee youth, determinedly, and with 
 a shake of his head he rejoined Walter and Paul 
 Harbig. 
 
 The officer who had previously taken them in 
 charge now came forward and assigned them to 
 their various sleeping places. This matter was 
 readily arranged, for one of the main features of 
 the cruiser Brooklyn is her commodious berthing 
 quarters, there being two complete decks, running 
 from end to end of the ship, for this purpose, also 
 an extra forecastle, so that the vessel can accom- 
 
THE MEN BEHIND THE GUNS 103 
 
 modate a thousand men if required a number 
 nearly double that of her usual crew. 
 
 " It s a big hotel, with one room on a floor," 
 thought Walter, as he took the hammock assigned 
 to him. He was glad to find Si on one side of 
 him and Paul Harbig on the other. Si showed 
 both boys how to take their canvasses and sling 
 them. This work was just completed, when Caleb 
 Walton came back with a broad smile on his face. 
 
 " It s all right," he whispered to Walter. " The 
 captain treated me better than I thought he would. 
 He called up the chief gunner, and we had a talk, 
 and you are to take the place of a man named 
 Silvers, who has gone lame through having a cat- 
 block fall on his foot. If you ll only mind your 
 self, and study up as I tell you, you ll have the 
 chance of your life." 
 
 " Study ! I m ready to begin right off," answered 
 Walter, earnestly. "I m just crazy to get at that 
 gun you pointed out to me. Can t you show me 
 something to-night ? " 
 
 Caleb Walton laughed outright. " Don t try to 
 learn it all before you go to bed, Walter," he said. 
 " Of course, you know more than some landlubbers 
 who think that on warships of to-day they handle 
 
104 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 the guns as they used to, when one man took the 
 powder and ball from the powder-monkeys, an 
 other rammed them home in the gun, and the 
 gunner sighted his piece and pulled the string. 
 Those days are gone, and a head gunner like my 
 self has very little to do, even if the position is a 
 responsible one. Come, I ll get permission to go 
 below, and show you just how a big gun is served 
 from start to finish. Folks talk about the man 
 behind the gun when they really mean from eight 
 to twelve men." 
 
 The two hurried off, and presently descended an 
 iron staircase which seemed to lead into the very 
 bowels of the ship. At last they came to a steel 
 trap-door, barred and locked. 
 
 " Below this door is one of the magazines," ex 
 plained Caleb. " It contains the ammunition for 
 the eight-inch guns in the turret above. The 
 keys to the magazine are in the captain s cabin, 
 and can only be had on special order and by cer 
 tain persons. The magazines are kept locked con 
 tinually, excepting when in use or when being 
 inspected. All of them are connected with huge 
 water tanks, so at the first sign of a fire they 
 can be flooded, thus lessening the danger of an 
 explosion." 
 
THE MEN BEHIND THE GUNS 105 
 
 " Yes, I remember the Spaniards tried to prove 
 that the Maine blew up from one of her magazines." 
 
 " Such a thing couldn t happen in the American 
 navy, because the discipline is too strict. Now, 
 when a gun is being served, several men in the 
 magazine get out the shells for the shellmen, who 
 load them on the ammunition hoist over there, 
 which is nothing more than a warship dumb 
 waiter. The hoist takes the shells up to the 
 guns, in this case in the forward turret. Other 
 hoists supply the rear turret and the secondary 
 battery and other guns, including the rapid-firing 
 weapons in the military tops." 
 
 " You mean those platforms around the upper 
 ends of the two masts?" 
 
 " Exactly. The tops are the places for the 
 sharpshooters and the range-finders." 
 
 " The range-finders ? " 
 
 " Exactly. You see, it is a difficult matter to 
 get an exact range on an enemy several miles off, 
 and we have to try to get the range in various 
 ways. One of the simplest ways is to station two 
 range-finders in the tops, as far away from each 
 other as possible. Each man gets a bead on the 
 enemy with his glasses, and then proceeds to get 
 
106 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 the angle between the bead and an imaginary line 
 drawn between his station and that taken by the 
 other fellow. The three points that is, the two 
 range-finders and the enemy form a triangle, and 
 having one line and the two angles to work on, 
 the working out of the problem gives the distance 
 the gunners are hunting for." 
 
 " That makes pointing a gun nothing but a 
 mathematical problem doesn t it ? " 
 
 " It makes it partly a mathematical problem, lad. 
 But having the distance isn t everything, for that 
 will only give us the height at which a gun should 
 be elevated in order to make its charge cover that 
 distance and hit the mark, instead of flying over 
 it or ploughing the water below it. After getting 
 the distance we have to calculate on how the 
 enemy s vessel is moving, if she is under steam, 
 and then, most important, we have to let the gun 
 go off at just the right motion of our own craft. 
 In some navies they discharge the guns on the up 
 ward roil of the ship, and in others on the down 
 ward roll. My private opinion on that point is, 
 a downward roll in clear weather, and an upward 
 roll in a choppy sea, when you don t know just 
 what is coming next." 
 
THE MEN BEHIND THE GUNS 107 
 
 " I see. Firing a gun isn t so easy as one would 
 imagine." 
 
 " Easy enough if you want to waste ammunition, 
 as those Spaniards did at Manila. Gun practice is 
 expensive, and Spain hasn t any money to waste in 
 that direction. Come, we ll have to get up to 
 sleeping quarters now," concluded the old gunner, 
 as a drum beat was heard sounding throughout 
 the warship. x That s tattoo. It will soon be two 
 bells, nine o clock, and then comes pipe down." 
 
 " All right, I m willing enough to go to sleep," 
 said Walter. " But just one question more. How 
 do you count the time by bells on a warship ? " 
 
 " Just the same as on any ship, lad. The bell 
 strikes at each half -hour, starting at half-past twelve 
 at night, which is one bell. This makes one o clock, 
 two bells, half-past one, three bells, and so on, up 
 to four o clock, which is eight bells, when you start 
 again from the beginning. By this means the day 
 and night are divided into periods of time called 
 watches, as morning watch, middle watch, dog 
 watch, and the like. You ll get the lay of it soon," 
 finished Walton, and then, having reached the berth 
 deck, the pair separated for the night. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 COMMODOEE WINFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY 
 
 IN a couple of days Walter began to feel at 
 home on the flagship, and lie could no longer be 
 termed a "greeny," strictly speaking, although 
 there were still a great number of things for him 
 to learn. He was much interested in the Brooklyn 
 as a whole as well as in detail, and was proud to 
 learn that this armored cruiser was the largest 
 of the class in our navy, having a displacement of 
 9215 tons, as against her sister ship, the New York, 
 which had a displacement of about a thousand tons 
 less. 
 
 " This ship is just four hundred feet and six 
 inches long," said Caleb. " She don t look so long 
 as she rides the water, but as a city block is ordi 
 narily two hundred feet deep, so to speak, she 
 would cover two blocks of a side street, providing 
 the street was sixty-five feet wide, for her to rest 
 in. That s pretty big, eh ? " 
 
 108 
 
COMMODORE WIXFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY 109 
 
 " And how much water does she draw, Walton ? " 
 
 " Draws twenty-four feet, which is the height 
 of an ordinary two-story house. Her three smoke 
 stacks are about a hundred feet high each, and 
 that gives her fires a first-class draught, sailing or 
 standing still." 
 
 "I m awfully glad I m on her," smiled Walter. 
 "Oh, I do hope we have a fight with the Dons. 
 I want to see the big guns go off. I know the 
 main battery, as you call it, has eight 8-inch guns. 
 How many guns are there besides ? " 
 
 "There are twelve 5-inch rapid-fire guns, twelve 
 6-pounders, four 1 -pounders, four Colts, and two 
 field guns. Besides, we carry four torpedo tubes." 
 
 " We re a regular floating arsenal ! " exclaimed 
 Walter. " It must make things shake when they 
 all get to firing." 
 
 "You ll think you ve struck the infernal regions, 
 lad, if we ever do get them all a-going. Yes, the 
 Brooklyn is nothing but a floating fort. She s an 
 unusual type, because she has an extra high fore 
 castle deck. Some folks don t think that makes her 
 a beauty, but they must remember that warships 
 aren t built altogether for looks, although to my 
 mind she s as handsome as any of em. The high 
 
110 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 bow enables us to carry our forward guns eight 
 feet higher than those on the New York, and it 
 will come in mighty handy if we ever want to run 
 full steam after an enemy in a heavy sea which 
 would drown out a ship with a low freeboard." 
 " And why is she called an armored cruiser ? " 
 " Because she is protected by steel plating three 
 inches thick on her sides and on her deck, and 
 under this is an additional protection of coal and 
 of cocoa-fibre, for keeping out water. It would 
 surprise you to see how the sides and deck, as 
 well as the bottom, are built, were they taken 
 apart for examination." 
 
 Discipline Walter found very strict, and once 
 he had donned his uniform he was kept employed 
 from sunrise to sunset, his duties being largely 
 similar to those performed by his brother Larry 
 on the Olympia. Early in the morning he was 
 aroused by the blare of a bugle, or the roll of a 
 drum, and given but a few minutes in which to 
 dress and roll up his hammock and put it away. 
 Then came the work of washing down the deck, 
 followed by breakfast, and later all hands were 
 called to quarters, to attend some drill, sometimes 
 at the guns, sometimes at the hose pipes scattered 
 
COMMODORE WINFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY 111 
 
 about in case of fire, and occasionally with small- 
 arms and with cutlasses. Each afternoon there 
 was a "run around," lasting from ten minutes to 
 half an hour. In this the men fell in singly or 
 in pairs, and ran around and around the deck, at 
 first slowly until " second wind " was gained, and 
 then faster and faster. This is the one chance a 
 Jackie gets of stretching his legs while on board 
 of his ship, and how he does enjoy it ! 
 
 Taking them as a whole, Walter found the ship s 
 company a jolly crowd, with but few men of the 
 Jim Haskett stamp among them. The men con 
 nected with the guns were a particularly brotherly 
 set, and the youth soon felt thoroughly at home 
 among them. He was always willing to do any 
 thing asked of him, and in return the best gun 
 ners on the vessel did not hesitate to give him 
 " points " whenever he asked for them. One jocu 
 larly called him The Questioner, but Walter did 
 not mind, and went on picking up all the infor 
 mation possible. 
 
 On his second morning on board Walter was 
 talking to Si when a low roll of drums reached 
 their ears. " Hark ! " cried the Yankee boy. " Two 
 ruffles. Do you know what that means ? The 
 
112 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 commodore is either leaving or coming on board. 
 They always give a high, officer that salute, or a 
 similar one." 
 
 " Let us see him if we can," exclaimed Walter, 
 who had not yet caught sight of the commander 
 of the squadron. They crowded to an open port 
 and were just in time to see Commodore Schley 
 descend by the swinging ladder to the gig. Soon 
 the little craft shot out of sight through the fog, 
 for the day was far from clear. 
 
 " He looks like a fighter," remarked Walter. 
 " He has quite a record, hasn t he ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed, I was reading about him only last 
 week. He was in the Civil War, operating along 
 the Mississippi, and after that he saw a lot of fight 
 ing besides." 
 
 " I know all about our commodore," said a gunner 
 standing near. " My father fought with him on 
 the Mississippi, and also when Port Hudson, in 
 Louisiana, was taken. He is named after General 
 Winfield Scott, Winfield Scott Schley, for his 
 father and the general were warm friends." 
 
 " It s a good name for a fighter ; for certainly 
 nobody fought better than did General Scott, 
 through the war with Mexico," was Walter s 
 comment. 
 
COMMODORE WIXF1ELD SCOTT SCHLEY 113 
 
 " Schley entered the Naval Academy in 1856 
 and remained until 1861, when the war broke 
 out," continued the gunner. " They say he grad 
 uated at the head of his class and was so well 
 liked that he was given sea-duty on the frigate 
 Potomac, and in 1862 he was made a master, and 
 ordered on the Winona, of the Gulf Squadron. 
 
 " After the Civil War was over, he was sent to 
 the Pacific, and there he aided in the suppression 
 of an outbreak among the Chinese coolies in the 
 Chin Chi Islands. The United States consulate 
 at this place was in danger df being mobbed, 
 but Schley took a hundred marines ashore, and 
 knocked the whole uprising in the head in short 
 order." 
 
 " No wonder he s a commodore," said Walter ; 
 and Si nodded approvingly. 
 
 " It wasn t long before the young officer was 
 made a lieutenant-commander, and coming back 
 from the Pacific, he was placed in charge of a de 
 partment at the Naval Academy. He remained 
 ashore for three years, then went to the coast of 
 Africa, on the Benicia, where he took part in a 
 number of contests, and helped clear the Congo 
 River of pirates, and overthrew the forces defend- 
 
114 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 ing the Salu River in Corea, another bit of work 
 for which he was warmly praised." 
 
 " Oh, he s a corker," cried Si, enthusiastically. 
 
 " I m not done yet," went on the gunner, who 
 loved to talk about the exploits of his old com 
 mander. " Of course you have heard how the 
 Greely Expedition to the North Pole got lost and 
 couldn t get back home. Well, it was Schley who 
 went after them, and found Greely and six of his 
 companions at Cape Sabine and brought them safely 
 back. For this Congress voted him a medal, and 
 President Arthur raised him to the full rank of 
 captain and made him Chief of the Bureau of Equip 
 ment, a very important office in the Naval Depart 
 ment. But Schley couldn t stand it on land, he 
 must have the rolling ocean under him, and so he 
 gave up his berth ashore and took command of the 
 Baltimore. 1 
 
 " I remember about that," put in Walter. " I 
 was reading about John Ericsson, the inventor of 
 the monitor. When Ericsson died, the body was 
 sent to Sweden, his fatherland, on the Baltimore 
 under Schley." 
 
 " Exactly, and the King of Sweden gave Schley 
 a medal to commemorate the event, at a grand gath- 
 
COMMODORE AVINFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY 115 
 
 ering at Stockholm. From Sweden Schley took 
 the Baltimore to Southern waters, and while off 
 the coast of Chili he smoothed out what threatened 
 to become a serious difficulty between that country 
 and ours on account of some of Uncle Sam s jackies 
 being stoned on the streets of Valparaiso. For 
 this the Navy Department was extremely grateful, 
 and he went up several points on the register, so 
 that it didn t take him long to become a commo 
 dore." 
 
 " He s certainly a man worth sailing under," said 
 Walter, " I suppose he is married ? " 
 
 " Yes, and has several children but that don t 
 interest me," concluded the gunner, who was an old 
 bachelor, with a peculiar dislike for the gentler sex. 
 
 Since the time that Si had spoken to Haskett 
 about the missing money, the seaman had steered 
 clear of both the Yankee lad and Walter. Per 
 haps he was afraid that Si would accuse him openly 
 of the theft of the gold piece, or perhaps he was 
 afraid of Caleb Walton, who was continually 
 around and ready to champion his "boys," as he 
 had dubbed both. 15ut there was one boy who 
 could not get away from him, and that was Paul 
 Harbig. 
 
116 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 "You re just the right sort to take to," said 
 Haskett, as he caught Paul by the arm one morn 
 ing, while both were coming from mess. " You re 
 too much of a real little man to have anything to 
 do with that Russell boy or Si Doring." 
 
 " Oh, I like them both very much !" answered 
 Paul, and attempted to pass on. With a frown 
 Haskett caught him by the arm and swung him 
 back. 
 
 " See here, I want to talk to you," he cried 
 uglily. " Has Si Doring been telling you any 
 yarns about me ? " 
 
 " You let go of me," was Paul s only answer. 
 "I don t want anything to do with you." 
 
 "Answer my question." 
 
 " I haven t got to." And now Paul did his best 
 to get away. He had just twisted himself loose 
 when Jim Haskett struck him a cruel blow on 
 the head. 
 
 " You you brute ! " gasped the boy, as the 
 tears came. He was about to try retreating again, 
 when Haskett caught him once more. 
 
 " Now answer me, or I ll thrash the life out of 
 you," he hissed into Paul s ear. " And mind you 
 tell the truth." 
 
HHJJJHBl 
 
 SEE HERE, I WANT TO TALK TO You." 
 
 Page i i 6 
 
COMMODOKE WIXFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY 117 
 
 " He said that he had a a the boy broke 
 off short. " I won t tell you, there ! Now let 
 go ! " And he began to squirm. 
 
 " I know what he said," blustered Haskett. 
 " Said he had had a ten-dollar gold piece in 
 his valise, didn t he?" 
 
 " Ye-es." 
 
 " And he accused me of taking it, eh ? " 
 
 " He didn t say so outright. He said you had 
 been where you could get at the bag." 
 
 " It amounts to the same thing. As a matter of 
 fact I couldn t get at the bag any more than could 
 you, or Russell, or Walton, or any of the others." 
 
 "I suppose that is so. Now let me go." 
 
 " I will in a minute, but I want to tell you 
 something, for it s not nice to have folks taking 
 you to be a thief," went on Haskett, tactfully. 
 
 "I haven t said anything about the affair." 
 
 " Perhaps not, Paul, but Boring talks, and I 
 reckon so do Russell and Walton. During the 
 past couple of days I ve found more than one 
 fellow aboard the Brooklyn looking at me queer- 
 like, and I can put two and two together as 
 quick as the next man. If I allow this to go on, 
 there won t be a soul speak to me after a while." 
 
118 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 "I shan t say a word I ll promise you." 
 
 "It s Russell who will talk the most, I reckon," 
 went on Haskett, with apparent bitterness. " Rus 
 sell, the very fellow who ought not to say a 
 word." 
 
 " I ll caution him, if you want me to," went on 
 Paul, who was tender-hearted and very willing to 
 help anybody out of trouble. 
 
 " Caution Russell ! Not for the world. See 
 here, I ll tell you something, and you can tell 
 Doring or not, just as you please. To the best 
 of my knowledge Russell is the thief." 
 
 " Walter ! " ejaculated Paul. " Oh, no, you must 
 be mistaken. Why, why how could he get at 
 the satchel? He was with Doring." 
 
 " I don t know about that. But I m almost 
 positive Russell is guilty." 
 
 " Have you any proof ? You shouldn t say such 
 a thing unless you have," retorted Paul, anxious 
 to stick up for Walter, who had served him sev 
 eral good turns since they had become acquainted. 
 
 " I ve got more proof against Russell than Dor 
 ing has against me," answered Jim Haskett, boldly. 
 " And what is more, I can prove what I ve got 
 to say." 
 
COMMODORE WINFIELD SCOTT SCHLEY 119 
 
 " But what have you to say ? " came in a cold, 
 heavy voice behind Haskett, and turning swiftly 
 the former mate of the Sunflower found himself 
 confronted by Caleb Walton. The old gunner s 
 face looked stern and angry. 
 
 "Why er where did you come from?" stam 
 mered the seaman. 
 
 " I asked you what you have to say against 
 Walter Russell," demanded Caleb. " Come, out 
 with it, or by the jumping beeswax, I ll wipe up 
 this deck with you ! " And he doubled up his fists. 
 
 " I m not afraid, if you want to fight, Walton," 
 replied Haskett, recovering somewhat from his 
 fright, "What I said about Russell, I ll stick to." 
 
 " But what have you got to say ? out with it," 
 was the old gunner s demand. 
 
 " I ve got this much to say. I think Russell 
 took Boring s gold piece, and I am not the only 
 one that does either. If you think I m wrong, ask 
 Cal Blinker, the shellman. He heard almost as 
 much as I did." 
 
 " Heard what ? " 
 
 " Heard Russell talk in his sleep. It was last 
 night. I got up to get a drink of water and 
 slipped and roused up Blinker. Then, when I 
 
120 FIGHTING IN CUBAN AVATEKS 
 
 went to the water tub, I passed Russell s ham 
 mock. He was dreaming and talking about the 
 gold piece and saying that Doring would never 
 learn that he had it, and a lot more about hiding 
 it under the gun. He went on about the money 
 and about hiding it for fully ten minutes. If you 
 don t believe me, go to Blinker about it." 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 WALTER SHOWS HIS PLUCK 
 
 " AND is that all you have to say ? " asked Caleb 
 Walton, after a few seconds of silence, during 
 which lie gazed so sharply at Jim Haskett that 
 the fellow felt compelled to drop his eyes. " Be 
 cause a fellow dreams about a gold piece, must you 
 accuse him of stealing ? " 
 
 " That s all right, too," responded Haskett, dog 
 gedly. " I know he wouldn t dream that way 
 unless there was something in the wind. I m sat 
 isfied he took the money." 
 
 " And I am satisfied that he is innocent," cried 
 Caleb. " That boy would never steal a cent from 
 anybody." 
 
 " Why, he was after a thief himself before he 
 left Boston," put in Paul, who had now sought 
 protection behind the old gunner. 
 
 " Well, suit yourselves," answered Haskett, with 
 a shrug of his somewhat rounded shoulders. " But 
 let me tell you that I won t allow Russell, Doring, 
 
 121 
 
122 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 or anybody else to speak of me as having taken 
 the money mind that!" And lie shook his fist 
 savagely. 
 
 u Here comes Walter now," announced Paul. 
 " Walter, come here ! " he called out, before Caleb 
 could stop him. 
 
 At once Walter came up, an inquiring look upon 
 his manly face, which was now becoming sunburnt 
 through exposure on deck. u What do you want, 
 Paul?" he asked. 
 
 " It s only some of Haskett s nonsense," answered 
 Caleb, ere the boy could speak. " Tell us, lad, 
 do you remember dreaming anything about Si s 
 gold piece ? " 
 
 For the instant Walter looked puzzled, then his 
 face brightened. " I do," he answered. " What 
 of it?" 
 
 "Tell us what you dreamed first." 
 
 " Why I I can t remember exactly, except 
 ing that I was having a good lot of worry about 
 it," he stammered. " You know how dreams come 
 and go." 
 
 "To be sure, Walter." 
 
 " You dreamt about the money you hid, didn t 
 you ? " said Haskett, sneeringly. 
 
WALTER SHOWS HIS PLUCK 123 
 
 "The money I hid? I hid no money." 
 
 " Oh no, of course not ! " 
 
 " See here, Haskett, what do you mean ? " And 
 Walter strode over to the seaman, his face flush 
 ing deeply. " Do you mean to insinuate that I 
 took Si s gold piece and hid it away ? " 
 
 " He just does," burst out Paul. " And he says 
 you talked in your sleep about it, too." 
 
 " It is false at least, it is false that I took the 
 money. I might have dreamed about it and talked 
 in my sleep. We are not accountable for what 
 we do when we are sleeping." 
 
 " Perhaps you took the gold piece when you 
 were asleep," said Haskett, squinting suggestively 
 at those surrounding him. 
 
 " The gold piece was taken while Si and I were 
 left behind in Washington. It was taken by some 
 body on the train." 
 
 " That s your story and you ve been trying to 
 lay the thing at my door. But I shan t stand it- 
 not me," stormed Haskett. u I heard what you 
 said in your sleep, and so did Cal Blinker. If 
 anybody is guilty, it is you ! " And he pointed his 
 long, bony finger full in Walter s face. 
 
 By this time a crowd of a dozen or more had 
 
124 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 gathered round, realizing that a quarrel of some 
 sort was in progress. "It s about a gold piece," 
 said one. " Haskett says Russell took it. Say, 
 fellows, we don t want anything to do with a 
 thief." 
 
 " Not much we don t ! " answered a messmate. 
 "Heave him overboard if he is guilty." 
 
 " This matter ought to be reported to the officer 
 of the deck," put in a third. " If there is a thief 
 on board, no man s ditty-box will be safe." 
 
 At Haskett s concluding remark Walter s face 
 grew as red as a beet, then deadly pale. For a 
 moment he stood stock still, breathing heavily. 
 Suddenly he leaped forward with clenched fist 
 and struck Haskett a stunning blow on the chin 
 which sent the seaman staggering up against a 
 gun-carriage. 
 
 " That, for talking to me in this fashion ! " he 
 exclaimed. 
 
 " Oh ! " grunted the ex-mate of the /Sunflower, 
 as he caught at the gun just in time to prevent 
 himself from falling to the deck. " You you 
 young rascal, what do you mean by hitting me ? " 
 
 " A fight ! a fight ! " cried several, and soon a 
 crowd of about fifty jackies surrounded the pair. 
 
WALTER SHOWS HIS PLUCK 125 
 
 " Wasn t that a pretty blow though ! And he s 
 only a boy, too ! " came from a gunner s mate. 
 
 " I ll fix you for this ! " went on Haskett, put 
 ting one hand to his chin, where a lump was rising 
 rapidly. " I never before allowed anybody to hit 
 me leastwise a boy." And he rushed at Walter 
 with a fierceness which boded the youth no good. 
 
 " Don t you hit him, Haskett," put in Caleb, 
 catching the seaman by the arm. " If you do, 
 you ll have to settle this affair with me." 
 
 "He hit me." 
 
 "And you as much as said he was a thief." 
 
 "And so he is." 
 
 " I am not, and I ve a good mind to hit you 
 again for saying so," burst out Walter, and before 
 anybody around could separate them he and Has 
 kett had closed in. Several ineffective blows were 
 struck on each side, when they were pulled apart. 
 
 "This won t do, Walter," whispered Caleb. "If 
 you re not careful, you ll spend a week in the brig." 
 
 " But but it s awful to have him say I m a 
 a " 
 
 " I know, I know. But keep cool, lad ; it s best, 
 take my word for it. You ve been on board only 
 a few days, but you have made lots of friends, 
 
126 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 while I reckon most of the men have already sized 
 up Haskett for the meanest chap on board." 
 
 "He has no right to talk about me." 
 
 "He says you and Si Doring talked about him." 
 
 Haskett now pushed his way forward again. "I 
 don t want trouble with the officers, so we ll let 
 this matter drop for the present," he blustered. 
 " But I ll remember you, and some day you ll be 
 mighty sorry we had this little mix-up." And mut 
 tering some more that nobody could understand 
 he strode off, the majority of the crowd gazing 
 after him curiously. 
 
 " Ran away from a boy ! " said one old tar. 
 " He must be a regular coward, and no mistake ! " 
 
 Many wanted Walter to relate his version of 
 what had brought the encounter about, but Caleb 
 hurried the lad away to a corner, where he took a 
 wash up and brushed off his clothing. 
 
 " I want to interview that Cal Blinker," said the 
 youth. " Where can I find him ? " 
 
 " Down around the forward ammunition hoist," 
 answered Paul , and Walter hurried off, accom 
 panied by his friends. 
 
 " Yes, I did hear you say something about a 
 gold piece," the shellman admitted. " You didn t 
 
WALTER SHOWS HIS PLUCK 12? 
 
 talk very plainly and I understood very little. 
 Huskett said he understood every word. Well, 
 maybe lie did. I ve been in the navy so long that 
 the noise of the big guns has affected my hearing." 
 
 " Did I say I stole the piece ? " insisted Walter. 
 
 " I don t know as you did. All I could make 
 oat was ten dollars in gold and the gun just 
 the place. 
 
 This was all Cal Blinker had to say. He was 
 rather old and it was plain to see that he wanted 
 nothing to do with the controversy, one side or 
 the other. 
 
 Si Doring had been attending a special boat 
 drill, and it was not until an hour had passed that 
 he came below and heard what had occurred. 
 Without hesitation he slapped Walter on the 
 shoulder. 
 
 "Don t you take this to heart," he said. "No 
 matter what that mean old rascal of a Haskett 
 says, he ll never make me believe that you are any 
 thing but perfectly straight. I believe yet that 
 he took the gold piece and that some day I ll be 
 able to prove it." And there the incident, for the 
 time being, dropped. 
 
 The manner in which Walter had " sailed into 
 
128 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 Haskett," as Caleb expressed it, made the youth 
 many friends among the crew, for if there is one 
 thing a jack tar loves it is to see a messmate stand 
 up for himself. " You re all right, you are," said 
 more than one, and caught Walter s hand in a 
 grip calculated to break the bones. Several, who 
 had thought to play a few tricks on the " greeny," 
 reconsidered their ideas on the subject and con 
 cluded that it was best not to run any chances 
 with such a spirited lad. 
 
 For some time Walter was afraid that the ex 
 ecutive officer would hear of the encounter and 
 bring him to book for it ; but if the " mix-up " 
 was reported, nothing came of it. As a matter of 
 fact, Uncle Sam s officers just then had affairs of 
 more importance requiring their attention. 
 
 For every hour on board of the warships com 
 posing the Flying Squadron increased the anxiety 
 concerning the Spanish ships which it was felt 
 were preparing -to make a quick dash for Cuba or 
 for our own coast. How soon would these warships 
 sail, and where would they make their presence 
 felt ? those w r ere the all-important questions com 
 modore and captains asked of each other. " They ll 
 most likely try to break the blockade at Havana," 
 
WALTER SHOWS HIS PLUCK 129 
 
 said one. " No, they ll bombard one of our down- 
 east seacoast cities," said another. " I think they ll 
 rush through the Suez Canal to fight Dewey," was 
 the conclusion reached by a third. Under-officers 
 and men speculated quite as much as did their su 
 periors, arriving at equally opposite conclusions. 
 "They have our whole seacoast and Cuba to pick 
 from," Commodore Schley said. " They will go 
 where they can do the most good to their way of 
 thinking. I think they ll go to Cuba or Porto Rico." 
 How correct the commander was history has shown. 
 Although the Scorpion was patrolling the ocean 
 just outside of the capes, a strict watch was kept 
 on every one of the warships, night and day. 
 Rumors were numerous, and one was to the effect 
 that the Spaniards had a submarine craft in their 
 service and that this boat would soon arrive along 
 our eastern seacoast, to destroy the shipping from 
 Maine to the Gulf of Mexico. In these days, when 
 we know the truth, we can afford to laugh at such 
 a report, but to the jackies on the warships, who 
 remembered only too well the fate of the Maine, it 
 was no laughing matter. Even when off duty, 
 many would go on the spar deck and lie flat, gazing 
 into the dark waters for the best part of a night, 
 
130 FIGHTING IX CUBAX WATERS 
 
 hoping to catch a glimpse of the unknown terror, 
 should it come to that vicinity. 
 
 Sunday, with its deeply impressive church ser 
 vice, came and went, and still the squadron lay at 
 anchor. In the meantime it was rumored that 
 Sampson would soon take his most powerful ves 
 sels from the blockade and bombard Havana. The 
 newspapers reported this, but if such was the plan 
 of the Navy Department, it was altered at the last 
 moment. 
 
 Ori May 12 came news of a fierce fight in the 
 harbor of Cardenas, a seaport a hundred and 
 twenty miles east of Havana. In an attempt to 
 effect a landing, the torpedo boat Winslow had her 
 boiler blown to pieces and several men were killed 
 and injured, among them Ensign Worth Bagley, 
 who was thus the first American officer to fall in 
 the war. Two other warships, the Wilmington and 
 the Hudson, also took part in the contest, but were 
 repulsed after a gallant onslaught lasting over an 
 hour. 
 
 " This is war," said Caleb, as he read the news 
 from the paper that one of the gunners had just 
 brought on board. " Those fellows on the Wins- 
 low caught it hot. Think of running right intq 
 
WALTER SHOWS HIS PLUCK 131 
 
 that harbor and having a shell drop and smash 
 your boiler and send the live steam all over you. 
 I tell you Ensign Bagley was a plucky one, all 
 honor to his memory." 
 
 The next day brought even more important 
 news. Dewey had gained a foothold in the Phi 
 lippines, the main city of Cuba was in a state of 
 blockade, and now Rear- Admiral Sampson had 
 shifted the scene of action to Porto Rico, by 
 shelling the forts of San Juan, the principal city 
 of Spain s only other possession in the West 
 Indies. 
 
 " We re getting there ! " cried Caleb, excitedly. 
 " We ll soon give the Dons all they want." 
 
 "If Sampson succeeds in making the San Juan 
 forts surrender, the whole city will be at our mercy," 
 said Walter. " Hurrah for the American navy, 
 and every ship and man in it." 
 
 " We are bound to get them on the run," put in 
 Si. " Here is another report about a fight at Cien- 
 fuegos. Where is that ? " 
 
 " On the southern coast of Cuba," answered 
 Walter, who had always had a good head for geog 
 raphy, and who, since the war had started, had 
 studied the map of Cuba closely. " Havana, San 
 
132 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 Juan, and Manila! Say, but this is becoming a war 
 of magnificent distances." 
 
 " It s a naval war, that s what it is," said Caleb. 
 " If we hullo ! Did any of you see this tele 
 gram ? " He pointed to his newspaper. " The 
 Spanish Squadron under Admiral Cervera has 
 slipped away from Cape Verde Islands and is un 
 doubtedly bound westward." 
 
 " And here is another report that some strange 
 vessels, supposed to be warships, have been sighted 
 off Martinique, Windward Island," added Walter, 
 quickly. "I ll wager we leave soon! " 
 
 " But where to the Windward Islands ? " que 
 ried Si. 
 
 "That s for Commodore Schley to decide. Rest 
 assured he ll find this Admiral Cervera sooner or 
 later, just as Dewey found old Admiral Montojo." 
 
 The news was spreading, and officers and men 
 gathered in knots to discuss the situation. As for 
 Commodore Schley and Captain Cook, they smiled 
 knowingly, but said nothing. Everybody in the 
 Flying Squadron remembered what Dewey and his 
 men had accomplished, and all were on their mettle 
 accordingly. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE SAILING OF THE FLYING SQUADRON 
 
 " WE are off at last ! " 
 
 It was Walter who broke the news, as he came 
 tumbling down the stairs to the berth deck, where 
 Si and Caleb were engaged in a friendly game of 
 checkers on the top of a ditty-box. 
 
 " Off! " cried the old gunner, and leaped up, scat 
 tering the men on the checkerboard in all directions. 
 " Who told you ? " 
 
 " The signal has just been hoisted on the military 
 mast. I couldn t read it, but Sandram could and 
 lie translated it for me." 
 
 Caleb waited to hear no more, but rushed on deck, 
 with Walter and the others following. The news 
 was true, the signal flew the words, " Weigh anchor 
 and follow the flagship," and the heavy black smoke 
 was pouring in dense volumes from every warship s 
 funnels. 
 
 " I wonder where we are bound ? " questioned 
 133 
 
134 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 Walter, whose heart was thumping within him at 
 the thought war might soon become a stern reality 
 to him. " Of course we are going after Admiral 
 Cervera s ships." 
 
 " I reckon that s right, but there s no telling," 
 responded Caleb. " The officers don t consult us 
 when they want to move, you know." And he said 
 this so dryly that both Walter and Si had to laugh. 
 
 The warships at hand were four in number, the 
 Brooklyn, which I have already described, and the 
 Massachusetts, Texas, and Scorpion. With them was 
 the collier Sterling, loaded to the very rail with 
 huge bags of coal, for the exclusive use of the 
 Flying Squadron. 
 
 The Massachusetts was a battleship of the first- 
 class, a sister ship to the Indiana. She had a dis 
 placement of over ten thousand tons, and a speed of 
 sixteen knots per hour. Her massive armor was 
 eighteen inches thick enough to withstand some 
 of the heaviest shots ever fired from any gun. Her 
 armament consisted of a main battery of four 
 13-inch and eight 8-inch guns and four 6-inch slow- 
 fire guns. The secondary battery comprised twenty 
 6-pounders, four 1-pounders, four Gatlings, and two 
 field-guns. Besides this she carried three torpedo 
 
THE SAILING OF THE FLYING SQUADRON 135 
 
 tubes and an immense quantity of small-arms. 
 Captain Francis J. Higginson was in charge, with 
 Lieutenant-Commander Seaton Schroeder. 
 
 The Texas was a battleship of the second class, 
 her displacement being only 6315 tons. She had 
 the honor to be the first vessel built when our navy 
 began its reconstruction, in 1886. Her armor was 
 just one foot thick, and she could speed along at the 
 rate of nearly eighteen knots an hour. Two 12-inch 
 and six 6-inch slow-fire guns made up her main bat 
 tery, while her secondary battery counted up six 
 1-pounders, four Hotchkiss and two Gatling guns. 
 There were two torpedo tubes. The Texas was 
 under the command of Captain John W. Philip and 
 Lieutenant-Commander Giles B. Harber. 
 
 The Scorpion was a despatch boat of the gunboat 
 pattern, with a displacement of six hundred tons, 
 and a rapid-firing battery of four 5-inch and six 
 6-pounders. She was a swift craft, and had done 
 duty as a scout for a long time. 
 
 The signal to weigh anchor was hoisted on the 
 flagship at four o clock in the afternoon, and in 
 side of half an hour the Flying Squadron and the 
 collier were standing down Hampton Roads toward 
 the capes, each ploughing the waters at a twelve to 
 
136 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 fifteen knot rate. The wharves alongshore were 
 lined with people, who waved their hats and their 
 handkerchiefs, and shouted out their best wishes 
 for the departing ones. 
 
 " Remember the Maine, boys, and send us a good 
 account of yourselves ! " shouted one old Southern 
 veteran, as he shook a partly empty coat sleeve at 
 them. " I wish I was younger ; I d go along and 
 fight as well for the old stars and stripes as I 
 once did for the stars and bars." 
 
 " Now you re talking," responded a Union vet 
 eran. " That other quarrel was our own, eh, neigh 
 bor ? Let foreign nations keep their hands off 
 Uncle Sam s family and the children seeking his 
 protection. Three cheers for Old Glory and Free 
 Cuba ! " And the cheers were given with a will, 
 while Fortress Monroe thundered out a parting- 
 salute. 
 
 A number of other vessels, including the pro 
 tected cruisers Minneapolis and New Orleans and 
 the auxiliary cruiser St. Paul had been left be 
 hind, to join their sister ships later on. The New 
 Orleans was a warship but recently purchased from 
 the Brazilian government, and formerly known as 
 the Amazonas. The St. Paul had formerly been a 
 
THE SAILING OF THE FLYING SQUADRON 137 
 
 trans-Atlantic steamer, and was commanded by 
 Captain Charles E. Sigsbee, who had so gallantly 
 stuck to his post until the last moment when the 
 Maine was destroyed. 
 
 Each of the warships had a harbor pilot on board 
 and proceeded under a full head of steam for the 
 passage between the capes, which were passed a 
 little after seven o clock in the evening. Leaving 
 Cape Henry well to starboard, the pilots were 
 dropped, and the warships, taking the middle 
 course, as it is termed, disappeared from the gaze 
 of those who had watched their departure so 
 eagerly. 
 
 " We re out for a fight now, sure enough," said 
 Caleb, as he and Walter went below, each to the 
 mess to which he had been assigned. " Orders 
 are to prepare for action, so I ve just been told." 
 
 u I noticed that lights were being extinguished," 
 answered the youth. " Do you suppose they are 
 afraid that the Spanish warships are coming up 
 this way ? " 
 
 "No telling, lad. It s a game of hide and seek, 
 until one fellow or the other sneaks up and thumps 
 his opponent in the neck. I only hope we re in it 
 to do the first thumping." 
 
138 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 Mess was scarcely over when there came a call 
 to quarters. Ports were closed with massive steel 
 covers, the battle hatches were put down, and the 
 big guns were carefully loaded. Watches had, of 
 course, already been established, and now the men 
 were ordered to take turns at standing by the 
 guns. 
 
 " Which Avay are we pointing, eastward or down 
 the coast ? " questioned Walter of Si, who had come 
 up during his off hours to take a look at the cloudy 
 sky from which only a few stars were peeping. 
 
 "We are moving almost directly southward," 
 was the slow reply of the Yankee youth, after a 
 long look overhead. 
 
 " And where will that bring us to, Si ? " 
 
 " It will take us to Cape Hatteras first, and if we 
 keep on long enough it will bring us to the neigh 
 borhood of San Salvador Island. But I reckon 
 we ll change our course after Hatteras is passed." 
 
 " Isn t Hatteras a bad point to pass ? " 
 
 " Is it ? You just ought to try it in dirty 
 weather. Many a craft has left her hulk off 
 that cape. But such a craft as the Brooklyn, with 
 her high bow, ought to weather almost anything. 
 To my mind, the worst thing we can run into is a 
 
THE SAILING OF THE FLYING SQUADRON 139 
 
 fog-bank, and that s just what we are likely to do 
 in this vicinity." 
 
 The regular lights of the warship had been ex 
 tinguished, but behind its hood the great search 
 light glowed and spluttered, ready to be turned to 
 one point or another at a second s notice. All was 
 quiet on board, save for the rumble and quiver of 
 the powerful engines which were driving this float 
 ing fort on her way through the rolling ocean. 
 While daylight lasted the vessels kept more or 
 less apart, but with the coming of night they 
 closed in, and the fretting and puffing little Scor 
 pion darted ahead on picket guard. 
 
 Walter s duty at his gun came to an end at 
 midnight, and none too soon for the lad, whose 
 head had suddenly begun to spin around like a 
 top. " I guess I m getting seasick," he murmured 
 to Si ; and the Yankee lad at once led him away 
 to a secluded corner, where he might have mat 
 ters all his own way, and where none might look 
 on and enjoy his misery. Once Haskett started to 
 pass some uncomplimentary remarks about Walter, 
 but a single stern look from Caleb silenced the 
 seaman, who tumbled into his hammock without 
 another word. For several days Jim Haskett had 
 
140 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 kept his distance, but he was only biding his time 
 to " even up," as he termed it. " I ll make young 
 Russell feel mighty sore before I m done with him," 
 was what he promised himself. 
 
 Walter was expected to go on duty again at 
 four o clock, but he was in no condition for ser 
 vice, and sent Caleb word to that effect. Paul 
 took the message and soon returned with a reply. 
 
 "You re to take it easy until you re all right," 
 said Paul. " Walton will fix it up so there will 
 be no trouble." 
 
 " He s the best friend a fellow ever fell in with," 
 sighed Walter. " If I hadn t met him I don t know 
 what I should have done." 
 
 " Oh, you would have taken care of yourself," 
 answered Paul, lightly. He had not yet forgotten 
 the attack Haskett had sustained at Walter s hands. 
 
 Daybreak found the squadron running into the 
 first of a series of fog-banks. At once the speed 
 of each warship was reduced, and presently it be 
 came necessary to use the fog-horns and ship-bells. 
 In the meantime all hands were put through several 
 drills, "to get them into fighting trim," as the offi 
 cer of the deck explained. The drills lasted until 
 dinner time, and in some way they made Walter 
 
THE SAILING OF THE PLYING SQUADEON 141 
 
 feel much better. As a matter of fact, his spell of 
 seasickness was of short duration, and once gone, 
 the malady never returned. 
 
 " I m a fine specimen of a Jackie, am I not ? " 
 he said to Caleb, with a faint smile, on first pre 
 senting himself. " Why, a Spaniard could knock 
 me over with a feather." 
 
 " Don t you go for to find fault with yourself," 
 was the old gunner s reply. " I ve known men 
 who have been on the ocean for years to get sick 
 the first day out. It s something they can t over 
 come, try their best. Why, I saw several officers 
 of the marines as sick as so many dogs." 
 
 Mess over, Walter went on deck for a breath 
 of fresh air. They had just left a fog-bank and 
 were standing out boldly into the ocean. The 
 youth sauntered slowly forward as far as the 
 rules permitted. 
 
 " Sail O ! " came suddenly from the military 
 mast. 
 
 " Where away ? " demanded the officer on the 
 bridge. 
 
 "Dead ahead, sir." 
 
 " Is she flying any flag ? " 
 
 "I think not, sir." 
 
142 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 "What does she look like?" 
 
 " I can t make out very well, for she is running 
 into the fog. I don t know but that she looks a 
 bit like a warship," continued the lookout, after 
 some hesitation. 
 
 Without delay Commodore Schley and Captain 
 Cook were notified. A brief consultation took 
 place, and it was decided to pursue the unknown 
 craft and find out what she was and where she 
 was going. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 AN ADVENTURE OFF CHARLESTON 
 
 THE news that a strange vessel was in sight 
 soon travelled throughout the ship, and all who 
 could do so, crowded to the spar deck, while the 
 officers stationed themselves on the forecastle, 
 bridge and other points of vantage. 
 
 There was no necessity to give the order, 
 " Clear ship for action ! " for the Brooklyn was 
 already cleared. Moreover, all the big guns con 
 tained their charges of eight-inch and other 
 shells. The six-pounders and the Colts were now 
 " provided," as it is termed, and then there was 
 nothing to do but to lie by the guns and await 
 further orders. 
 
 Immediately upon notification that a strange 
 sail was in sight, the flagship had run up a sig 
 nal to the Scorpion, " Follow the unknown ship 
 to the southward," and away darted the little 
 gunboat at a rate of speed which caused the 
 
 143 
 
144 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 mighty waves of the Atlantic to wash her decks 
 from end to end. Presently the sea proved 
 almost too heavy for her and she had to reduce 
 her speed, and the Brooklyn went ahead, her 
 high freeboard sending the water to port and 
 starboard with scarcely an effort. Once, however, 
 she did get caught below an unusually high crest 
 and all on the forward deck received a liberal 
 drenching. 
 
 " Fire a shot across her bow ! " was the order 
 given, when the strange craft again emerged from 
 a fog-bank, and boom ! one of the smaller guns 
 belched forth. The echoes of the shot had 
 scarcely died away when the unknown ship was 
 seen to hoist the British flag. 
 
 " Only a Britisher ! " sighed Caleb, when the 
 news came down to him. " And I thought we were 
 going to have the profit of a nice Spanish prize." 
 
 Not caring, to go entirely by the flag displayed, 
 since the unknown ship had acted so strangely, 
 the Scorpion was again sent forward to make an 
 investigation. In quarter of an hour she came 
 up within hailing distance. 
 
 "What ship is that?" was bawled out through 
 a megaphone. 
 
AN ADVENTURE OFF CHARLESTON 145 
 
 " British steamer Elsie. What gunboat is 
 that ? " 
 
 " The Scorpion, of the United States navy. 
 Where are you bound and what have you on 
 board?" 
 
 " Bound for Norfolk, Virginia, with a cargo of 
 phosphate rock." 
 
 " Why didn t you show your flag before ? " 
 
 " Well, to tell the truth we were afraid we had 
 run into some Spanish warships, and that Eng 
 land might be mixed up in this muss, in which 
 case we didn t want to become a Spanish prize. 
 How is it? are we in it yet?" 
 
 " No, Uncle Sam is running this war without 
 outside help," was the concluding remark, and 
 then the two vessels separated ; and the Flying 
 Squadron proceeded on its way. 
 
 Saturday found the course of the Brooklyn 
 changed to southwest by south. " We are still 
 hugging the coast," explained Si. "I shouldn t 
 wonder if we are to make a stop somewhere, say 
 at Charleston or Savannah." 
 
 " Perhaps the commodore has word that the 
 Spanish ships are sailing for our southeast coast," 
 suggested Walter. " My ! what a nasty day it is 
 
146 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 going to be." He referred to the mist, which was 
 so heavy that it felt almost like rain. For May, 
 the weather was raw and cold, and all hands were 
 glad to stay below decks as much as possible. 
 
 On this day another long exercise at the gun 
 was had, and Walter learned more thoroughly 
 than ever how the charge was raised from the 
 ammunition hoists to the gun, pushed into place 
 by the mechanical rammer, and how the gun was 
 moved up, down, or sideways by merely touching 
 this button or that wheel or lever. " It s won 
 derful !" he observed. "I suppose it would be 
 next to impossible to move such a big gun by 
 hand." 
 
 " Oh, it can be done," answered Caleb. " In 
 the old navy they used to do it by hand, and 
 each gun had ten to sixteen men to man it. In 
 those days they had no device to lessen the shock 
 of the recoil as we have now. Instead of hav 
 ing a water cushion for the gun to strike on, they 
 used a heavy rope in the back, and sometimes the 
 rope broke, and. the gun did more damage flying 
 backward than the charge did flying forward." 
 
 "They didn t have any breech-loaders in those 
 days, did they ? " 
 
AN ADVENTURE OFF CHARLESTON 147 
 
 "They had some in the Civil War, but not 
 many before that. Everything in the way of 
 powder and ball had to be put into the muzzle, 
 and was rammed home by hand. The first breech- 
 loading guns were clumsy affairs, and not a few 
 accidents were had by guns going off before the 
 breeches were properly locked." 
 
 " And what about sighting the pieces ? " 
 
 " Oh, they have had dozens of devices for get 
 ting a correct aim, some pretty good and some 
 decidedly bad. In the old navy the guns didn t 
 carry near so far as they do now, and your old- 
 time gunner was just what his name calls for, 
 for he sighted the piece and fired it himself. But 
 the old times are gone, and I expect one of these 
 days all the work still left will be done by ma 
 chinery, and a dozen men sitting up in the con 
 ning tower will control the warship from stem to 
 stern." 
 
 Walter laughed at this. " I reckon we re some 
 time off from that yet, Walton. But it is won 
 derful how much the commander can control by 
 using his bells, annunciators, speaking-tubes, and 
 electrical indicators. I guess that is a great 
 improvement on the old way of yelling orders 
 
148 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 through a speaking-trumpet and having a dozen 
 middies rushing around telling this man and that 
 what to do." 
 
 " No doubt of it, lad. But when it s all done 
 and said, you must remember one thing we 
 have still to prove the worth of our floating 
 forts in war times. Dewey did well at Manila, 
 but it may be that the Spanish warships out there 
 weren t in the best condition. Now this Admiral 
 Cervera, whom we are after, has ships that are 
 thoroughly up to date, and when his outfit meets 
 ours, then well, we ll see what we will see," 
 concluded the old gunner. 
 
 That afternoon Walter took his first lesson in 
 making knots. He had had some idea concerning 
 a variety of knots which had been taught to him by 
 Larry, when he and his younger brother were 
 sailing about Lake Erie, but those which were 
 now exhibited were truly bewildering. 
 
 "The single bend and figure of 8 are easy 
 enough," he sighed. " But when you come to 
 that sheep-shank and bowline upon the bight, as 
 you term them, it grows confusing." 
 
 " This is only the beginning," answered Caleb. 
 " After you know the knots, you ll want to learn 
 
AN ADVENTURE OFF CHARLESTON 149 
 
 the hitches half-hitch, rolling-hitch, and so on, 
 and after that you ll want to take up the splices, 
 and then the different kinds of tackle, long-tackle, 
 single-whip, and all that. I reckon those will 
 keep your mind busy for a week or two. To be 
 sure, those things belong more to a seaman than a 
 gun-hand, but it s good to know how to do, in 
 case you are called upon at some time." 
 
 The night came on with a storm in the air. 
 As before, all the lights were extinguished, and 
 the different watches took their turns at the guns. 
 Walter had just turned in when a shout rang 
 out. " Another vessel in sight ! " As rapidly as 
 possible the lad leaped up. 
 
 " Is it a Spanish warship ? " he asked. 
 
 u Don t know," answered Caleb, laconically, but 
 leaped to the gun, with Walter and the others 
 following. 
 
 I -Jut it was only another scare, for the vessel in 
 sight proved to be a merchantman bound for a 
 northern port. The big searchlight of the Brook 
 lyn was turned upon her, and instantly every 
 light on the merchantman went out and the ship 
 sneaked away with all sails set. No effort was 
 made to pursue her. 
 
150 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " The captain of that craft will report falling 
 in with a big Spanish fleet; see if he don t," 
 said Caleb; and the old gunner was right, as a 
 newspaper of a few days later proved. 
 
 By noon on Sunday Charleston Harbor was 
 sighted, and a few hours later the squadron came 
 to anchor near Charleston Bar, nine miles from 
 the city. 
 
 " The Sterling isn t in sight," said Walter, as 
 he came on deck and took a look behind. " I 
 wonder if the heavy sea was too much for the 
 collier." 
 
 " Oh, she ll turn up sooner or later," answered 
 Si. " But a boat loaded as she was isn t the 
 safest thing to sail around such a point as Cape 
 Hatteras, I can tell you that." The collier came 
 in before night, reporting a thoroughly disagree 
 able trip. 
 
 A lighthouse tender was at hand, ready to take 
 the mail ashore, as well as to deliver letters and 
 special messages. The messages were at once 
 delivered to Commodore Schley. 
 
 "I wonder how long we ll stop here," said 
 Walter. " I wouldn t mind a run ashore, just to 
 see what the city looks like." 
 
AN ADVENTU11E OFF CHARLESTON 151 
 
 " There goes a signal to the Texas" said Si, as 
 the signalman took up his flag and began to wig 
 wag. " Wait a moment till I read what he is 
 saying." 
 
 " Can you read it ? " asked Walter, in deep 
 interest. 
 
 " Certainly, it s easy enough. " Si began to spell 
 to himself. " W-h-a-t, what i-s, is y-o-u-r, your 
 b-e-s-t, best r-a-t-e, rate o-f, of s-p-e-e-d, 
 speed n-o-w, now ? He is asking what the 
 Texas can do at once, so far as speed is concerned. 
 That means something important. Hold on, here 
 comes the answer." Again the Yankee youth 
 began to spell. " Might go fifteen and a half 
 knots." Then the signalman on the Brooklyn 
 sent another message. "We are off on business 
 now." And the signal went up for the squadron 
 to weigh anchor again. 
 
 " We re off for a fight ! " ejaculated Walter. 
 " But tell me about that wig-wagging, Si ; how 
 do they signal the letters ? " 
 
 " It s easy enough. You take a small flag of 
 some bright color, attached to a pole six or eight 
 feet long. As soon as you attract the attention 
 of the other fellow, you begin to use the flag in 
 
152 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 three motions, to the right, the left, and down in 
 front. To the right means one, to the left means 
 two, and down in front means three. Now all the 
 letters are represented by combinations of num 
 bers, and all you have to do is to learn the com 
 binations and spell ahead. It s easy enough when 
 one gets the hang of it. At night you can use 
 a lantern instead of a flag." 
 
 " That is easy," commented Walter. " But what 
 about those signals at the masthead. Can you 
 read those ? " 
 
 " No. In those, most every flag represents a let 
 ter, or a word, or sentence ; but to read the signal 
 you have got to have either the international sig 
 nal code-book, or else the United States Navy code- 
 book. The navy code is locked up in the captain s 
 cabin, and the book is weighted with lead, so that 
 if anything happens, it can be heaved overboard 
 and sunk, thus keeping it out of the enemy s 
 hands." 
 
 " I declare, signalling isn t so difficult, after all," 
 cried Walter. " To me it looked like a perfect 
 jumble." 
 
 "The trouble with flags is, that when there s 
 no wind they won t straighten out so you can see 
 
AN ADVENTURE OFF CHARLESTON 153 
 
 era," put in Caleb, who had joined the pair. 
 "Lanterns are more to be depended upon, and 
 they have a new system now, called the Ardois 
 electric, in which they use four powerful electric 
 lights, so that the signals can be read at a dis 
 tance of several miles. You ll learn all about them 
 if you stay in the navy long enough." 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 IN WHICH THE GOLD PIECE COMES TO LIGHT 
 
 " WHERE now ? " was the question which more 
 than one man on board of the Brooklyn asked him 
 self. But no answer was forthcoming. The com 
 modore, captain, and commander knew, of course, 
 but they kept the information to themselves. In 
 war it is a rule not to let the enemy know what 
 you are doing until you do it, and so a strict 
 guard was kept, so that no information might leak 
 out. Yet Spanish spies in Canada learned a good 
 deal, and notified the home government as quickly 
 as it could be done. 
 
 From Charleston the course was almost due south, 
 and both Si and Caleb came to the conclusion that 
 the flagship and her sister craft were bound for 
 Cuban waters. " Perhaps we re going to join in 
 the blockading of Havana," remarked the old 
 gunner. 
 
 " Oh, I hope not," said Walter. " Riding in 
 154 
 
IN WHICH THE GOLD PIECE COMES TO LIGHT 155 
 
 one spot day after day must be awfully tiresome. 
 I d like to hunt the Spaniards out and do them 
 battle, as Dewey did. He didn t waste any time." 
 
 Dewey s name was to be heard constantly, for 
 the jackies never got done talking about this first 
 great victory of the war. Some of them had served 
 on the Olympia, Boston, and other vessels of the 
 Asiatic Squadron, and they described just how 
 these boats were built, and what parts they must 
 have taken in the contest. 
 
 "Don t grow impatient, Walter," said Caleb. 
 " We ll run up against something soon perhaps 
 more than you care for. It s easy enough to think 
 of sinking an enemy s ship. Supposing he puts 
 a few thirteen-inch shells through your craft, and 
 you begin to go down what then ? " 
 
 " I ll make the best of it," returned the boy, 
 calmly. " I enlisted to fight for Uncle Sam, and 
 I m willing to take what comes." 
 
 Jim Haskett was passing when Walter made this 
 remark, and his lip curled Avith a sneer. That 
 boy is too big for his boots," muttered the seaman. 
 "I can t see what the other men find in him to 
 like." 
 
 Jim Haskett was more sour than ever, for his 
 
156 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 disagreeable ways had lost to him the few friends 
 he had picked up when first coming on board. 
 The fact that Si and Walter were growing more 
 popular every day caused him fairly to grate his 
 teeth with rage. 
 
 " I ll fix him, see if I don t," he told himself 
 that night. " They shan t tell everybody that I 
 took that gold piece when I didn t touch his 
 bag." 
 
 Jim Haskett was one of those mean, unscrupu 
 lous men, who do a wrong and then try to argue 
 themselves into thinking that it is all right. It 
 was not true that he had taken the ten-dollar gold 
 piece from Si s bag, but it was true that he had 
 found the Yankee boy s satchel overturned and 
 partly open, and had closed it Tip and locked it, 
 and afterward found the money on the floor of the 
 car within a few feet of where the bag had stood. 
 Any fair-minded man would have told himself that 
 the gold piece must be the one lost by Si ; but 
 Haskett was not fair-minded, and it was doubtful 
 if the man could ever become so, any more than 
 a dwarfed and crippled tree can be forced to be 
 come straight and upright. 
 
 On Monday morning, the day after leaving 
 
IX WHICH THE GOLD PIECE COMES TO LIGHT 157 
 
 Charleston Bar, Haskett heard Caleb tell Walter 
 and Si that the gun must be cleaned and oiled. 
 "We ll go over the piece from top to bottom to 
 morrow," said the old gunner, " and if there is any 
 thing more that you don t understand I ll explain 
 it to you." 
 
 " This is my chance," said Haskett to himself, 
 and lost no time in bringing forth the gold piece 
 from the place where he had hidden it. Watching 
 his opportunity, when Caleb, Si, and Walter were 
 asleep that night, he secreted the piece in a corner 
 of the track upon which the gun-base revolved. 
 
 Inside of half an hour after breakfast the next 
 day, Walter, stripped to the waist, was working 
 over the gun, in company with his friends and 
 Steve Colton, the second gun-captain, and Carl 
 Stuben, the hose-man. All were supplied with 
 cotton waste, polishing-paste, and rags, and in a 
 short while the bright portions of the gun shone 
 like a mirror. 
 
 " There, I reckon that will suit the chief gunner," 
 was Caleb s remark as he stood back to inspect the 
 work. "No piece on the starboard side brighter 
 than this, I ll wager my month s pay." 
 
 Si was bending down under the gun, swabbing 
 
158 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 up some oil which had run clown from one of the 
 working joints. Suddenly the Yankee youth threw 
 down his swab and caught up something which 
 shone in spite of the dirt upon it. 
 
 " My gold piece, as sure as you re born ! " he 
 ejaculated, after he had made an inspection at the 
 porthole. " Now how in creation did that get 
 there ? " 
 
 He looked at Caleb, and half unconsciously both 
 turned to Walter. 
 
 "What s that?" asked the youth. 
 
 " My gold piece I found it hidden under the 
 gun-track," answered Si. 
 
 Walter s face turned red, as he remembered what 
 Jim Haskett had said concerning his talking in his 
 sleep. " Why, Si are are you sure it is your 
 piece ? " he faltered. 
 
 " Certainly. There is the date, 1876 centennial 
 year, and here is a scratch I once made with my 
 jack-knife. It s the very one that was taken from 
 my bag, beyond any doubt." 
 
 Si continued to look at Walter, while Caleb sud 
 denly turned and gazed out of the porthole, 
 while Stuben, the hose-man, whistled softly to 
 himself. 
 
IX WHICH THE GOLD PIECE COMES TO LIGHT 159 
 
 " Why, Si, have you got your money back ? " 
 cried Paul, who had just chanced up. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " And where did you find it ? " 
 
 "Under the gun, by the track." And Si pointed 
 out the place with his forefinger. 
 
 " Under the gun ! Why, that is where Haskett 
 said Walter hid it ! " was Paul s comment, before 
 he stopped to think twice. "I mean that is, 
 Haskett said something about it," he stammered. 
 
 "I know he did," answered the Yankee youth, 
 coldly. 
 
 Walter s face was burning hotly now, and he 
 could scarcely trust himself to speak. " Si, do you 
 think I put that money there ? " he asked in a 
 strained voice. 
 
 " I m sure I don t know what to think," was the 
 dogged answer, and now Si turned his gaze away. 
 " Haskett said well, you know what, and Cal 
 Blinker backed him up in it," he went on, hesitat 
 ingly. 
 
 " Yes, I know what Haskett. and Blinker said," 
 answered Walter. " But but do you think I 
 stole your money ? " The words would scarcely 
 come, but he forced them out. 
 
160 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " I don t say that, Walter ; but the whole thing 
 looks mighty queer." 
 
 " I have it ! " burst out Caleb. " Perhaps Walter 
 put the money there when he was asleep. Folks 
 often do queer things when they have the night 
 mare." 
 
 " Yes, but if he put it there while he was asleep, 
 how did he come by it in the first place ? " ques 
 tioned Si, bluntly. 
 
 " Perhaps he took it out of the bag while he was 
 asleep on the train," suggested Caleb. " You had the 
 bag with you all the way from Boston, didn t you ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "And Walter bunked with you, too?" 
 
 "He did." 
 
 " Then it s as plain as day," went on the old 
 gunner. " Walter took the money while you were 
 asleep on the train and hid it away in his clothing, 
 or somewhere. When he got on board he took to 
 sleep-walking and put the piece under the gun. 
 Of course he doesn t know anything about the trans 
 action." 
 
 Again all eyes were turned upon Walter, whose 
 face was as red as ever. " Perhaps that s true 
 but it s mighty queer," murmured Colton, the 
 second gun-captain. 
 
IN WHICH THE GOLD PIECE COMES TO LIGHT 1G1 
 
 " I don t believe I did anything of the sort ! " 
 cried the youth, at last. " I can give you my word 
 on it that I never saw Si s money until just now. 
 To my mind, this whole matter is a job put up by 
 Jim Haskett. He took the money, and then when 
 Si raised such an ado about it he was afraid to get 
 it changed or to spend it, and he watched his chance 
 to get rid of it. He s down on me, and when lie 
 heard me mutter in my sleep he formed his plan to 
 get me into trouble. I m going to find Haskett on 
 the spot." And off he rushed before anybody could 
 detain him. 
 
 I laskett was discovered mending his jacket, which 
 had become torn the evening before. " What do 
 you want ? " he asked, as Walter ran up and caught 
 him fiercely by the arm. 
 
 " I want you to own up to your dirty trick on 
 me," answered the boy. " You thought you had 
 me, but your little plot won t work." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " blustered Haskett, al 
 though he knew well enough what was coming. 
 
 By this time the crowd had followed Walter, and 
 they gathered round the pair. Soon Haskett had 
 heard all there was to say. 
 
 "Don t lay it off on me," he cried. "I knew 
 
162 
 
 Russell was guilty from the start. Si Doring can 
 think as he pleases. As for me, I m glad that I m 
 not training with a night-walker -or a thief." 
 
 Walter leaped forward with blazing eyes. But 
 before he could strike out, Caleb caught him, 
 while another man held Haskett. Then, before 
 anything more could be done or said, Si stepped 
 to the front. 
 
 " Haskett, I lost the money, and I think I ought 
 tp have the biggest say in this matter. If you 
 played a trick on Walter, you are the meanest 
 man that ever trod the deck of a ship. If you 
 didn t, let me say that I don t think Walter stole 
 the gold piece, although he may have taken it while 
 he was asleep and not responsible for his doings." 
 
 " Thank you for saying that, Si," came from 
 Walter. " But I don t think I took it even when 
 asleep. To my mind Haskett is guilty, and nobody 
 else." 
 
 " If I wasn t held began Haskett, when a 
 young seaman named George Ellis, chief yeoman of 
 the Brooklyn, stepped forward and asked to know 
 what the trouble was about. 
 
 " I think I can tell something about this," said 
 George Ellis, after the 1 matter had been explained. 
 
IN WHICH THE GOLD PIECE COMES TO LIGHT 163 
 
 " You just hold your jaw ! " stormed Haskett. 
 " You don t know anything." 
 
 " I know what I see," answered the chief yeoman, 
 pointedly ; and something in his manner attracted 
 such attention that all in the crowd gathered 
 around to learn what he might have to say. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 KEY WEST, AND THE LAST OF JIM HASKETT 
 
 GEORGE ELLIS was known to be an upright 
 honest man, and one whose word was worth taking 
 upon every occasion. He had an education above 
 that of the ordinary man in the navy, and was 
 anxious to make something of himself while in 
 the service of his country, never dreaming, alas ! 
 that his life was so soon to be taken from him 
 during our struggle in the cause of humanity and 
 Cuban freedom. 
 
 " And what did you see ? " questioned Caleb, as 
 all eyes were turned upon Ellis, inquiringly. 
 
 "It was last night," answered the Range Finder, 
 for such was the man s popular title, given him 
 because he was so good at determining distances. 
 " I was rather feverish and couldn t sleep. 1 
 walked the berth deck for a while and then went 
 up to Walton s gun and stood leaning out of the 
 porthole, gazing at the water. 
 
 104 
 
KEY WEST, AND THE LAST OF JIM HASKETT 165 
 
 " Presently I heard a slight noise behind me, and 
 turning around I saw in a dim way the figure of a 
 man behind me. He was bending down under the 
 gun, as if he was hunting for something. I was 
 just on the point of speaking to him when he 
 straightened up and slunk away as silently as a 
 ghost. I watched him, and when he got under 
 the rays of the electric light I got a good look 
 at his face." 
 
 " And was it this man ? " cried Si, pointing to 
 Jim Haskett. 
 
 "It was." 
 
 With a cry of anger Si leaped upon Haskett 
 and bore him to the deck. " You good-for-nothin 
 rascal!" he panted. "Will try to shove off your 
 dirty tricks on Walter, eh ? So you stole my 
 money and then got afraid to use it ? Take that, 
 and that, and that ! " 
 
 Each that was a blow in the face, one on the 
 cheek, another on the nose, and a third directly 
 in Haskett s left eye. They were heavy, and 
 Haskett roared with pain. 
 
 "Let up!" he sputtered. "Let go of me,"- 
 the latter to Caleb, who still held him. " Oh, my 
 eye ! Is this fair fighting, two to one ? " 
 
166 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " It is as fair as you treated Walter," answered 
 Caleb. "Give him another, Si; he deserves it." 
 And Si followed directions by planting a blow on 
 Haskett s neck, something which spun the former 
 mate of the Sunflower around like a top. At last 
 Haskett broke loose and backed awa}". 
 
 "I ll get square on all of you!" he foamed, 
 shaking his fist first at Caleb and then at the 
 others. "I m not done yet." 
 
 " I ve a good mind to report you," put in 
 Walter. " I reckon you d be good for a month 
 in irons, on bread and water." 
 
 At this Haskett grew pale. " The officers won t 
 believe your story. Ellis, and the rest of you 
 haven t any witnesses," he replied, but his voice 
 shook. " Just wait ; my day will come some 
 time." And then, as Si started to advance again, 
 he beat a hasty retreat. 
 
 "That settles that mystery," remarked Caleb, 
 when the excitement was over. " I calculate, 
 Walter, that you are not sorry the way matters 
 came out." 
 
 "No, indeed." Walter turned to George Ellis. 
 " I owe you one for your kindness. I ll not for 
 get it." 
 
I LL GET SQUARK Ox ALL OF You!" 
 
 Pa ye 1 66 
 
KEY WEST, AND THE LAST OF JIM HASKETT 167 
 
 " That s all right I only did what any fair- 
 minded fellow would do," answered the chief 
 yeoman, and strolled away. 
 
 It was time for dinner, and Walter hurried off 
 arm in arm with Si, who was still somewhat 
 worked up over what had happened. " Walter, 
 don t you go for to imagine I thought you 
 guilty," said the Yankee boy. " I know you are 
 honest to the core." 
 
 " Even if I do talk in my sleep," said Wal 
 ter, from whose heart a great load had been 
 lifted. 
 
 Once more the course of the Flying Squadron had 
 been changed and now they were making straight 
 for the coast of Florida. Tuesday passed quietly, 
 although the same vigilance prevailed as before. 
 It was evident, come what might, Commodore 
 Schley did not mean to allow the enemy to 
 catch him napping. 
 
 They had passed through the Straits of Florida, 
 and now they turned to the westward, past a 
 number of the Florida Reefs. Far across the 
 ocean could be seen the low-lying shore, backed 
 up by stately palms and other trees. The weather 
 was now much warmer. 
 
168 FIGHTING IX CUBAX WATERS 
 
 " You see, we are drawing closer to the equa 
 tor," remarked Caleb. " I reckon we are bound 
 for Key West." And his surmise proved correct, 
 for they dropped anchors in Key West Harbor 
 early on the morning following. 
 
 " What a lot of warships around here," cried 
 Walter, as he came on deck. "What is that big 
 fellow over yonder ? " 
 
 " That is the Iowa" answered the old gunner. 
 " You can well say big fellow, for the Iowa is the 
 largest seagoing battleship we possess. She has 
 a displacement of over eleven thousand tons and 
 can speed in any sea at over seventeen knots. 
 She carries four 12-inch guns and a whole host 
 of others. Her armor belt is solid steel, four 
 teen inches thick." 
 
 " She s a beauty. I wonder if she will go out 
 with us ? " 
 
 " That is according to what Rear Admiral 
 Sampson has to say about it, lad. You see, 
 this campaign in Atlantic waters is largely in 
 his hands." 
 
 The Iowa lay quite close, and during the day 
 several messages were transmitted from one war 
 ship to the other by means of the wig-wag 
 
KEY WEST, AND THE LAST OF JIM HASKETT 169 
 
 system. Walter had now mastered the mysteries 
 of wig-wagging- and amused himself by spelling 
 out the messages as they passed to and fro. 
 
 A salute had been fired when the commodore 
 entered the harbor, eleven rounds being shot off. 
 " If he was a rear-admiral, he d get thirteen guns," 
 explained Caleb. " You see the salute varies from 
 the President down. McKinley gets twenty-one 
 guns, the Yice-President or Secretary of the 
 Navy nineteen guns, a foreign minister fifteen 
 guns, a consul seven guns, and so on. By count 
 ing the guns every man on the ships can tell 
 what sort of a dignitary has arrived." 
 
 It was a cloudy day, and the air was so close that 
 Walter was glad enough to take it easy. Presently 
 he saw a boat leave the side, containing several 
 petty officers and George Ellis and Jim Haskett. 
 
 " I wonder where they are going," said Walter 
 to Si. 
 
 " Some special business for Captain Cook," an 
 swered Paul, who stood near. " Oh, but Haskett 
 is in an ugly mood to-day. It will be a big won 
 der if he and Ellis don t get into a fight before 
 they come back." 
 
 " Ellis is too much of a gentleman to fight with 
 
170 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATKRS 
 
 any one," returned Walter. " By tlie way, what 
 is his real position on board ? " 
 
 " He is chief yeoman," replied Si. " He is 
 going ashore to look after some ship s stores, so I 
 heard him tell one of the paymasters." 
 
 The small boat was soon out of sight, and 
 Walter turned away to seek the shade, for it was 
 growing hotter and hotter. " If this is a sample 
 of weather in the torrid zone, what shall we do 
 when we get into Cuban waters ? " he observed. 
 
 "We are not very far from Cuban waters now," 
 said the Yankee youth. " We could make Havana 
 in six or seven hours if it was necessary." 
 
 " I wonder how the people of that city feel, Si, 
 all cooped up as they have been for so long." 
 
 " I reckon they wish they had some fighting 
 ships to come out after us, Walter. I ve heard it 
 said that General Blanco hardly knows how to 
 turn himself, food is so scarce and so many idlers 
 are about. It wouldn t surprise me if they had 
 a riot there, if they haven t had one already. 
 Even soldiers won t keep quiet when the grub 
 fails." 
 
 But little could be seen of Key West outside 
 of the numerous shipping. Presently a couple of 
 
KEY WEST, AND THE LAST OF JIM HASKETT 171 
 
 petty officers came along with marine glasses and 
 one pointed out to his companion several Spanish 
 prizes in the port. " They ll be worth a good bit 
 of money to the sailors on the blockade," he added. 
 "I wish we were in for a share of the spoils." 
 
 "There are several transports," said Caleb, on 
 joining his friends. " They are fitting out to go 
 to Tampa. It won t be long before an army of 
 invasion starts for Cuba." 
 
 "I wonder if my brother Ben will go along," 
 mused Walter, but just then to get word from his 
 older brother was impossible. 
 
 Inside of two hours the small craft came back. 
 Somewhat to his surprise Walter saw that Jim 
 Haskett was missing. He would not have thought 
 much of this had it not been that the Brooklyn 
 was already preparing to continue on her trip. 
 
 " Haskett did not come back," he announced to 
 Si. " I ll wager something is wrong." 
 
 " Oli, I guess not," said the Yankee youth ; 
 nevertheless, he, too, began to watch for the 
 former mate of the Sunfloiver. 
 
 Several hours later Walter passed George Ellis 
 on the upper deck and saluted. The chief yeo 
 man hesitated and then called Walter to him. 
 
172 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " I suppose you and your friend will be in 
 terested to know that James Haskett lias been 
 left behind at Key West under military arrest," 
 he began. 
 
 " Indeed ! And what for, if I may ask ? " 
 
 " For srettinff into a rough-and-tumble fi^ht 
 
 o o o o 
 
 with a soldier named Grumbell. It seems Grum- 
 bell once owned a fishing-smack down East, and 
 Haskett failed to settle up on a cargo of fish 
 he sold for Grumbell three years ago. They 
 had a quarrel of words and then got to blows, 
 and Haskett hit a captain of the regulars who 
 tried to separate them. Both he and the soldier 
 are now in prison, and I rather imagine it will 
 go pretty hard with the seaman, for striking a 
 captain is no light offence." And after a few 
 words more, George Ellis passed on. 
 
 Of course Walter lost no time in carrying the 
 news to his friends. All listened with interest, 
 and Si said he was glad Haskett was gone. 
 " And I hope he doesn t ever come back," he 
 added. 
 
 And Jim Haskett never did come back, nor 
 did Walter ever set eyes on the man again. For 
 quarrelling with the soldier and striking the cap- 
 
KEY WEST, AND THE LAST OF JIM HASKETT 173 
 
 tain of the regulars, Jim Haskett was dishonora 
 bly discharged from the navy, and sentenced to 
 a year s imprisonment at hard labor. Thus, in 
 a roundabout way, was the rascal made to suffer 
 the punishment he so richly deserved. 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 FHOM CIENFUEGOS TO SANTIAGO BAY 
 
 FROM Key West the Flying Squadron set sail 
 direct for Cienfuegos. The Brooklyn, Massachusetts, 
 Texas, and Scorpion left together, and were fol 
 lowed, twenty-four hours later, by the Iowa, men 
 tioned in the previous chapter, and by the Castine 
 and the collier Merrimac. 
 
 Cienfuegos is a town of good size lying on a 
 small bay on the south coast of Cuba, about mid 
 way between the eastern and western extremities. 
 For several days the Navy Department had been 
 watching, or trying to watch, the movements of 
 the Spanish squadron, satisfied at last that it was 
 somewhere in Cuban waters. One report had it 
 that Admiral Cervera was at Cienfuegos, another 
 that he was at Santiago de Cuba, many miles to 
 the eastward. Commodore Schley was now sent 
 out to bring the truth to light, were it possible 
 to do so. 
 
 174 
 
FROM CIENFUEGOS TO SANTIAGO BAY 175 
 
 The rainy season, as it is termed, was at its 
 height in this vicinity, and the showers came 
 down nearly all day, striking the hot metal decks, 
 and converting the water into something closely 
 resembling steam. It was so muggy and uncom 
 fortable that hardly any of the jackies could sleep, 
 and more than one poor fellow was overcome and 
 had to be carried to the sick bay for treatment. 
 
 " If that Spanish squadron has passed Santiago 
 and Cienfuegos, and is crawling up around the 
 western turn of Cuba, it won t be long before we 
 see some hot work," observed Caleb, as he lounged 
 at a porthole, devoid of any clothing but his 
 shirt and trousers. 
 
 " Any kind of work would be hot," said Walter, 
 laughingly. " Why, I think a fellow could cook 
 eggs on deck." 
 
 o o 
 
 " Puts me in mind of a voyage I took to South 
 America," put in Si, who had just soused his head 
 into a bucket of water, and was dripping from 
 nose, ears, and chin in consequence. " We lay 
 off the mouth of the Amazon for two days, wait 
 ing to get on a cargo of rubber. It was right 
 under the equator, and the tar just poured out of 
 all our seams. One afternoon I ran across the 
 
176 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATEKS 
 
 deck in my bare feet, for I was taking a swim, 
 and as true as I live I blistered my feet." 
 
 " Oh, that s nothing," returned Caleb, dryly. 
 " I was under the equator once, off the coast of 
 Columbia in the bark Sally D. The captain let 
 us go fishing in the jolly-boat. We caught about 
 a dozen fish and threw em in the bottom as fast 
 as they came in, and when we got back to the 
 bark hang me if the first two fish we had brought 
 up weren t baked as nice as you please, all fit 
 for the captain s table." And Caleb turned away 
 and began to whistle softly to himself, while Si 
 continued his ablutions without another word. 
 Among old sailors, " matching yarns " is a constant 
 pastime, and the stories sometimes told would shame 
 even a Baron Munchausen. 
 
 The watch on board of the warship was now 
 more strict than ever, and the men slept at their 
 guns, sometimes not seeing a hammock for several 
 nights. Everybody, from the captain down to the 
 apprentices, felt that a crisis could not be far 
 off. 
 
 It must not be imagined that while Commodore 
 Schley was skirting the southern coast of Cuba, 
 the northern coast was neglected, for such was 
 
FROM CIENFUEGOS TO SANTIAGO BAY 177 
 
 not the case. The blockade of Havana and vicin 
 ity still continued, and in addition Rear-Admiral 
 Sampson took his own flagship, the New York, 
 and several other warships, and sailed eastward, 
 thinking to occupy the St. Nicholas Channel. 
 Thus, if Admiral Cervera tried to gain the vicin 
 ity of Havana by the northern coast, he would be 
 likely to fall in with Sampson ; if he took the 
 southern way, Schley would intercept his path. 
 By keeping his ships in the St. Nicholas Channel 
 Sampson remained ever ready to dash northward 
 should the Spanish destroyers take a new course 
 and show themselves along our own coast. 
 
 " We are coming in sight of land," cried Walter, 
 toward nightfall, two days after leaving Key West. 
 " I suppose this is some port on the southern coast 
 of Cuba." 
 
 " It is Cienfuegos Bay," returned Caleb. " I 
 just heard one of the officers say so. We re to 
 lie at anchor until morning, and then perhaps the 
 fun will commence." 
 
 At this announcement Walter s heart beat quickly, 
 and it must be admitted that he did not sleep a 
 wink that night for speculating on what the mor 
 row might bring forth. In this particular, his 
 
178 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 thoughts were not far different from those of 
 every one else on board. 
 
 Daybreak brought more rain, and the big war 
 ship rode on the long swells of the ocean grim 
 and silent. Not far away lay the Texas, and 
 several newcomers could be seen approaching from 
 a distance. " This looks like business," observed 
 Si to Walter, and the boy nodded. 
 
 Immediately after breakfast the signal was hoisted 
 to clear ship for action, and once more the jackies 
 rushed to their various places and got into fight 
 ing trim. Then the great engines of the Brooklyn 
 began to work, and they crept slowly toward the 
 entrance to the harbor. 
 
 "If Cervera is there, he keeps himself pretty 
 well hidden," remarked one of the officers, within 
 hearing of Walter. " I don t see anything that 
 looks like a warship." 
 
 Presently the flagship came to a halt, and the 
 Texas steamed past her and quite close to the 
 harbor. Here the Spaniards had a small land 
 battery, but it kept silent. The inner portion of 
 the bay was hidden from view by a high spur of 
 land. 
 
 What to do next was a problem. If the Spanish 
 
FROM CIENFUEGOS TO SANTIAGO BAY 179 
 
 squadron was really there, it would be foolhardy 
 to rush in and do battle while the enemy would 
 have the support of the shore battery. Commo 
 dore Schley thought the matter over and, ever on 
 the alert, decided to play a waiting game. 
 
 Sunday passed without anything unusual devel 
 oping, and so did the day following. The strain 
 on the men at the guns was great, for they were 
 on duty constantly. Night and day the bosom of 
 the outer bay was closely watched, for it was 
 known that Cervera had with him one or two 
 torpedo-boat destroyers, and these were dreaded 
 more than anything else. 
 
 " Let one of those torpedo destroyers get near 
 us, and we ll go up as quickly as did the Maine" 
 said Caleb. " I m not afraid of the dagos, but 
 let me get out of the way of a torpedo boat every 
 time." And this opinion was shared by all Walton s 
 messmates. 
 
 " There s another boat coming up," announced 
 Si, at six o clock on Tuesday morning. " Walton, 
 what do you make her out to be ? " 
 
 " She s the Marblehead," was the old gunner s 
 answer, after a long look at the craft. " And 
 she s got despatches for the commodore," he added, 
 
180 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 as the signal went up and a small boat put off 
 for the Brooklyn. Soon Commander McCalla of 
 the Marble-head came on board, and a long con 
 ference with Commodore Scliley resulted, after 
 which the newly arrived officer departed for his 
 own warship with all possible speed. McCalla s 
 mission was to communicate with the Cuban insur 
 gents who were encamped near Cienfuegos, with 
 a view to ascertaining if Admiral Cervera s ships 
 were really in the harbor. 
 
 The morning passed quietly, and by noon the 
 Marblehead and her commander returned. The 
 Cuban spies had made an investigation, and not a 
 single ship of war belonging to Spain had been 
 found, outside of a little harbor vessel of small 
 moment. 
 
 It was now thought that if Admiral Cervera 
 was not at Cienfuegos he must either be on his 
 way hither or at Santiago. Accordingly, toward 
 evening, the squadron received orders to sail for 
 Santiago. 
 
 "We re off for Santiago Bay," said Caleb. 
 " And if we don t find the dagos there, I ll give 
 up where they are. Perhaps they have gone back 
 to Spain." He continually alluded to the Spaniards 
 
FROM CIENFUEGOS TO SANTIAGO BAY 181 
 
 as dagos, a term which became quite common 
 among soldiers and sailors during the war, although 
 many referred to the enemy as the Dons. 
 
 It had cleared off, and the sun shone down 
 fiercely on the deck and elsewhere. Inside of the 
 steel turrets the air was stifling, and no one could 
 remain at his post over a couple of hours. From 
 below, the engineers, firemen, and coal-heavers 
 came up constantly for a whiff of fresh air. 
 
 "We re badly enough off," remarked Walter. 
 " But look at those poor chaps. Why, some of 
 the firemen look ready to melt." 
 
 " Yes, and the worst of it is they never get any 
 credit when it comes to a battle," added Caleb. 
 " Now to my mind, the engineer who sticks to 
 his engine during a battle, obeying orders and 
 running the risk of having a shot plough through 
 a boiler and scald him to death, is just as much 
 of a hero as the chap behind a gun and in one 
 way he s more of a hero ; for if the ship should 
 start to sink, a gunner has got the chance to leap 
 overboard and swim for it, while the man below 
 is likely to be drowned like a rat in a trap." 
 
 " And the coal-heavers work harder than negroes," 
 put in Paul. " Just think of the tons and tons 
 
182 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 of coal they shovel every twenty-four hours when 
 we are under full steam. I m quite certain such 
 work would break my back." 
 
 " Oh, life on a warship isn t all a picnic," was 
 Si s comment. " If a fellow enlists to have an 
 easy time of it, he deserves to get left. I enlisted 
 to serve Uncle Sam, and I m going to do it if 
 Providence will give me the chance. 
 
 As Commodore Schley sailed toward Santiago 
 from Cienfuegos, Rear-Admiral Sampson, gaining 
 additional information concerning the whereabouts 
 of the enemy, moved slowly and cautiously east 
 ward toward Cape Maysi and the Windward Passage. 
 Thus, if Cervera was where he was supposed to 
 be, he was bound to be discovered before many 
 more days passed. 
 
 " Do you know anything about Santiago Bay ? " 
 asked Si of Walter. " I ve travelled to South 
 America and Central America, but I never stopped 
 anywhere in Cuba." 
 
 " I know only what the geographies teach," 
 answered Walter. " It is on the south side of 
 Cuba, a hundred and some odd miles from the 
 eastern end of the island. It is said to be a very 
 pretty harbor, about eight miles long and one to 
 
FROM CIEXFUEGOS TO SANTIAGO BAY 183 
 
 two miles wide. Santiago, which is the next 
 largest Cuban city to Havana, is located on the 
 northeast shore. I heard Caleb say that the en 
 trance to the harbor is shaped like the neck of a 
 crooked bottle, and that on the eastern side there 
 is a strong fortress called Morro Castle, and 
 opposite to it a heavy concealed battery called La 
 Zocapa. Somehow, it s in my mind that we ll see 
 a good deal of the harbor before we come away," 
 concluded the boy. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE FINDING OF ADMIRAL CERVERA S FLEET 
 
 "WELL, this doesn t look much like fighting." 
 
 It was Paul who uttered the remark. The 
 youngest member of the gunners crowd rested 
 in the shadow of one of the long guns, half asleep. 
 Near by sat Walter and Si, each writing letters, 
 although there was no telling when the communi 
 cations would be taken from the Brooklyn and 
 sent home. At Key West Walter had looked for 
 some word from Ben and from Job Bowling, but 
 none had come. 
 
 " I d like to know if my uncle went to Boston, 
 and if he learned anything concerning that Deck 
 Mumpers and the stolen heirlooms," Walter ob 
 served to Si, after nodding to Paul, in agreement 
 that it didn t look like fighting. 
 
 " Well, you ll have to possess }^our soul in pa 
 tience," answered the young Yankee. " But oh, 
 this is dead slow ! " And thrusting his letter into 
 an envelope, he addressed it and laid it away. 
 
 184 
 
THE FINDING OF ADMIRAL CERVERA s FLEET 185 
 
 Several days had been spent around the mouth 
 of Santiago Bay, without anything being brought 
 to light. If the Spanish fleet was within the 
 harbor, it knew enough to keep out of sight, that 
 was certain. 
 
 " If I was Commodore Schley, I d rush past old 
 Morro and make short work of this," grumbled 
 Paul, stretching himself and yawning. " Why, 
 we ll all die of laziness if this keeps on." 
 
 " I hear the Merrimac has broken down," put in 
 Caleb, who had just come below. " That means 
 another wait of twenty-four hours or more, even 
 if Cervera isn t in the harbor. Why under the 
 sun must those dagos play such a game of hide- 
 and-seek ? Why can t they come up and fight like 
 men ? " 
 
 " Perhaps Admiral Cervera is bombarding some 
 of our cities at this very moment " began Si, 
 when a sudden loud hurrah caused all hands to 
 leap up and make for the deck. 
 
 " What s up ? " came from a hundred throats. 
 
 " The Iowa has just signalled that she has seen a 
 big Spanish warship showing her nose around the 
 harbor point ! " was the wild answer. " We ve 
 found the Dons at last ! " 
 
186 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 And then came another hurrah and a wild yell. 
 " Let us get at em ! Down with the Spaniards ! 
 Remember the Maine and Dewey s victory at 
 Manila ! " 
 
 Commodore Schley was on the afterbridge of the 
 flagship. As the yelling broke loose, he smiled 
 grimly. " Yes, they must be in there," he said to 
 Captain Cook. " And if they are, they ll never get 
 home." Prophetic words, as the events of just five 
 weeks later proved. 
 
 Owing to the heavy swells of the ocean, the war 
 ships under the commodore s command had drifted 
 somewhat apart, but now, when it was known defi 
 nitely that Admiral Cervera s ships were in the 
 harbor before them, the various craft were signalled 
 to draw closer, until they lay within four to six 
 miles of the entrance. This may seem a long way 
 off to some of my readers, but it must be remem 
 bered that guns of the present day can carry as 
 far as ten to twelve miles when put to it, and a 
 destructive fire can be maintained at seven or eight 
 miles. 
 
 The night that followed was a trying one, for no 
 one knew but that Admiral Cervera s warships 
 might come dashing out of the bay at any instant 
 
THE FINDING OF ADMIRAL CERVERA S FLEET 187 
 
 ready to do them deadly battle. The Brooklyn had 
 long since been stripped for action, many articles 
 of wood being thrown overboard, to avoid splinters 
 when shot and shell began to fall. The small 
 boats were covered with strong nets, also to keep 
 splinters away, and everywhere throughout the ship 
 the hoses were connected with the water-plugs, to 
 be used in case of fire, and all water-tubs were 
 kept filled for a like purpose. The magazines were 
 kept open, and every gun, big and little, stood 
 ready to be fired at the word of command. Even 
 the ward-room tables were cleared off and covered 
 with the sick-bay cloths, and the surgeons saw to 
 it in a quiet way that their bandages, knives, and 
 saws were ready to hand. 
 
 " Say, but that looks like war, eh ? " whispered 
 Paul, jerking his thumb in the direction of one of 
 the improvised operating tables. . " Gracious, it s 
 enough to give a fellow a cold shiver." 
 
 "Then don t look that way, Paul," answered 
 Walter. " As Si said, life here isn t expected to be 
 a picnic. We may gain lots of glory, but we ll 
 have to work for it, and maybe suffer, too." 
 
 It was the 30th of May, Decoration Day, but no 
 services of a special character were had, although 
 
188 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 the Civil War was talked of by a dozen veterans 
 of both the North and the South, who were now 
 standing once more shoulder to shoulder, as Wash 
 ington, Jefferson, and a hundred other patriots of 
 old had intended that they should stand, once and 
 forever. " We re under the stars and stripes to 
 stay," said one man who had worn the gray at 
 Gettysburg. " Just let those Dons show themselves, 
 and we ll lick em out of their boots." The man s 
 name was Berkeley, and he was as good a soldier 
 as he was a sailor, and wore both Union and Con 
 federate medals for bravery. 
 
 Walter had just fallen into a light doze early in 
 the morning when a dull booming awoke him with 
 a start, and made him leap to his feet. " What is 
 that guns firing ? " he asked. 
 
 " That s it, lad," came from Caleb. " The com 
 modore is giving his defiance to the enemy, I 
 reckon. There she goes again," he went on, as 
 half a dozen sullen reports rolled over the water. 
 " I just wish we were in this." 
 
 A Spanish warship, the Christobal Colon, had 
 again showed herself at the entrance to Santiago 
 Bay, and the loiva, the Massachusetts, and the New 
 Orleans, had been ordered to move to within seven 
 
THE FINDING OF ADMIRAL CERVERA S FLEET 189 
 
 thousand yards and open fire. Away they darted, 
 and passed and re-passed the harbor entrance twice, 
 firing as they sailed. What damage was done it was 
 impossible to tell, but that the Colon was hit seemed 
 very probable, for she soon disappeared. The shore 
 batteries also took part, and sent one big shell 
 directly over the loiva, where it burst with a noise 
 that was deafening, but without doing any damage. 
 
 " Gracious ! what a racket ! " exclaimed Walter, 
 as he watched the bombardment from afar. 
 
 " Racket ! " repeated Caleb, who stood beside 
 him. " Why, lad, this is nothing to what we ll 
 have when we get mixed up. I only hope the 
 commodore signals us to line up for the scrap," 
 he went on, for Commodore Schley had left the 
 Brooklyn temporarily, and hoisted his pennant on 
 the Massachusetts . But the signal did not come, 
 much to the old gunner s disappointment. 
 
 By dark the bombardment was at an end. It 
 had been brought about by the commodore with 
 the view to ascertain the strength of the enemy, 
 his ability to shoot straight, and the number and 
 location of the shore batteries. Now this informa 
 tion was gained, and it was likely to be of great 
 value in the near future. 
 
190 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 It had been decided, should Admiral Cervera s 
 fleet be discovered in Santiago Bay, that Commo 
 dore Schley should unload the collier Merrimac as 
 quickly as possible, and then sink the craft directly 
 across the channel at the narrow entrance. If this 
 was accomplished, it would make it impossible for 
 the Spanish warships to escape until the sunken 
 wreck was blown up and cleared away, and in 
 the meantime several other available American 
 vessels could be hurried to the scene of action. A 
 number of spies had been sent ashore, and at last 
 the commodore was positive that the enemy was just 
 where he wanted him. " And now we ll sink the 
 Merrimac, and bottle him up," he said. 
 
 The Merrimac was an iron steamboat of five 
 thousand tons burden. She had previously been a 
 " tramp " steamer ; that is, one going from port to 
 port, picking up any cargo that came to hand. She 
 carried a large quantity of coal for the various 
 ships, and, as we already know, had followed the 
 Flying Squadron from Key West to Cienfuegos 
 and the present ocean territory. She was a heav 
 ily built craft, carrying two masts, and just the 
 right sort for the plan now at hand. 
 
 A heavy salute on the morning of June 1 an- 
 
THE FINDING OF ADMIRAL CEKVEIiA s FLEET 191 
 
 nounced the coming of Admiral Sampson with a 
 number of additional warships, the New York, 
 Oregon, Mayflower, Porter, and others. The New 
 York, it may be added here, was a cruiser, similar to 
 the Brooklyn, only somewhat smaller. The Oregon 
 was a battleship of the first class, of over ten thousand 
 tons displacement, and carried four 13-inch, eight 
 8-inch, and four 6-inch guns in her main battery, 
 over twenty guns in her secondary battery, besides 
 several Gatling guns and three torpedo tubes. 
 This noble vessel had just made a record for her 
 self by steaming, at full speed, from San Francisco, 
 around Cape Horn, to our eastern coast, without a 
 break-down, a journey without precedent for a 
 heavy battleship, so far as our own navy was con 
 cerned. In the past, foreign critics had imagined 
 that our vessels were not quite as good as theirs 
 in thoroughness of build ; now these critics were 
 silenced, and they stood looking on, and wondering 
 what those " clever Yankees " would do next. 
 
 The Merrimac had been under the command of 
 Captain James Miller, but now she was eased of a 
 large quantity of her coal, and turned over to 
 Lieutenant Richmond P. Hobson, an assistant 
 naval constructor. Hobson had his plans ar- 
 
192 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 ranged in detail for sinking the Merrimac, and 
 all he asked for was a crew of six or seven men, 
 to aid him in running the collier into the harbor 
 channel. " I know it looks like certain death to 
 go in," he said, " and therefore I want only vol 
 unteers with me." 
 
 " You can get them easily enough," said Rear- 
 Admiral Sampson, with a smile. " I know a hun 
 dred men on the New York who will be only too 
 anxious to go, no matter how dangerous the mis 
 sion." Volunteers were called for, and, to the 
 credit of our navy, be it said, that the crews of 
 the different ships offered themselves almost to a 
 man. 
 
 " We can die only once," said one old gunner ; 
 " take me ! " 
 
 " I d like to go, captain," said Caleb, appealing 
 to Captain Cook. " Can t you put me on the list 
 somehow? " 
 
 " I ll go," said Walter, readily, and Si said the 
 same. Paul was so young that he knew they would 
 not take him. 
 
 Of course where only seven men were wanted 
 and hundreds had begged to be allowed to go 
 there were numerous disappointments. At last 
 
THE FINDING OF ADMIRAL CERVERA S FLEET 193 
 
 the list was made up of the following names 
 to be remembered by every patriotic young Ameri 
 can: Lieutenant Hobson, in command; O. W. 
 Deignan, helmsman ; G. F. Phillips, engineer ; 
 F. Kelley, fireman ; J. Murphy, coxswain ; G. Cha- 
 rette, mine batteries ; D. Montague, anchor hand ; 
 It. Clausen, extra wheelman. The men were all 
 experienced sailors, and fully realized the extreme 
 peril which awaited them, when they should run 
 the Merrimac in directly under the fire of Morro 
 Castle and the La Zocapa battery. 
 
 A start was made late on Wednesday night, 
 the Merrimac cruising up and down before the 
 harbor entrance, trying to gain a favorable oppor 
 tunity for entering. But none showed itself, and 
 by orders of the rear-admiral the attempt was post 
 poned until the night following. In the mean 
 time a catamaran was built and attached to the 
 Merrimac s side, to be used in getting away in case 
 the small boats became disabled when the craft was 
 wrecked. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 IX WHICH THE " MEKKIMAC " IS SUNK 
 
 "!T S too bad we can t get places on the Merri- 
 mac," observed Walter to Si, as the two walked 
 to their quarters after the selection of men had 
 been made. " If Lieutenant Hobson succeeds in 
 getting the collier up in the harbor entrance and 
 sinking her, it will be a big feather in his cap." 
 
 "My idea is that the heavy guns of old Morro 
 will blow the Merrimac clean out of the water 
 before she gets within quarter of a mile of where 
 she is to be sunk," answered the Yankee lad. 
 " Those on board are running the greatest risk of 
 their lives." 
 
 " But the glory, Si ! " 
 
 "No glory if you re killed." 
 
 " But you said you would go." 
 
 " So I would but I wouldn t expect to come 
 back alive. I ll wager we never see Hobson again, 
 nor none of his men." 
 
 The fierce heat of the day had given Walter a 
 194 
 
IN WHICH THE " MEERIMAC " IS SUNK 195 
 
 headache. As evening came on it grew worse, 
 and he was not able to sleep during the night. 
 
 " I hope I m not getting the Cuban fever," he 
 remarked to Caleb, who had offered several simple 
 remedies ready at hand. 
 
 " Better report and go on the sick list," advised 
 the old gunner. " If it s fever, the sooner you 
 take it in hand the better." 
 
 At first Walter demurred, but finally, as the 
 ache in his head began to creep all over him, he 
 reported to one of the surgeons. " I don t want 
 to go into the sick bay," he said, " but I wish you 
 would give me something." 
 
 "Yes, you need something," was the answer. 
 " We don t want any men to get down so soon. 
 We may have to stay on the blockade here for 
 some time, if Cervera refuses to come out and 
 fight us." 
 
 " Or we block him in with the wreck of the 
 Merrimac," said Walter, with a faint smile. 
 
 " Oh, that will be only a temporary check, to 
 give Admiral Sampson time to get his fleet into 
 shape and give the army authorities time to send 
 on an army of invasion. The army is already 
 gathering at Tampa," replied the surgeon. 
 
196 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 The medicine was forthcoming, and Walter was 
 at once given a big dose and told to repeat every 
 two hours. "It has quinine in it and will make 
 your ears ring and your head buzz, but that won t 
 hurt you," said the surgeon. " If you feel worse 
 by to-morrow morning, report to me again." 
 
 This was at eight o clock. By noon Walter 
 felt as if a buzz saw was in full operation in his 
 head, while he could not hear at all. But he con 
 tinued to take the medicine, and rested in a ham 
 mock slung up in the coolest spot to be found 
 between decks. 
 
 " Oh dear ! " he murmured, when left alone. 
 " How my head does spin around ! If I get very 
 sick, whatever will become of me? " And he buried 
 his face in his jacket sleeve, to suppress a groan 
 that was bound to come. 
 
 By nightfall he was worse, if anything, and 
 both Caleb and Si advised him to go into the 
 sick bay for further treatment. But he shook his 
 head. " No, I reckon I can stand it till morn 
 ing," he said. "There may be a turn for the 
 better by that time." 
 
 Midnight found him on deck, under the impres 
 sion that the fresh night air would do him some 
 
IN WHICH THE " MERRIMAC " IS SUNK 197 
 
 good. To tell the truth, he was hardly respon 
 sible for what he was doing, for his head was in 
 a worse whirl than at any time previous. He 
 staggered to the side and leaned over. The war 
 ship rose and fell on the bosom of the ocean, and 
 the water danced and twinkled before his eyes. 
 Nobody was near him. 
 
 How it all happened he could never tell after 
 ward. He must have leaned over too far, or 
 slipped, for suddenly he seemed to awake as by a 
 shock, and felt himself going down and down into 
 the greenish element which washed up against 
 the Brooklyn s sides. He tried to scream, but 
 his mouth filled with water and he could- only 
 splutter. 
 
 When at length he arose to the surface, the 
 waves had carried him a hundred feet away from 
 the ship. He tried to cry out, but he was too 
 weak to utter more than a whisper. He threw 
 out his hands and began to swim in a mechanical 
 way. But instead of carrying him back whence 
 he had corne, the mighty waves lifted him closer 
 and closer to shore. 
 
 Ten minutes had passed, and Walter felt that 
 he could keep up no longer, when he came into 
 
FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 contact with a large box which had at one time 
 been filled with naval stores, but which, on being 
 emptied, had been thrown overboard from one of 
 the warships. The box was over four feet in 
 length and built of heavy slatting, and afforded a 
 fair degree of buoyancy. Lying across the top of 
 the receptacle he floated on, wondering in a be 
 wildered way how this strange adventure was 
 going to end. 
 
 " If only I could get to one of our ships," he 
 thought. " If I don t, I must either drown or 
 else be cast up on the coast, in which case the 
 Spaniards will most likely capture me. If I- 
 Oh, there is a ship now ! " 
 
 Walter was right ; a two-masted vessel was bear 
 ing directly down upon him. The vessel carried 
 no lights and moved along as silently as a ghost. 
 
 " I ll be run down ! " was the boy s agonizing 
 thought, when, on coming within a few hundred 
 feet, the craft began to turn in a small circle. 
 Then, when halfway around, her engines came to 
 a stop and she drifted idly on the waves. 
 
 A chain was dangling from the vessel s stern. 
 It was but three yards away, and making a 
 frantic leap Walter clutched it and hung fast. 
 
IN WHICH THE " MERRIMAC " IS SUNK 199 
 
 Scarcely had this been accomplished than the 
 steamer moved off again, dragging him behind 
 her. 
 
 In his weak state it is a wonder that Walter 
 was not compelled to relinquish his hold ; but life 
 is sweet to us all, and he hung on grimly, and 
 setting his teeth, began to climb up the chain 
 hand over hand. In a few minutes he reached 
 the taffrail, fell, rather than climbed, over, and 
 dropped unconscious on the deck. 
 
 How long he lay in this state Walter did not 
 know. He came to his senses to find himself being 
 shaken by somebody bending over him. 
 
 " What are you doing here ? " was the rough 
 demand. " Don t you know that all of the regular 
 crew were ordered off at three o clock ? " 
 
 " 1 I where am I ? " stammered Walter, sit 
 ting up. 
 
 "Where are you? Don t you know?" 
 
 "No, sir." 
 
 " You re on board of the Merrimac" 
 
 "The Merrimac!" echoed the boy, and attempted 
 to rise to his feet. He was still very weak, but 
 otherwise his involuntary bath had done him much 
 good. 
 
200 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " Exactly ; the Merrimac. How dare you remain 
 on board against orders ? " 
 
 " I didn t remain on board. I I fell off of my 
 own ship, the Brooklyn, and came near drowning, 
 when this vessel came along and I managed to 
 catch hold of a chain that is dragging over the 
 taffrail. I climbed up and then then I don t 
 remember anything more." 
 
 "Humph! that s a likely story. How did you 
 happen to fall overboard?" went on the man, who 
 was one of the volunteers on this never-to-be-for 
 gotten expedition. 
 
 In a few words Walter told him. By this time 
 the youth felt stronger, and got up 011 his feet. 
 " I hope I shan t be in the way," he said, as he 
 concluded. 
 
 "You had better keep out of the way," was the 
 grim return. " Come forward, and I ll report the 
 matter to Lieutenant Hobson. If you have to go 
 in with us, the best thing you can do is to strip 
 off your clothing, and buckle a life preserver 
 around you just as the rest of us have done. 
 Of course if you were on the Brooklyn you know 
 what we intend to do, and let me tell you we ve 
 some mighty hot work ahead of us." And throw- 
 
IN WHICH THE " MERRIMAC " IS SUNK 201 
 
 ing him a life preserver, the man stalked off, leaving 
 Walter standing on the forward deck of the col 
 lier in the darkness. 
 
 It was a little after three o clock in the morn 
 ing, and the Merrimac was headed north-northeast, 
 directly for the harbor entrance. From far ahead 
 shone a Spanish flashlight, located on a hill, and 
 by steering for this, Lieutenant Hobson knew the 
 craft would be taken just where he wanted her. 
 
 Walter was but lightly attired, and without 
 stripping off any more clothing he placed the life 
 preserver around him, under the arms. " When 
 the Merrimac goes down, we may not even have 
 the catamaran to fall back on," he thought. 
 
 Boom ! It was the report of one of the Spanish 
 guns on shore, and a heavy shot whizzed over the 
 bridge of the Merrimac, where Lieutenant Hobson 
 and the helmsman were standing, and fell into the 
 waves on the starboard side. The aim was so 
 close that the wind from the shot carried off the 
 helmsman s cap ! 
 
 Other shots soon followed, and in the excitement 
 of the moment Walter s presence on board was 
 forgotten. The Merrimac was now running at a 
 tremendous rate of speed, her fires roaring fiercely 
 
202 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 and her boilers threatening to burst at any instant. 
 Quivering from stem to stern under such high press 
 ure, she shot into the harbor entrance and straight 
 for the narrowest part of the channel. By this 
 time the Spanish guns from all sides were sending 
 down on her a shower of shot and shell, awful to 
 contemplate. Seeing he could do nothing, Walter 
 ran for the shelter of one of the companionways. 
 
 " Put the wheel hard a-port ! " came the order 
 from the bold commander, who, if he was excited 
 did not show it. " Lively now ! " 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " came from the helmsman, and 
 the wheel went over, and was lashed fast. 
 
 " She isn t coming over ! " came another cry, 
 a moment later, and while shot and shell were fly 
 ing, in all directions. 
 
 "What s the matter there? Charette, go down 
 and look at the steering gear." 
 
 At once Charette ran off at his best speed. He 
 was gone but a moment, and came back all out of 
 breath. 
 
 " One of the rudder chains has been shot away, 
 sir," he reported. 
 
 "Shot away!" came from several. "That s 
 bad." 
 
IIST WHICH THE " MEEUIMAC " IS SUNK 203 
 
 To tliis Hobson did not answer, but instantly 
 ordered the engines stopped. " And open the 
 sea- valves and come up," lie added. " There is 
 not a minute to lose now, lads, if we want to 
 sink her and escape alive." 
 
 Morro Castle and the battery opposite had here 
 tofore been firing alone, but now came shots from 
 Smith Cay, up the harbor, and from a Spanish 
 warship which was bearing down upon the scene. 
 
 " We must fire the mines now ! " Walter heard 
 somebody say. " Fire them as closely together 
 as possible, and then make for the starboard side 
 amidships." 
 
 This order had scarcely been given when the 
 wires attached to the mines were touched off. A 
 sullen roar from beneath the Merrimac followed, 
 and the vessel was thrown high up in the air, 
 while great columns of water spouted up on every 
 side. Then slowly but surely the collier began 
 to sink. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 WALTER S ADVENTURE ox SHORE 
 
 ALTHOUGH the Merrimac had been blown up 
 and was sinking, the Spaniards continued to fire 
 upon her without interruption, and as before, the 
 air was filled with solid shot, bursting shells, and 
 the whistling of leaden messengers from rapid- 
 firing rifles. 
 
 The order to gather at the starboard was a wise 
 one, for this spot was the best protected on the 
 deck, as the port side was settling rapidly. To 
 take to a small boat or the catamaran would have 
 been the height of foolishness, for a strong search 
 light was being thrown on the scene, and the men 
 would have been picked off by the Spanish gun 
 ners at will. 
 
 With the others Walter rushed to starboard 
 and found a hiding-place close to the rail. "I 
 wonder what will happen next," he muttered. 
 He was certain that something would take place 
 
 204 
 
WITH A FINAL LURCH THE MERRIMAC WENT DOWN. 
 
 Page 205 
 
WALTER S ADVENTURE ox SHORE 205 
 
 very soon, for the waves of the harbor channel were 
 already rolling over a portion of the Merrimac s 
 deck. 
 
 A few anxious minutes passed, when suddenly 
 the doomed collier gave a heavy list to starboard, 
 and Walter found himself sliding along the rail 
 and unable to stop himself. 
 
 "Hold on ! " shouted somebody. "Who is that? " 
 Still weak, and with the flying spray drenching 
 his face, Walter could not answer, and in a second 
 more the questioner had disappeared amid the 
 gloom, smoke, and flying water. Again came a 
 lurch of the collier, and Walter was hurled flat 
 and sent spinning against the smoke-stack. As 
 he arose he saw Lieutenant Hobson and his men 
 climbing over the starboard rail. Realizing, even 
 in his bewildered state of mind, that he could not 
 do better than to follow them, he,, too, made for 
 the rail, going over at one point as the courageous 
 commander of the expedition went over at another. 
 The crew were swimming for the catamaran, which 
 had been shoved off from the Merrimacs side, 
 and Walter came after them. Hardly had the 
 catamaran been gained, than, with a final lurch 
 and quiver, the Merrimac went down, partly across 
 
200 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 the narrow channel, but not exactly in the position 
 in which she would have been placed had not the 
 rudder chain been shot away. 
 
 As the craft sank, a yell came from the Spanish 
 battery nearest at hand, the gunners thinking they 
 had sunk an American man-o -war and not dream 
 ing that the sinking had been done by those on 
 board and purposely. But none of the Americans 
 paid any attention to these cries, all thinking only 
 of escape, now the work of the night was over. 
 
 A steam launch under the command of Ensign 
 Joseph Powell had been moving up and down 
 the harbor waiting for a chance to pick Hobson 
 and his men up. But a Spanish picket boat lay 
 between those on the catamaran and the launch, 
 so escape in this direction was now cut off. 
 
 The float was still attached by a long rope to 
 the wreck of the Merrimac, and the men were now 
 ordered to remain where they were, clinging to 
 the catamaran with only their heads showing above 
 water. " If you try to swim away, the Spanish 
 sharpshooters will pick you off as quick as a wink," 
 was the word passed around. 
 
 Thus cautioned, all the brave crew remained 
 where they were until daylight began to show 
 
WALTER S ADVENTURE ON SHORE 207 
 
 itself. Then a large launch steamed up, carrying 
 several oarsmen, half a dozen sharpshooters, and 
 Admiral Cervera himself. 
 
 " Do you surrender ? " came in Spanish, while 
 every sailor on the catamaran was carefully 
 covered. 
 
 " We surrender as prisoners of war," was Lieu 
 tenant Ilobson s reply, and then he and his men 
 were ordered to swim to the launch one at a time 
 and give up their arms, if they had any. This 
 was done, and the steam launch returned to the 
 Reina Mercedes, one of the Spanish warships. 
 Later on, Hobson and his men were sent ashore 
 under a strong guard, marched up a hill to Morro 
 Castle, and turned over to General Toral, the 
 military governor of Santiago Province. 
 
 When he made the leap for the catamaran 
 Walter was not as fortunate as those around him. 
 lie entered the water close to the Merrimac, and 
 when the great collier sank, the suction drew him 
 under, and lie went so far down that he fancied 
 he would never come up. His breath was gone, 
 a gulp partly filled him with water, and when at 
 last the surface of the bay was again reached lie 
 came up more dead than alive. 
 
208 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 He set out to swim instinctively, the life pre 
 server holding him up, although it had not been 
 light enough to counteract the suction of the 
 sinking ship. Where he was going he did not 
 know, for the glare of the searchlight and the 
 splashing of shots on the water was perfectly 
 bewildering. " I m lost ! " he thought a dozen 
 times. " O God, help me to get out alive ! " And 
 that prayer was answered, for presently his foot 
 touched bottom and he saw land ahead, a bit of 
 sandy beach between Morro Castle and a battery 
 located on Estrella Cove, for the tide was coming 
 in, and had carried him up the harbor instead of 
 down. 
 
 As Walter waded out of the water he heard 
 several pickets shouting to each other in Spanish. 
 Without waiting for them to come nearer, he dove 
 out of sight in some bushes back of the beach, and 
 then started to walk to a woods still further inland. 
 
 So far, the intense excitement had kept him up, 
 but now came the reaction, and he felt as sick as 
 he had while on the Brooklyn. His head began 
 to spin and strange lights flashed before his eyes, 
 while chills crept up and down his backbone. " I 
 reckon I m in for a spell of sickness, whether I 
 
WALTER S ADVENTUUE ON SHOKE 209 
 
 escape or not," he groaned, and reaching the 
 woods, threw himself down under a mahogany 
 tree to rest. 
 
 Walter thought he could not sleep, but presently 
 the pain became less and he sank into a troubled 
 slumber. lie roused up to find a tall, fine-looking 
 negro shaking him. As soon as he opened his 
 eyes, the negro began to question him in Spanish. 
 
 " I can t understand you," said the youth, and 
 shook his head. 
 
 "Americano, mistair?" questioned the negro, and 
 Walter nodded. " You come from big fight, 
 maybe?" he went on, brokenly. 
 
 " What fight do you mean ? " 
 
 " Fight down by Morro last night. Spanish 
 sink your ship, maybe, not so ? " And the negro 
 laughed. 
 
 "Our men did the sinking. But who are you? 
 a Spaniard ? " 
 
 "No, me Cuban, Carlos Dunetta." 
 
 " My name is Walter Russell, but I suppose it 
 might be Smith for all the difference it makes to 
 you," replied Walter, moodily. What do you 
 intend to do ? turn me over to the Spanish 
 authorities ? " 
 
210 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " To de Spanish ? No, no ! " Carlos Dunetta 
 leaned forward. "Cubalibre! Member de Maine! 
 Not so ? " And he smiled broadly. 
 
 " Now you are talking ! " ejaculated Walter, joy 
 fully. " You are an insurgent, I suppose. Do you 
 belong to General Garcia s troops ? " 
 
 Again the negro leaned forward. " Carlos Du 
 netta spy for de general," he whispered. " Come, 
 want to get away, must hurry ! " And he took 
 hold of Walter s arm. 
 
 Their course was directly into the woods, under 
 broad mahogany and grenadillo trees, and over rough 
 rocks overgrown with rank vines. Insects and bugs 
 were numerous and spider-webs hung everywhere. 
 
 "Udder men all caught and taken to prison," 
 said the Cuban as they progressed. " I hear dat 
 from udder spy." 
 
 " Well, I m not out of the woods yet," said 
 Walter, seriously. 
 
 " Woods safe place in daytime," answered the 
 negro, not catching his true meaning. 
 
 They had progressed less than half a mile when 
 Walter began to lag behind. " I can t go any 
 farther," he declared. "I ve been sick and I m 
 about used up." 
 
WALTER S ADVENTURE ON SHORE 211 
 
 "Sick? What is de mattair ? " 
 
 "I don t know unless it is malarial fever." 
 
 At the word "fever" Carlos Dunetta drew down 
 the corners of his broad mouth. " Fever ? Dat 
 is worry bad Americano canno stand dat. Maybe 
 I best carry you to Josefina s hut. Josefina she 
 my sistair. She take care of you if so you be 
 sick." 
 
 The tall negro took Walter upon his back with 
 ease and continued on his way. Presently they 
 reached a trail, and passing along this for the 
 distance of a hundred yards, came within sight of 
 a long, low hut, thatched with palm. 
 
 The negro gave a peculiar whistle, and immedi 
 ately a short, fat negro wench put in an appearance, 
 followed by a man of twenty-five or thirty. The 
 man was fairly well dressed, and evidently a Cuban 
 of Spanish descent. 
 
 " It is all right, Carlos ! " cried the wench. 
 "This is Senor Ramona." 
 
 " Senor Ramona ! " exclaimed the negro, and 
 rushing up he dropped Walter and took the out 
 stretched hand of the Cuban gentleman. A long 
 talk in Spanish, followed, of which Walter under 
 stood hardly a word. Yet he felt certain the pair 
 
212 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 were talking about the American warships outside 
 of the harbor, the blowing up of the Merrimac, and 
 about himself. Suddenly the negro ran back to 
 him, at the same time calling the wench. 
 
 "You sick I forget," he said. "Come; nice 
 bed here." And he pointed to a grass hammock 
 suspended from one of the rear corner posts of 
 the hut to a near-by tree. " You lay dare ; Josefina 
 make good drink for you; den you feel bettair." 
 
 Walter was glad enough to accept the invita 
 tion, for standing unaided was now out of the 
 question. As soon as he was in the hammock the 
 negro woman ran off for a wet bandage, which she 
 tied tightly over his forehead. 
 
 Carlos Dunetta evidently had an important 
 message for Senor Ramona, for no sooner was the 
 talk between the pair at an end, than the Cuban 
 brought out a horse from the shelter of the trees, 
 and dashed down the trail at a breakneck speed. 
 
 " Me watch, warn you if any Spaniards come," 
 said Carlos, on returning to Walter s side. " You 
 bettair rest, or get fever werry bad." 
 
 "Do you suppose there is any hope of my get 
 ting back to my ship ? " 
 
 " De ship dat blow up ? " 
 
WALTER S ADVENTURE ox SHORE 213 
 
 " No, a big warship out there," and Walter 
 waved his hand in the direction of the coast. 
 
 At this, the tall negro shrugged his shoulders. 
 " Carlos can take you to de shore but no got 
 boat. Maybe you swim, not so ? " 
 
 " Well, hardly," answered Walter. " I may be 
 a pretty good swimmer, but four or five miles is 
 too much for any man." 
 
 The negro retired, and Walter lay back watch 
 ing the woman, who had brought out several bags 
 filled with herbs. Selecting some of the herbs, 
 the woman steeped them in water, and poured 
 the tea into an earthen bowl, sweetening the con 
 coction with sugarcane ends. Bringing the bowl 
 to Walter, she motioned for him to drink. 
 
 The youth had expected an unsavory mess, but 
 he found the tea very pleasant to the taste, and 
 ten minutes after he had taken half the contents 
 of the bowl he was in a sound slumber, from 
 which he did not awaken until nearly nightfall. 
 In the meantime Josefina removed the life pre 
 server and made him otherwise as comfortable as 
 possible, proud to think she was serving un Ame 
 ricano who was battling against the enemies of 
 her beloved Cuba. 
 
214 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " You had bettair come into de house now 
 night air werry bad for you," announced Carlos, 
 as Walter sat up in the hammock and stared 
 around him. " How feel now ? weak ? " 
 
 "I I dreamed I was back on the Brooklyn 
 and sailing for home," was the hesitating reply. 
 " My head feels better, but I m afraid my legs 
 have gone back on me," Walter went on, as on 
 trying to stand he found he must support himself 
 against the tree. "This is the queerest spell of 
 sickness I ever had." 
 
 "Never mind if only so be dat de fever is 
 broken," said Carlos, seriously. " Come." And 
 he about carried Walter into the hut. Usually 
 negro huts in Cuba are dirty and full of vermin, 
 but this was an exception. In her younger days, 
 Josefina had worked for a titled lady of Santiago, 
 and there had learned cleanliness quite unusual to 
 those of her standing. In a corner of the hut 
 was a pile of fresh sugarcane husks covered with 
 a brown spread, and to this she motioned Walter, 
 and here he rested until the following morning. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 CAKLOS, THE HEBEL SPY 
 
 " WELL, I m not out of my troubles yet, but I 
 suppose I m better off than those fellows who were 
 captured and taken off to some Spanish dungeon." 
 
 It was Walter who mused thus, as he sat up 
 and rubbed his eyes. The herb tea Josefina had 
 made for him had " touched the spot " and he felt 
 quite like himself again. The native Cubans have 
 to fight fevers constantly, and, consequently, know 
 a great deal about proper remedies. 
 
 "Will you eat?" questioned Carlos, who sat by, 
 smoking a cigarette, while Josefina busied herself 
 in preparing a morning meal of rice-cakes and 
 strong coffee. 
 
 " I haven t much appetite, but I suppose I 
 ought to eat if I want to get back my strength. 
 But see here," Walter went on. " I can t pay you 
 a cent for what you are doing for me, for I have 
 no money with me." 
 
 " Dat s all right , Josefina and me no want pay 
 215 
 
216 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 we glad to do for you," answered Carlos; and 
 Josefina smiled so broadly that her eyes were 
 fairly closed. 
 
 The rice-cakes were well done, and Walter ate 
 several of them, and also sipped at the heavy 
 black coffee, sweetened with sugarcane drippings. 
 The meal over, Carlos leaped up and lit a fresh 
 cigarette. 
 
 "You stay here and I go to shore see if you 
 can get to ship," he said. "If Spaniards come, 
 Josefina show you where to hide, so 110 can find 
 you." 
 
 " I ll have to stay, for I can t walk the distance 
 to the shore yet. By the way, where am I?" 
 
 "Dis place back of Estrella, bout halfway to 
 Aguadores, on the Guama River. Can see war 
 ships from mouth of Guama." 
 
 "Yes, I ve heard of the Guama. Some of the 
 fellows on board ship said we might capture that 
 point, or Guantanamo Bay, so as to have a place 
 to coal when the ocean was rough. You are 
 going to the shore?" 
 
 " If Spanish pickets let me," grinned Carlos. 
 " Werry strong Spanish guard around here now. 
 Werry much afraid American soldiers come." 
 
CARLOS, THE REBEL SPY 217 
 
 " Perhaps they will come, if Sampson needs 
 help," replied Walter, but without knowing that 
 the army of invasion at Tampa was already pre 
 paring to leave for Cuba, and his own brother 
 Ben with it. 
 
 After Carlos was gone, Walter tried to carry on 
 a conversation with Josefina, but as the wench s 
 English vocabulary was as limited as was the 
 boy s knowledge of Spanish, the talk soon lagged. 
 Cuba libre ! Member de Maine!" she said over 
 and over again, and smiled that awful smile that 
 almost caused Walter to burst into a tit of laugh 
 ter. During the morning she made him some 
 more tea and insisted upon his drinking it, greatly 
 to the benefit of his health and strength, as he 
 soon realized. 
 
 It was growing late in the afternoon, and 
 Walter was wondering when Carlos would get 
 back, when the sound of a rifle-shot from a dis 
 tance startled him. Before he could get to the 
 doorway of the hut, Josefina was outside and 
 speeding up the trail in the direction her brother 
 had taken. 
 
 " Get back ! " It was the voice of Carlos, and 
 he was running beside his sister, who kept up with 
 
218 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 him, despite her weight. " The Spaniards are 
 coming." 
 
 " Soldiers ? " gasped Walter. 
 
 " Yes ; ten or fifteen. They caught me going 
 through de pickets, but I knocked one so, and 
 anodder so, and got away. Come wid me, before 
 da catch you ! " And he took hold of Walter s 
 arm and turned him to the back of the hut. 
 
 Wondering what would happen next, but re 
 membering what had been said about a hiding- 
 place, the youth followed Carlos to the rear wall 
 of the structure. Here, directly against the logs, 
 grew a tall ebony tree. 
 
 " Dat tree hollow," explained the Cuban. " CliAb 
 to limb and drop inside. Josefina haul us out when 
 Spanish go way." And he gave Walter a lift up. 
 
 The lower branches were but twelve feet from 
 the ground, and were easily gained. Carlos came 
 up also. " Let me drop first," he said. " Den you 
 come on top of me. Be quick, or too late ! " And 
 down he went into darkness, and Walter came 
 after. 
 
 The hollow portion of the tree was not over 
 twenty inches in diameter, and it was a lucky 
 thins: for both inside that neither was stout nor 
 
CARLOS, THE REBEL SPY 219 
 
 broad of shoulder. As it was, they stood breast 
 to breast with difficulty, and yet not daring to 
 make a sound. 
 
 A shout came from the trail, sounding in strange 
 contrast to the song Josefina had begun to sing 
 an old-fashioned Cuban ditty about a sailor and 
 his lass. Soon the soldiers drew closer, and sev 
 eral came around to the side of the hut. 
 
 " Ho ! within there ! " came in Spanish. "Where 
 is that wretch we are after ? " 
 
 " Wretch ! " answered Josefina, in pretended sur 
 prise. " Whom do you mean, kind sirs ? " 
 
 " You know well enough the tall fellow who 
 knocked over our guards and ran in this direction." 
 
 "I have seen nobody; I have been busy washing," 
 answered Josefina, pointing to a few articles of 
 wearing apparel which lay soaking in a water-butt. 
 
 " You cannot humbug us ! " cried the leader of 
 the Spanish detachment, in a fury. " Tell me 
 where they are, or I ll run you through ! " And he 
 ran at Josefina with pointed sword. It is doubt 
 ful if he intended to carry out his threat, but the 
 wench thought him in earnest, and the yell she 
 gave would have done credit to a cannibal of the 
 South Sea Islands. 
 
220 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 The cry of terror from his sister was more than 
 Carlos Dunetta could stand, and in a twinkle he 
 placed his hands on Walter s shoulders, shoved 
 himself upward, and showed himself at the top of 
 the opening. 
 
 " Let my sister alone, you dogs ! " he burst out. 
 " Let her alone ! " And leaping to the ground, 
 he made after the Spaniard with a drawn machete, 
 a long knife used in the sugarcane fields and em 
 ployed by the insurgents as a favorite weapon. 
 
 There was a cry of alarm, and then came two 
 shots in quick succession, followed by a fall close 
 to the foot of the tree. 
 
 " You have killed my brother ! " shrieked Jose- 
 fina. " Oh, Carlos, Carlos, what shall I do now ? " 
 
 " Back with you, you good-for-nothing woman ! " 
 came from the leader of the Spanish detachment. 
 " I thought we were on the right trail. We ought 
 to shoot you for lying to us." 
 
 At that moment came a deep groan of pain, 
 showing that Carlos was not yet dead. He had 
 been shot in the arm and through the back, but 
 the wounds were not dangerous, although painful. 
 
 Without paying attention to what more the 
 Spaniards had to say, Josefina busied herself over 
 
CARLOS, THE KEBEL SPY 221 
 
 the body of her brother, laying him out on the 
 grass and binding up his wounds with such rags 
 as were handy. While she was doing this the 
 Spaniards began an excited conversation among 
 themselves, of which, of course, Walter under 
 stood not a word. 
 
 "Your brother had a very convenient hiding- 
 place in the tree," suggested the leader of the 
 detachment, a greasy, lean-faced corporal, who re 
 joiced in the name of Pedro Ruz. " Had he not 
 shown himself, it is doubtful if we should have 
 located him." 
 
 " You are bad men to shoot him I want 
 nothing to do with you," was Josefina s only re 
 sponse. "Go and leave my brother to me." 
 
 " Leave him here ! " burst out Pedro Ruz. " No, 
 no, he goes with us as a prisoner. If I am not 
 mistaken, he is the spy Captain Coleo has been 
 after these many days." 
 
 " You cannot take him away a journey will 
 kill him." 
 
 " He must go whether it kills him or not. He 
 can ride on the back of the horse one of my men 
 is bringing up. Captain Coleo will want to in 
 terview him before nightfall. And let me tell 
 
222 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 you, if it is discovered that he has been carrying 
 information to the rebels or those Yankee pigs out 
 in the waters beyond the bay, why, so much the 
 worse for him, that s all." And Corporal Ruz 
 shrugged his shoulders suggestively. 
 
 In a moment more the horse was brought for 
 ward, a beast as lean as its owner, since fodder in 
 that territory was becoming a scarce article. Since 
 Carlos could not move himself, he was lifted up to 
 the saddle in anything but a gentle fashion. Jose- 
 fina began to expostulate, but the only attention 
 paid to her was by one of the men, who snatched 
 at her arm and hurled her backward. 
 
 "You must learn to mind your betters," said the 
 soldier. "Our worthy corporal knows his business." 
 
 " I will search the man, to see if lie carries any 
 despatches," put in Corporal Ruz. " Ha, you ras 
 cal, let me get at that breast pocket of yours. 
 And, Camara, climb up into the tree and look 
 into that hole. There may be something worth 
 finding there." 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 IN THE HAXDS OF THE EXEMY 
 
 As Walter did not understand what was said, 
 he was not aware of his peril until the Spanish 
 soldier began to climb the tree. Then he realized 
 the truth, and his heart sank within him. 
 
 " It s all up with me now," he half groaned. 
 " I wonder what they will do with me after they 
 find me." 
 
 Reaching the top of the opening, the soldier 
 .paused and shouted something to his companions 
 regarding the darkness of the hole below. 
 
 " Light a match and drop it down," ordered 
 Corporal Ruz. " This rascal carries nothing," he 
 went on, disappointedly, having found Carlos s 
 pockets empty of anything of value. The negro 
 did carry a message, but it was on a small patch 
 of thin paper, which had been rolled up tightly 
 and concealed in his thick woolly hair. 
 
 The match was lit and dropped, and all ablaze it 
 223 
 
224 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 landed upon Walter s head. He caught it in silence 
 and put it out, but the movement was noticed from 
 above. 
 
 " There is some one else in the tree a white 
 man," cried the soldier. " Come out of that ! " 
 he continued. 
 
 Walter guessed what the command meant, and 
 as further concealment would have been useless he 
 attempted to crawl from the hole. But this was 
 not so easy, and in the end the soldier had to lend 
 a hand, and then both leaped to the ground together. 
 
 " Un Americano!" ejaculated Corporal Ruz. "De 
 donde viene V. ? " he added, asking Walter where 
 he came from. 
 
 At this the boy shook his head. " I don t 
 understand you," he said. 
 
 "No habla V. castellano?^ continued the corporal, 
 asking if he did not speak Spanish. 
 
 Again Walter shook his head. 
 
 " Yankee pig ! " murmured the corporal, using 
 a term quite common in Cuba during the war. 
 " Why does he not learn our beautiful language ? 
 Does he expect we will learn his dirty English ? " 
 
 He turned to the soldier who had discovered 
 Walter, and between them they searched the lad s 
 
IX THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY 225 
 
 clothing thoroughly, and even took off his shoes 
 and stockings. 
 
 "Nothing," growled the under-officer. "It is 
 strange." 
 
 Carlos had been almost unconscious, but was now 
 recovering. " We are in serious trouble, I am 
 afraid," said Walter, addressing him; but Carlos pre 
 tended not to understand, not wishing the Spaniards 
 to know that he spoke English, for then they would 
 have been more certain than ever that he was a spy. 
 
 In a few minutes the entire party had left the 
 hut and was making its way along the trail, Carlos 
 on horseback and the others walking, Walter be 
 tween the corporal and a Spanish private, and 
 Josefina bringing up in the rear as if unwilling to 
 leave her brother. 
 
 The soldiers were eight in number, and each was 
 armed with a Mauser rifle of recent pattern. 
 They were a hungry-looking set and their uniforms 
 were sadly in need of repair. Six were of middle 
 age, but the other two were no older than Walter, 
 for conscription into the Spanish army begins at 
 as early an age as it does in the navy some of 
 the soldiers and sailors being scarcely fifteen to 
 sixteen years old ! 
 
226 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 The course of the party was upward, over rocks 
 and trailing vines, and through a woods where 
 hardly a breath of air was stirring. The heat 
 soon made Walter s head ache again, and he was 
 glad enough when a small Spanish camp was 
 gained and he was allowed to sit down in the 
 shade of a plantain and rest. 
 
 The encampment was in the open, the only 
 shelter being that provided for the officer in 
 charge, Captain Coleo a bit of dilapidated can 
 vas stretched between four trees fifteen or twenty 
 feet apart. Under this shelter Avere located a 
 couple of hammocks, a small folding table for 
 writing, and a camp chair. 
 
 Walter found Captain Coleo a thorough gentle 
 man despite his surroundings. He was well edu 
 cated and spoke English fluently, with a soft 
 accent which under other circumstances would 
 have been quite pleasing. 
 
 " So you are an American youth ? " he said, 
 after he had listened to his corporal s report and 
 examined Carlos. " And where did you come 
 from, and what are you doing here ? " 
 
 Feeling there would be no use in concealing 
 the truth, Walter told his story. At the mention- 
 
IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY 227 
 
 ing of the Merrimac the Spanish captain s brow 
 grew dark. 
 
 "It was a brave deed, but it will do your 
 countrymen small good," he said. " The boat is 
 not directly across the channel, so the harbor 
 pilots have discovered. All of your comrades are 
 now prisoners in Morro Castle, and I presume 
 that is where I shall have to send you." 
 
 " As a prisoner of war ? " 
 
 " As a prisoner of war. And you can be thank 
 ful that in trying to escape you were not shot 
 down," continued Captain Coleo. 
 
 Walter was very thirsty, and said so. " You 
 look as if you were getting ready to have the 
 fever," was the captain s comment, and he had a 
 soldier bring Walter a tin cup full of guarapo, 
 water sweetened with sugarcane ends, and said 
 to be healthier than the plain article. Good water 
 in Cuba is scarce, and although Walter did not 
 know it, it was only the captain s natural good- 
 heartedness that obtained for him what he wanted. 
 
 It had threatened rain for some hours, and as 
 nightfall came on, the first drops of a violent 
 tropical storm descended. Soon from a distance 
 came the rumble of thunder, and spasmodic flashes 
 
228 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 of lightning lit up the woods. The soldiers 
 huddled under the shelter of a clump of low 
 trees, while Captain Coleo sought the protection 
 of the canvas, accompanied by Walter, Carlos, 
 and a guard. Walter s hands had been bound 
 behind him, and he was allowed to sit on a small 
 block of wood beside one of the hammocks in 
 which the wounded negro reclined. 
 
 " We will not move to Santiago to-night," said 
 the Spanish captain. "I think the storm will 
 clear away by morning." 
 
 He was busy making out a report, and sat at 
 his little table for the purpose, a spluttering Mambi 
 taper fastened to a stick driven into the soil being 
 his only light. The taper went out half a dozen 
 times, but there was nothing to do but to light 
 it again, and this Captain Coleo did without the 
 least show of impatience. To him war was a 
 business, and he was satisfied to take matters just 
 as they came. 
 
 The guard trudged around and around the 
 patch covered by the canvas, his rifle on his 
 shoulder and the never-failing Spanish cigarette 
 in his mouth. Occasionally he glanced toward 
 Walter and the negro, but his interest in the 
 
IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY 229 
 
 prisoners soon gave way to his own discomforts, 
 and lie gave them no more attention. 
 
 Presently Walter felt a hand steal over his 
 shoulder. " What you think we run for it, 
 maybe ? " whispered Carlos. 
 
 "I d like to run, but we may get shot," whis 
 pered Walter in return. 
 
 At this Carlos shrugged his shoulders. With 
 two Mauser bullets in him the tall negro rebel 
 was still "game." It was such men as he who 
 had kept this unequal warfare in Cuba going for 
 three long years despite Spain s utmost endeavors 
 to end the conflict. 
 
 " Raise up a bit and I untie rope," he said, as 
 the guard made another round and walked from 
 them. "Maybe we can go when big thunder and 
 lightning come not so ? " 
 
 " All right I ll go you," cried Walter, lowly, and 
 in a bit of Western slang. " A fellow can t die but 
 once, and I have no desire to be taken to the dungeon 
 of Morro Castle, or to any other Spanish lockup." 
 
 He raised up, and in a trice Carlos had the 
 cords about his wrists unloosened. Captain Coleo 
 still sat writing. But now the taper went out 
 again and he paused to relight it. 
 
230 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 At that instant came a blinding flash of light 
 ning and a loud peal of thunder which startled 
 the few horses the camp possessed and caused 
 them to prance about madly. " Now ! " cried 
 Carlos, and with one quick leap he cleared six 
 feet of ground between the hammock and the 
 nearest patch of woods. Walter also leaped, and 
 away they went side by side through the wind, 
 rain, and darkness. 
 
 Crack ! crack ! It was the reports of two 
 Mausers, and the ping of a bullet from the Span 
 ish captain s pistol followed. Walter felt a strange 
 whistling by his ear, and putting up his hand 
 found it covered with blood. The bullet from 
 the pistol had scratched the side of his head. 
 Had his aim been an inch closer, gentlemanly Cap 
 tain Coleo would have killed the youth on the 
 spot. 
 
 " You are hit ? " queried Carlos, breathing heav 
 ily, for loss of blood had made him weak. 
 
 "I I reckon it s not much ! " panted Walter. 
 "But hurry up they are coming after us!" 
 
 The boy was right ; both the captain and the 
 guard were following the pair with all possible 
 speed, while three others brought up in the rear, 
 
IX THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY 231 
 
 the other soldiers remaining behind to manage the 
 horses, three of which had broken their tethers 
 and were bounding down the trail at a breakneck 
 speed. 
 
 Could he manage to escape? Such was the one 
 question which Walter asked himself as he stum 
 bled on in the darkness. A very few minutes 
 would suffice to answer the all-important query. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 THE FLIGHT TO THE SEACOAST 
 
 CARLOS knew the wood well, and now he took 
 hold of Walter s hand. " Put udder arm up, or get 
 hurt maybe," he said. "Nasty trees around here." 
 And Walter found this was true, for presently 
 a low and twisted branch caught him and flung 
 him flat on his back. Had his arm been down 
 he must have been knocked senseless. 
 
 The Spanish captain and the guard came crash 
 ing along behind them, shouting Alto!" (Halt) 
 at the top of their lungs. Captain Coleo was very 
 much chagrined that they had gotten away so 
 easily, and blamed the guard roundly. The latter 
 did not dare to answer back, and felt he must 
 catch the fleeing prisoners or suffer for it. 
 
 The course had been straight ahead, but now 
 Carlos turned to the southward. Presently they 
 came to a halt at the edge of a mountain torrent. 
 The pursuers were still on the track and drawing 
 closer. 
 
 232 
 
233 
 
 " Jump and go ahead ; I will come after," panted 
 Carlos, who could run no more. " Don t wait ! " 
 he added, as he saw Walter hesitate. 
 
 " But yourself - " began Walter. 
 
 " Never mind go ! " broke in the negro ; and 
 Walter made the leap over the stream and ran 
 on. Instantly Carlos sought the shelter of a near-by 
 tree and became silent. 
 
 " I do not see them, capitan" observed the 
 guard, as he and Captain Coleo reached the spot. 
 " Have they crossed, do you think ? " 
 
 " I will see, Rampo," was the answer, and the 
 captain hurried on in the direction Walter had 
 taken. Scarcely was he out of sight than with 
 set teeth Carlos came forth from the shadow of 
 the tree and crawled up behind Rampo as silently 
 as a panther seeking its prey. A quick, nervous 
 clutch and the negro had the soldier s Mauser. 
 Then came a heavy swing of the butt, and with 
 hardly a groan the Spanish guard went down with 
 a broken skull. " Cuba libre ! " muttered Carlos, 
 grimly. " That for Maceo, our fallen hero ! " re 
 ferring to Antonio Maceo, the patriot who had led 
 the rebels in eastern Cuba for several years, only 
 to be shot down at last in ambush. 
 
FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 In the meantime Walter ran on, not knowing 
 where he was going, and hardly caring, if only 
 his liberty might be assured to him. Occasionally 
 a flash of lightning lit up the scene, but this only 
 served to make the general darkness more intense. 
 Soon his foot caught in an exposed tree-root, and 
 he went headlong, and rolled over and over to 
 the bottom of a hollow filled with rank vegetation, 
 foul-smelling moss, and brackish water. 
 
 Before he could collect his scattered senses he 
 heard the Spanish captain coming up. He arose 
 slowly to his feet, but, struck by a sudden idea, 
 remained in the hollow, ankle-deep in water, and 
 screened from view by the vegetation previously 
 mentioned. 
 
 A flash of lightning revealed the captain and 
 at the same time uncovered the youth. For a 
 second both stood spellbound, then the Spaniard 
 drew his pistol. 
 
 " Surrender ! " he shouted ; and the former mild 
 ness in his tone of voice was now missing. " Sur 
 render, or I ll shoot you where you stand." 
 
 " Don t shoot," answered Walter, readily. " I ll 
 come out." 
 
 "Where is that Cuban rebel?" 
 
SURRKNDKR, OR I l.I, SHOOT You WlIKRK YuU STAND." 
 
 Page 234 
 
THE FLIGHT TO THE SEACOAST 235 
 
 " I don t know." 
 
 " You don t know ? Ha ! don t fool with me, 
 lad I am in no humor for it now." 
 
 " Well, I don t know, and that is all there is 
 to it. We separated several minutes ago." 
 
 " I do not believe you he is hiding somewhere 
 in the hollow. Tell me where, or as sure as 1 
 stand here, I will put a bullet through your head." 
 And the pistol was aimed straight at Walter. 
 
 Before the youth could remonstrate, indeed, be 
 fore he had time to think, the crack of a Mauser 
 penetrated the damp air. A second of silence fol 
 lowed, and then, to Walter s amazement, Captain 
 Coleo sank down where he stood, a ball through 
 his brain. 
 
 " I hit him ! what a fine shot I " The words came 
 from Carlos, as he emerged into the opening, the 
 rifle still in hand. " That makes number two, 
 for de udder rascal is laid low with a broken 
 head. Senor, we are in luck, but let us make de 
 most of our chance." 
 
 "But but is he dead?" asked Walter, in 
 a hoarse whisper. To him such a proceeding 
 seemed little less than murder. 
 
 " Dead ? To be sure he is dead. But don t let 
 
236 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 dat worry you. See de blood on your left ear, 
 where he tried to serve you as I served him. 
 Come, before de udder soldiers arrive." And, catch 
 ing Walter by the arm, Carlos hurried him away. 
 
 " And this is war ! " thought the boy. " Oh, how 
 cruel ! how barbarous ! But Carlos is right, the 
 captain tried to kill me." He drew a long breath. 
 " I m glad I wasn t the one to knock him over." 
 
 The pair had gone on about a hundred yards 
 further when they came out on a broad highway, 
 used principally as an ox-team road. Here Car 
 los called a halt again, to get his breath and take 
 a view of the situation. 
 
 " Hark a horse come ! " he ejaculated sud 
 denly, and slipped a cartridge into the Mauser 
 rifle, for he had taken the ammunition box from 
 the dead soldier. " Back, out of sight ah ! " 
 
 Walter ran to the shelter of a tree. But at the 
 same time the negro bounded forward, throwing 
 the rifle to the ground. It was no horseman ap 
 proaching, only one of the animals that had broken 
 away during the heavy thunder and lightning. 
 Making a clutch at the beast s bridle, Carlos held 
 fast and brought the horse to a sudden halt. 
 
 " We in luck," he observed, as Walter came 
 
THE FLIGHT TO THE SEACOAST 237 
 
 out of hiding. " Mount wid me, and we ll soon 
 be miles away ! " 
 
 " You get into the saddle, and I ll ride behind," 
 answered Walter, who saw how weak Carlos now 
 was. And thus they went on until several miles 
 had been covered. Presently, from a distance, the 
 youth heard the booming of the surf. 
 
 "Is that from the seacoast?" he asked; and the 
 negro nodded. " And where are we ? " 
 
 "We close to de ocean, two or three miles east 
 from San Juan hill. We stop pretty soon werry 
 much tired." And Carlos closed his eyes. He 
 would have fallen from the horse had not Walter 
 held him fast. " Turn to left at first cross-road," 
 he muttered, and then fainted. 
 
 " Poor chap ! " thought the boy. " He kept up 
 well, with two bullets in him. I must do what 
 I can for him." And he urged the horse on, at 
 the same time keeping his eyes open for the 
 side road mentioned. Soon it came into view, 
 and five minutes later he found himself at the 
 entrance to a hut similar to that occupied by 
 Josefma, who had now disappeared entirely from 
 the scene. Beyond the hut the road lost itself in 
 a wilderness of small brush. 
 
238 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 The hoof-strokes of the horse had been ob 
 served, and soon several men, Cubans and negroes, 
 came from the building. " Carlos ! " cried several. 
 They turned to Walter. " What does this mean, 
 sefior?" came in Spanish. 
 
 " Spaniards," answered Walter, and pointed be 
 hind him. Then he pointed to the gun and to 
 the wounds Carlos had received, and also showed 
 his own bloody ear and scalp. 
 
 The dumb language was instantly comprehended, 
 and two men carried the unconscious negro into 
 the hut, while others took charge of the horse 
 and conducted Walter inside. The lad found the 
 small abode crowded with insurgents, who had 
 come in to escape the drenching rain, and the air 
 was heavy with the smoke of cigarettes and the 
 smell of a stew seasoned with garlic, which was 
 cooking over a fire in the rear. A constant flow 
 of conversation was kept up, of which he under 
 stood only an occasional word. 
 
 Poor Carlos was in a bad way, and by morning 
 it was easy to see he could be removed only with 
 difficulty. Yet he was cheerful, or tried to be 
 so, and smiled when Walter came to him. 
 
 " I have news for you," he said, in his broken 
 
THE FLIGHT TO THE SEACOAST 239 
 
 English. " Your warships fight, bang, bang, bang ! 
 down by the water, at Aguadores and udder 
 places. Think ships go up by Guantanamo Bay, 
 maybe. If sailors land, you have a chance to 
 join them not so ? " 
 
 " I just hope some of our boys do land, and 
 that right away ! " cried Walter. " Can t I get 
 somebody to show me the way to the sea- 
 coast ? " 
 
 " Gilberto, my brudder, show the way. But not 
 to-day. Maybe to-morrow or next day when it 
 is safe." 
 
 Gilberto had just come in ; a stout negro as 
 short as his brother was long, but a rebel fighter 
 to the core. He, too, could speak a little English 
 and said he had been a sailor. 
 
 "Sail from Santiago to Philadelphia twice with 
 ore," he said. "Very nice country, America; me 
 like de people. Only werry cold in winter ; no 
 like dat make go dis way." And he gave a 
 shiver. Later on, Walter learned that the entire 
 district was rich in minerals and that large quan 
 tities of these were shipped from Santiago and 
 from a near-by town called Baiquiri. 
 
 The day passed slowly, and. so did the next. 
 
FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 In the meanwhile the Cubans came and went. 
 They were a detachment of Garcia s army, the 
 main body of which was located many miles 
 further northward. They were watching the sea- 
 coast and trying to communicate with the Ameri 
 can ships of war, which could be seen on fair 
 days lying in the offing. They knew that once a 
 landing was effected by the Americans, Uncle 
 Sam would speedily supply them with what they 
 so greatly needed clothing, guns, and ammuni 
 tion. Once these were obtained, they felt that 
 they could secure their independence. They had 
 yet to learn that the trained soldiers of Spain 
 could be conquered only by the equally, or better, 
 trained soldiers of the States. 
 
 On the morning of the third day, and while they 
 could distinctly hear the sounds of heavy firing in 
 the vicinity of Morro Castle and the Estrella bat 
 tery, Walter and Gilberto started off, each on 
 horseback. The youth felt once more like him 
 self, for the Cubans had continued to give him 
 drinks of herbs which had entirely banished the 
 lurking fever in his system. Before leaving Walter 
 heard from the negress Josefina. She had escaped 
 injury, and fled to the northward, there to join a 
 
THE FLIGHT TO THE SEACOAST 241 
 
 great number of women and children, the wives 
 and young people of the insurgents. 
 
 The course lay along a stretch of tableland and 
 then up the side of a small mountain. At one 
 point on the mountain top there was a clearing, 
 and here a distant view could be obtained of the 
 ocean to the south of the " Pearl of the Antilles," 
 as Cuba had often been termed. 
 
 " Your ship s over dare," explained Gilberto, 
 pointing with his long fingers. " Might see dem 
 if we had glass like dis." And he shut up one hand 
 an(J. placed it over the other, in imitation of a spy 
 glass. 
 
 " Do the Spaniards guard the coast ? " 
 
 " To be sure, sefior, very heaby guard, too, at 
 Aguadores and Guantanamo Bay." 
 
 "Then we ll have to go slow when we get near 
 the water s edge." 
 
 " We no go to water right away, senor wait 
 till we see de coast clear. Gilberto find you good 
 hiding-place and bring eating, and there you stay 
 till I say come not so ? " 
 
 " I suppose that will be best. I m sure I don t 
 want to be taken prisoner again," concluded Walter, 
 very positively. 
 
242 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 On they went, down the opposite side of the 
 mountain. They were now travelling in an east 
 erly direction, and before night many miles were 
 covered. At last they came to a series of rocks 
 overlooking the ocean, but situated at least a 
 quarter of a mile back from the beach proper. 
 
 " Here is a good place to hide ; Gilberto know it 
 well," said the guide, and pointed out a rude cave. 
 " Here Americano can stay many days and Span 
 iards not find him. You take it easy, and I bring 
 food to you." And then Gilberto hurried off alone. 
 
 Walter was glad to rest, for the travelling even 
 on horseback had been very trying. He sat down, 
 and in half an hour Gilberto returned with some 
 bread, some jerked beef, and a number of other 
 eatables, done up in a bit of coffee sacking. 
 
 " Dere, dat last two, free days," said the guide. 
 "Now lay low, as Americano say, and Gilberto 
 come back one day or udder. I take horses, and 
 say buenas noches." And with this good night, Gil 
 berto disappeared down the trail, leaving Walter 
 to himself. Strange as it may seem, the youth never 
 saw or heard of either Gilberto or Carlos again. 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 THE LANDING OF THE MARINES AT GUANTANAMO 
 
 WHILE Walter was in the depths of the Cuban 
 wilderness, trying to escape from the Spanish sol 
 diers, history, so far as it concerned our war with 
 Spain, was moving forward rapidly. 
 
 As soon as it was felt that Cervera could not 
 escape from Santiago Bay without running the risk 
 of a fearful battle with Admiral Sampson s or Com 
 modore Schley s squadron, preparations were made 
 to send an army of invasion forward. 
 
 For such an army a safe landing-place must be 
 secured, and with this in view, the American war 
 ships began the bombardment of various places 
 along the coast, from Santiago Bay to Guantanamo 
 Bay, twenty odd miles farther eastward. 
 
 The first of these heavy bombardments took place 
 on the sixth of June, and was directed against 
 Morro Castle, the batteries at Punta Gorda and 
 Zocapa, and at the village of Aguadores, already 
 
 243 
 
2-14 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 mentioned. Aguadores is several miles to the east 
 ward of Santiago Bay, to the rear of the rocky 
 promontory upon which Morro Castle is located, 
 and it was felt that if once a footing could be 
 obtained here, the actual invasion by the soldiers 
 would become an easy matter. The bombardment 
 lasted many hours, and the various batteries were 
 much damaged and the Spanish warship, the Reina 
 Mercedes, was so badly riddled that she was later 
 on sunk in the channel, thus blocking the outlet 
 to the bay more completely than ever. No damage 
 was done to the American ships. 
 
 Through this bombardment a landing was effected 
 at Baiquiri, not far from Aguadores, by a small 
 body of marines, who burned up some Spanish 
 stores and spiked a number of old-fashioned guns. 
 
 Following this attack came one upon Guantanamo 
 and the other settlements clustered around the 
 shores of the bay of that name. Here the fighting 
 was as fierce as before, but before it was over a 
 body of marines from the Oregon were landed, and 
 later on came six hundred marines from the Panther. 
 The Spaniards stood their ground for only a short 
 while and then fled to the mountains, and the 
 American flag was hoisted amid a wild cheering 
 
LANDING OF THE MARINES AT GUANTANAMO 245 
 
 from the troops at hand and those on the warships. 
 No sooner had the landing-places at Guantanamo, 
 Baiquiri, and Aguadores been secured than the 
 army of invasion under General Shafter left Key 
 West for these points, the particulars of which ex 
 pedition have already been related in " A Young 
 Volunteer in Cuba." 
 
 Walter slept " like a rock " during the first night 
 in the cave, being thoroughly exhausted by his 
 long ride. He did not awaken until long after the 
 sun had come up, and for the moment could not 
 realize where he was. 
 
 A scanty breakfast was speedily despatched, and 
 he walked out to inspect his surroundings. Mind 
 ful of what Gilberto had told him about the enemy, 
 he was careful how he exposed himself, and at the 
 first sign of anything suspicious he ran to cover. 
 
 Thus the day passed away slowly. In vain he 
 tried to make out some of the warships far out at 
 sea. To his naked eye they were but specks on 
 that ceaseless tide which glared like molten lead 
 in the fierce rays of the sun. 
 
 On the following night the youth underwent a 
 curious experience. He had just thrown himself 
 down to rest when, without warning, the cave was 
 
246 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 filled with a light that was dazzling. Thinking a 
 fire must have suddenly descended upon him, he 
 leaped up, when, as silently as it had come, the 
 light disappeared. 
 
 " Now, what in the world does that mean ? " he 
 asked himtelf, and started for the cave opening, 
 when, swish ! the light came back, almost blinding 
 him. Then he understood it all. 
 
 " It s a searchlight from one of our ships ! " he 
 cried, half aloud. "If only they could see me and 
 take me on board ! " He watched for the light to 
 reappear, but it never showed itself again, being 
 trained upon Morro Castle and the entrance to 
 Santiago Harbor. 
 
 On the third day in the cave Walter s stock of 
 provisions gave out. No one had come near him, 
 and the loneliness of his situation was maddening. 
 
 "I can t stand this any longer," he mused. "I 
 must get out, if only to hunt for something to eat." 
 
 Fortunately for him, Gilberto had left him a 
 pistol and several rounds of cartridges. To be 
 sure, the weapon was an old-fashioned affair, but 
 it was better than nothing, and soon the youth 
 was out in the woods to the rear of the rocks try 
 ing to scare up something to shoot. 
 
LANDING OF THE MARINES AT GUANTANAMO 247 
 
 The woods had been well ransacked by both 
 Spaniards and Cubans, but several hours hunt 
 yielded two birds, besides some half-ripe plantains 
 and some nuts. Walter was about to return to 
 the cave to cook the birds when from a distance 
 he heard loud shouting, and presently came the 
 rapid discharge of firearms. 
 
 "A battle of some kind is on," he thought, and 
 ran to where he had discovered an ox-cart trail. 
 He had scarcely reached the shelter of a clump of 
 bushes, when a detachment of Cubans, closely 
 followed by two companies of Spanish cavalrymen, 
 rushed past, both parties firing as they moved. 
 
 "This is getting hot," thought the youth, and 
 started to retreat, when he heard more soldiers 
 coming from the direction of the cave. As there 
 now seemed no help for it, he crossed the trail 
 and plunged along a side path, leading eastward, 
 a trail running directly to Guantanamo. 
 
 Walter felt that the best thing to be done was 
 to put distance between himself and his enemies, 
 and he did not stop running until several miles 
 had been covered. He had, meanwhile, crossed one 
 small mountain stream, and now he found himself 
 on the bank of another. There was no bridge, 
 
248 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 and the watercourse looked rather dangerous to 
 ford. 
 
 " I might as well follow the bank down to the 
 ocean," he reasoned. "But I must have some 
 thing to eat first." And finding a secluded nook, 
 he built a tiny fire and broiled his two little birds, 
 both of which made hardly a meal. Then, ob 
 taining the purest drink possible from the river, 
 he continued his journey. 
 
 By nightfall Walter had covered many miles, 
 yet no ocean came to view, and now he felt that 
 he must be lost in the wilds of the island. As 
 this conclusion forced itself home to him he smiled 
 grimly. 
 
 " Lost in Cuba, and T came down here to help 
 man a gun on the Brooklyn" he muttered. "Was 
 there ever such a turning-around before ! I won 
 der what I had best do next." 
 
 This was not an easy question to answer. It 
 was already dark under the thick trees, and to 
 spend the night in such a spot was not pleasant 
 to contemplate. 
 
 At last he came to a clearing. Here he was 
 about to settle down, under the shelter of a small 
 cliff of rocks, when something appeared that 
 
LANDING OF THE MARINES AT GUANTANAMO 249 
 
 caused him to yell with all the strength of his 
 lungs. It was a snake, five feet long, and it ad 
 vanced rapidly, hissing as it came. 
 
 Walter had met snakes before, harmless reptiles 
 not half as big as the present one. But he did 
 not know but that this reptile might be poisonous, 
 and gaining the top of the rocks he blazed away 
 with the pistol, not once, but several times. The 
 last shot hit the snake in the tail, and away it 
 darted, out of sight and into the river. 
 
 " Ugh ! what a horrible creature ! " he mur 
 mured, as he stood still, watching for the possible 
 reappearance of the reptile. " I wish I was out 
 of this. I d give a year s wages to be safe on 
 board of the Brooklyn once more." 
 
 The words had just left Walter s lips, when he 
 heard a movement behind him. Turning swiftly, 
 he beheld a Spanish soldier gazing at him from 
 a distance of less than fifty feet. The soldier had 
 his rifle, and now the weapon was aimed at the 
 boy s head. 
 
 " Alto ! " came the Spanish command to halt. 
 " Americano ! " 
 
 Walter s surprise was complete, yet he kept his 
 wits about him. As the Spaniard raised his gun, 
 
250 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 the youth made a quick leap for the shelter of a 
 near-by tree. 
 
 Bang ! went the Mauser, and the bullet clipped 
 the tree bark. Then Walter took aim, and trem 
 bling in spite of himself, pulled the trigger of his 
 pistol. The enemy was hit in the shoulder, and 
 uttered a deep cry of pain. 
 
 " If there are others with him I m in for it 
 now ! " thought the boy, and took to his heels 
 along the bank of the watercourse. From behind 
 came a cry for help and another to arms, and in 
 less than a minute a whole company of Spaniards 
 were in wild pursuit. A dozen shots rang out, 
 but Walter was not hit, and plunged on. But he 
 was no match for his pursuers, and they gradually 
 drew closer and closer. Then the youth stumbled 
 and fell, and ere he could arise he found himself 
 surrounded. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 IN A SPANISH PRISON 
 
 THE Spaniards who had taken Walter a prisoner 
 were the most villanous the youth had ever be 
 held. They were all short, thin, and exceedingly 
 yellow, as though suffering from tropical com 
 plaints, and looked more than half starved. Their 
 clothing was in rags, for they had been in the wilds 
 of the island, thousands of miles from home, for 
 nearly two years, and a heartless, or poverty- 
 stricken, military department had failed to supply 
 them with what they absolutely needed. 
 
 None of them could speak English, and several 
 talked volubly in Spanish, at which Walter could 
 do nothing but shake his head and shrug his 
 shoulders. He was motioned to arise, and as he 
 did so his pistol was taken from him, and presently 
 his hands were fastened tightly behind his back. 
 
 The course of the party was along the river to 
 a rude bridge, over which Walter was marched in 
 
 251 
 
252 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 double-quick time. They emerged upon a narrow 
 highway, along which they encountered half a dozen 
 detached Spanish companies, some moving east 
 ward and others in the opposite direction. " I m 
 in for it now," thought the youth. " Escaping 
 from this crowd will be out of the question." 
 
 Night was well advanced when they turned into 
 a small settlement fronting Guantanamo Bay. Here 
 were half a dozen log houses thatched with palm, 
 while not far off was the office of a mineral com 
 pany, now deserted by the proprietors, for business 
 in this section of Cuba had long since come to a 
 standstill. 
 
 Without ceremony Walter was taken to one of 
 the log huts and thrust inside. The place was 
 scarcely twenty feet square and was crowded with 
 fifteen or sixteen insurgents, whites and negroes, 
 who huddled on the floor, making themselves as 
 comfortable as possible in their miserable surround 
 ings. On the outside of the hut eight Spanish 
 soldiers stood on guard, with rifles ready to shoot 
 down the first prisoner that attempted to escape. 
 
 " Un Americano ! " exclaimed one of the prison 
 ers, a bright looking Cuban, as he edged his way 
 to Walter s side. ; You are in a sorry plight, boy." 
 
IN A SPANISH PRISON 253 
 
 " What a vile-smelling place ! " murmured Wal 
 ter. " How long have you been here ? " 
 
 " Two days and nights, with only some stale 
 bread and soup to eat, and the soup was made 
 of mouldy meat. Oh, that we were free ! " 
 
 " Silencio ! " roared one of the guards, and poked 
 his rifle end into the doorway. " I will shoot the 
 first prisoner who dares to speak again ! " he added 
 in Spanish. 
 
 Walter wished to question him, but did not 
 dare, and so remained silent. It was past mid 
 night, and presently most of the prisoners went 
 to sleep. Huddled in a corner, the lad gave him 
 self up to his dismal reflections. 
 
 Daybreak found the Spanish soldiers very active, 
 and catching a glimpse of them through the open 
 doorway, Walter felt that some important move 
 ment was contemplated. As a matter of fact the 
 marines from the Panther had landed, and the 
 Spaniards were going to do their best to either 
 capture them or drive them back to our warships. 
 
 Before noon the firing in the distance was heavy, 
 and the Spaniards could be seen rushing their com 
 mands hither and thither, as though hardly knowing 
 how to conduct the campaign which had been thrust 
 
254 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 upon them. Evidently they realized that landing 
 force was too large for them, for they gradually 
 fell back, occupying that night the settlement where 
 the prison was located. 
 
 On the day following, the attack upon both sides 
 was renewed. The rattle of musketry was almost 
 constant, and before long several bullets hit the 
 prison itself. The prisoners were about to remon 
 strate at this when, on looking out, they discovered 
 that their late guards had fled, leaving them to do 
 as they pleased. 
 
 " Cuba libre!" yelled the insurgents and lost no 
 time in piling into the open air. Not far away lay 
 several dead Spaniards, and rushing up to the corpses 
 they stripped them of their arms, after which they 
 disappeared into the brush. 
 
 " I wonder if the army of invasion has come," 
 was Walter s thought, as he, too, sought the open 
 air. A short sword lay beside a writing-table under 
 a near-by shelter, and he appropriated the weapon. 
 " I m going to join our men or know the reason 
 why ! " And away he went toward the water, 
 which could now be seen quite plainly between the 
 rocks and hills. 
 
 The marines, after fighting from early afternoon 
 
IN A SPANISH PRISON 255 
 
 until the following morning, were now intrenched 
 on a small hill, protected in front by a dense chap 
 arral. They were utterly worn out, and it was 
 found necessary to reenforce them by men from 
 the Marblehead and other vessels. Several field- 
 guns had been brought ashore, and although the 
 firing from the Spaniards was heavy, our gallant 
 men held the ground they had first claimed. 
 
 " Plait ! Who comes there ? " came the com 
 mand, from a thicket, and Walter stopped short, 
 although the words, spoken in true English, filled 
 him with joy. 
 
 " Are you an American ? " questioned the youth, 
 eagerly. 
 
 " I am, and who are you ? " 
 
 " Walter Russell, cruiser Brooklyn. Oh, but am 
 I not glad to get back among the boys again! " 
 
 " From the Brooklyn ? What are you doing 
 ashore here ? " questioned the marine, a bronzed 
 but evidently a good-natured man of middle age. 
 
 " It s a long story. I ve been a prisoner twice, 
 and I was afraid I was about done for when the 
 guards up and ran away from the prison and let 
 me and a crowd of Cubans escape. How can I get 
 back to my ship ? " 
 
256 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 "You re asking me too much now. Go down 
 yonder and report to our commander. I reckon 
 there ain t no call to rouse up the corporal of the 
 guard, with everybody utterly worn out. You re 
 true blue I can see that by the cut of your 
 jib." 
 
 Inside of five minutes more Walter found himself 
 surrounded by half a dozen officers, including a 
 major of marines, who questioned him closely re 
 garding his adventures and concerning the various 
 detachments of Spanish soldiers that he had en 
 countered. 
 
 "You ve been through a good deal, lad," said 
 the major, slapping Walter on the shoulder. " I 
 dare say you wouldn t like to go through it again." 
 
 " No, indeed ! The Spaniards are are brutes ! " 
 exclaimed the youth. " I only hope we send them 
 from Cuba a-flying. I think they and the Cubans 
 must have been fighting for the past three years 
 like a lot of cats and dogs. It s high time Uncle 
 Sam took a hand." This reply brought forth a 
 hearty laugh from those gathered around. Wal 
 ter, young as he was, had hit the nail right on the 
 head, as later events proved. 
 
 The major of marines did not see how the lad 
 
IN A SPANISH PRISON 257 
 
 could be transferred to the Brooklyn, which was 
 a good many miles off, in the direction of Santi 
 ago. " You ll have to remain here until some boat 
 bound for Commodore Schley s flagship chances 
 along," he said. " At present only the Marble- 
 head, Smvanee, and Porter are here, but others are 
 coming and going constantly." 
 
 "And what of the army of invasion?" asked 
 Walter, with keen interest. 
 
 " I believe it has already left Key West. I 
 know it started from Tampa several days ago." 
 
 " Was the Seventy-first New York with the 
 troops ? " 
 
 " They were. Why do you ask ? " 
 
 " My brother is a member of that regiment. 
 Hurrah ! He ll be down here soon," concluded 
 Walter. 
 
 He was now dismissed, and lost no time in hunt 
 ing up one of the marines cooks, who speedily 
 filled him up with meat, bread and butter, and 
 coffee. " We re not living like kings, you see," 
 said the cook, but grinning to see how the food 
 disappeared. 
 
 "You re living like kings in comparison to the 
 way the Cubans and the Spaniards are living. If 
 
258 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 the army comes up and besieges Santiago, I ll wager 
 the city will go hungry in no time," returned the 
 boy. 
 
 During the balance of the day the marines were 
 kept busy resisting several additional attacks from 
 the Spaniards. The onslaughts were heavy and 
 determined, but each time the enemy was beaten 
 back, and at nightfall Old Glory still waved from, 
 the flagstaff where it had originally been run up. 
 A foothold had been gained by our side which was 
 not to be taken from us. 
 
 Walter had selected a cosy corner to rest in and 
 was sleeping soundly when a sudden alarm rang 
 out. " The Dons ! They are coming over a thou 
 sand strong ! To arms, everybody ! " And then 
 came a grand rush. 
 
 The report was true ; the Spanish column had 
 organized a midnight attack, feeling they knew the 
 ground much better in the dark than would their 
 opponents. On they came, yelling like demons, 
 while the marines stood their ground firmly and 
 fearlessly. 
 
 " I must do my share of fighting," thought the 
 boy, and bounced up with the rest. He had al 
 ready been supplied with a carbine and ammuni- 
 
IN A SPANISH PRISON 259 
 
 tion, and now he lost no time in attaching himself 
 to the nearest company at hand. " Don t send me 
 back, captain ; I can shoot as well as the rest, I 
 think." 
 
 " All right, lad, come on," was the answer. 
 " Company, attention ! By columns of fours - for 
 ward, march ! " And away they went, up a small 
 hill. Then came the order to halt, and the com 
 pany broke up into a broad skirmish line. "Take 
 aim ! Fire ! " And then and there Walter did his 
 first actual fighting for Uncle Sam and our own 
 glorious stars and stripes. 
 
 The determined front shown by our marines non 
 plussed the Spaniards for a few minutes, and they 
 came to a halt. But then they advanced again, and 
 the fire from each side became hot and irregular. 
 
 The battle had thus waged for the best part of 
 an hour, and the Americans felt that they must 
 be beaten back by sheer force of numbers, when 
 reinforcements came up, and in addition one of 
 the warships steamed close to shore, and threw 
 the rays of her powerful searchlight upon the 
 enemy. As soon as the Spaniards were located 
 the warship trained its rapid-firing guns inland, 
 and then the enemy beat a hasty retreat. 
 
260 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " Hurrah ! The fight is ours I " shouted Walter, 
 enthusiastically. " See them run ! " 
 
 " It was lucky for us the warship came up," put 
 in a marine beside him. "Those dagos ain t going 
 to give ground without a big fight, that s certain." 
 
 It was nearly daylight when the company re 
 turned to the camp and was dismissed. Walter 
 was more worn out than ever, but too excited to 
 sleep. " At present I d just as lief be a marine," 
 he observed to his side partner in the contest. 
 
 " Oh, don t worry, your ships will have their 
 hands full when Cervera takes it into his head to 
 come out and fight," was the answer. " You ll 
 have no such walkover as Dewey had at Manila 
 I ll promise you that." 
 
 At noon a lieutenant of marines came up to 
 where Walter stood, watching a drill which was 
 in progress. " Are you Walter Russell, of the 
 Brooklyn?" he asked. 
 
 " I am, sir," and Walter saluted. 
 
 " Then you had better hurry down to the shore. 
 There is a steam launch there, and I heard the 
 officer in command say he was bound for the Iowa 
 and the Brooklyn. If you want to get on your 
 ship, I presume he will take you along." 
 
IN A SPANISH PRISON 261 
 
 Walter waited to hear no more, but ran for the 
 landing-place with all possible speed. The boat 
 had come in with despatches and was to leave 
 again inside of ten minutes. The officer in charge 
 was close at hand, and the youth s situation was 
 speedily explained. 
 
 " All right, I ll take you," was the brief answer. 
 " Go aboard and forward." And the officer turned 
 away. Walter did as directed ; and a few min 
 utes later the steam launch left the landing-place 
 and steamed down Guantanamo Bay toward the 
 ocean, or to be more particular perhaps, the 
 Caribbean Sea. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 BACK TO THE " BROOKLYN " AGAIN 
 
 THE steam launch was the neatest craft of the 
 kind Walter had ever seen, and he had come in 
 contact with a great number while sailing on Lake 
 Erie. It was fifty-five feet long, about twelve feet 
 wide, and as beautiful a boat as a designer could 
 plan. It was manned by eight stalwart men, all 
 well drilled to their duties, and carried in addition 
 six marines, each of whom was a sharpshooter, and 
 also a rapid-firing gun of small caliber. 
 
 The launch rode the waves like a thing of life 
 and easily made ten miles an hour. Soon Guan- 
 tanamo was left behind, and they began to creep 
 up the coast in the direction of Baiquiri. In the 
 bow was a lookout, who had a marine glass which 
 was constantly turned shoreward. 
 
 " A flag ! " said the lookout, about noontime, and 
 immediately the launch came to a stop. 
 
 262 
 
BACK TO THE " BROOKLYN " AGAIN 263 
 
 " Where is it, Parkliurst ? " asked the officer in 
 charge of the craft. 
 
 " Yonder, just below that stretch of rocks, sir," 
 answered the lookout, and handed over his glasses. 
 The commander of the launch took a long look, 
 then ordered the craft turned to starboard, and 
 they steamed into a little harbor not a great dis 
 tance from a tiny Cuban settlement. A small boat 
 was thrown out, the commander and two launch 
 hands leaped in, and it at once advanced. Then 
 those on the larger craft saw a dozen men rush 
 from the shelter of some brush, one holding a 
 white and the other a Cuban flag. , 
 
 The small boat was beached in true nautical 
 style, and the Cubans and Americans entered into 
 a conversation lasting the best part of half an hour. 
 Letters were exchanged, and then the party broke 
 up as rapidly as it had gathered. Although Walter 
 did not know it, the letter delivered by the Ameri 
 can commander was for the rebel leader, General 
 Calixto Garcia, while that received in return was 
 for Admiral Sampson and General Shafter. All 
 related to the landing of the army of invasion, 
 now so close at hand. 
 
 The conference over, the launch darted on her 
 
264 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 way, and dinner was served, to the officers and 
 sharpshooters first, and then to the crew and Wal 
 ter. " Oh, we re doing some fine work along this 
 coast," said one of the crew to the youth, while 
 eating. " Those Dons will be greatly astonished 
 some day when our boys in blue fall on em." 
 
 It was night before the Brooklyn came into view, 
 looking exactly as she had when Walter had so 
 unceremoniously left her. How the youth s heart 
 beat at the sight of his ship ! How would those 
 on board receive him, and what would they say 
 when his story was told ? 
 
 " Russell ! " exclaimed the officer of the deck, 
 when he came up over the side. " Why, we 
 all thought you had fallen overboard and been 
 drowned." 
 
 " I came pretty near being drowned," was the 
 reply. " You can t imagine, sir, how glad I am to 
 get back ! " 
 
 " But where have you been ? " 
 
 "I ve been on the Merrimac, among the Cubans 
 and the Spaniards, and in a Spanish prison, besides 
 being down to Guantanamo Bay with the marines 
 from the Panther, sir." 
 
 " Great Scott, boy, do you expect me to believe all 
 
BACK TO THE "BROOKLYN" AGAIN 265 
 
 that ! " burst out the officer, in sheer astonish 
 ment. 
 
 "As you will, sir; it s true, though." 
 
 " But but let me see ; you said you were on 
 the Merrimac?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "And on shore among the Cubans, and then 
 among the enemy ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 "And then among the marines at Guantanamo 
 Bay?" 
 
 "Exactly, sir. I escaped from a Spanish prison, 
 and was lucky enough to fall in with the marines 
 by accident. I fought with them too, sir." 
 
 " Russell, after you disappeared Surgeon Barker 
 said you had been sick had been troubled with 
 some sort of fever in your head. Don t you be 
 lieve you went out of your head entirely, and 
 imagined all this?" 
 
 "No, sir." 
 
 " Well, I reckon that s the truth of the matter, 
 and the best thing you can do is to turn yourself 
 over to the surgeon again for further treatment. 
 How is your head?" And the officer of the deck 
 placed his hand on Walter s forehead. " Ah, rather 
 
266 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 hot, as I thought. You had better go to bed/ 
 And he turned away. 
 
 " I don t think I ll go to bed just yet," mur 
 mured Walter, and lost no time in reaching the 
 berth deck. Here he came up behind Si and Caleb 
 playing one of their favorite games of checkers, 
 while Paul stood looking on. 
 
 " Crown that man," Caleb was saying, when he 
 chanced to glance up, " Walter ! or is it a ghost ? " 
 he fairly yelled, and leaped up, scattering board 
 and men in all directions. " Walter, where on 
 earth did you come from ? " And he reached out 
 his hand. 
 
 " It is Walter, back from the grave ! " ejaculated 
 Si, and grasped the other hand, while Paul caught 
 the youth by the neck. 
 
 " We thought you were drowned ! " said all three, 
 simultaneously. 
 
 " They said you had gone out of your mind, 
 and committed suicide," added Paul. 
 
 " Well, I didn t commit suicide, and I m as well 
 as ever," was the merry return. "But but I 
 don t believe you ll think I m telling the truth 
 when I give you my story." 
 
 " That depends on what sort of a yarn you spin," 
 
BACK TO THE " BROOKLYN " AGAIN 267 
 
 returned Caleb, dryly. "Where have you been 
 sinking Cervera s fleet single-handed?" 
 
 " Not quite, but I ve been pretty close to the 
 fleet, and pretty close to the Spaniards. " And 
 dropping on a box Walter told his story, inter 
 rupted every few minutes by some newcomer who 
 advanced to shake him by the hand, for since join 
 ing them he had made many friends among the 
 jackies and petty officers. 
 
 " I don t wonder the officer of the deck wouldn t 
 believe you, lad," remarked Caleb, when he had 
 finished. " It s a big yarn ; beats Jonah and the 
 whale all to pieces not but what that s a true 
 story, seeing as how it s in the Good Book. You 
 are certain you wasn t taken down with the fever 
 while you were on shore ? " 
 
 "Not enough to lose my mind." 
 
 " I believe Walter," put in Si. " But if I were 
 you I wouldn t tell this tale to the others," he 
 added in a lower tone. " They d be jealous of 
 you, you know." 
 
 " I don t care, I m telling the simple truth," 
 answered Walter, stoutly. 
 
 That evening word was passed to him to re 
 port at the captain s cabin, and he went, just as 
 
268 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 soon as he could slip on his best suit of clothing, 
 wash up, and comb his hair, for on board of every 
 man-o -war a visit to " headquarters " is a big 
 thing to any of the crew, and a " sprucing up " is, 
 consequently, indispensable. 
 
 This was the first time Walter had visited the 
 cabin of the Brooklyn, and the elegant surround 
 ings immediately caught his eye. But in days 
 gone by, before he had been compelled to live 
 with the miserly Job Dowling, he had been used 
 to a home furnished just as handsomely, and 
 therefore the surroundings did not overawe him. 
 
 There was a small table in the centre of the 
 cabin, at one end of which sat Commodore Schley, 
 looking over a map of the Cuban coast. At the 
 other end of the table sat Captain Cook, the firm and 
 strict, yet well-beloved commander of the flagship. 
 
 " You sent for me, sir," said Walter, as he 
 came in, " toed the mark," and saluted. 
 
 "You are Walter Russell?" asked Captain Cook, 
 while Commodore Schley dropped the map and 
 looked on with interest. 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "You have been absent from the ship ever since 
 June the second, or third?" 
 
BACK TO THE "BROOKLYN AGAIN 269 
 
 " Yes, sir. But I couldn t help it. I was sick 
 and fell overboard, and I ve had a whole lot of 
 adventures since." 
 
 " So the officer of the deck tells me," answered 
 the captain, dryly. He looked at the commander 
 of the squadron. " Commodore Schley, would you 
 like to ask Russell any questions?" 
 
 At this the commodore smiled and pulled medi 
 tatively at the little goatee he wore. " Russell, 
 you can tell us your story in detail. But do not 
 take over ten minutes," he said, and covered his 
 eyes with his hands, as if in deep thought one 
 of his favorite attitudes. 
 
 Standing as before and still "toeing the mark," 
 Walter told his story again, simply but forcefully. 
 Whether his hearers were listening or not he 
 could not tell, for not a word was said until he 
 had finished. 
 
 Then, however, came a flood of questions con 
 cerning the spot at which he had landed after 
 leaving the Merrimac, the names of the various 
 Cuban and Spanish leaders that he had en 
 countered, and the names of the marines with 
 which he had fought. He was also questioned 
 about the trails and their conditions. 
 
270 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " Could loaded wagons get over them, in your 
 estimation ? " asked Commodore Scliley. 
 
 " Not very well, sir. In one place I saw an 
 ox-team with a load of fruit, and the load was in 
 danger of being dumped every minute. Some of 
 the paths are not fit for a pack-mule to use." 
 
 " What of the Cubans you met ? Were they 
 well armed ? " 
 
 "A few of them had guns, but most of them 
 had nothing but their machetes, sir. Ammunition, 
 I was told, was very scarce." 
 
 "What of food?" 
 
 "That was scarce, too." And Walter smiled. 
 " A good eater would starve to death on what 
 both the Spaniards and the Cubans have to offer." 
 
 " Do the Spaniards expect an army of invasion 
 - that is, did you hear any talk on the subject ? " 
 
 " I caught a few words, sir. I cannot speak 
 Spanish myself." 
 
 Commodore Scliley mused for a moment. " That 
 is all," he said, addressing Captain Cook. "The 
 boy has certainly had some remarkable adventures. 
 He is better off than poor Lieutenant Hobsoii." 
 
 " That s true," responded the commander of the 
 Brooklyn. He turned to Walter. " You can go, 
 
BACK TO THE "BROOKLYN" AGAIN 271 
 
 Russell ; if we want you again, we will send for 
 you." 
 
 " Yes, sir," was the youth s reply, and, saluting, 
 he turned and left the cabin. The interview had 
 been a very formal one, but he was proud to 
 think that he had come into personal contact with 
 his gallant captain and his equally gallant com 
 modore. 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 THE BOMBARDMENT OF THE SANTIAGO BATTERIES 
 
 WHEN Walter returned to his friends be was 
 immediately surrounded and asked what had hap 
 pened in the cabin. " Did the commodore slap 
 you on the back and call you a bully boy? " queried 
 Si. 
 
 " Well, hardly," answered Walter, with a quiet 
 smile. " They plied me with questions and said 
 I had had some remarkable adventures ; that s all." 
 
 " Didn t praise you ? " queried Caleb. 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Didn t rush up and shake hands even ? " put 
 in Paul. 
 
 " Not at all. I saluted and toed the mark, and 
 kept toeing it until I left." 
 
 At this Paul s face fell. " Why, I thought you 
 would be right in it, Walter," he said. 
 
 "I guess you ve been reading some dime and 
 half-dime colored-cover novels, Paul. I imagine 
 that is the way they do in such books." 
 
 27? 
 
BOMBARDMENT OF THE SANTIAGO BATTERIES 273 
 
 " That s it. Why, I ve got a story about Dewey s 
 Boy Bodyguard. The hero in that overheard a 
 plot against Dewey, and Dewey clasped him to his 
 breast and made him a captain of marines." 
 
 " Indeed! And you believe such a yarn? " 
 
 "Dewey couldn t make the boy a captain of 
 marines, not if he was an admiral twice over," put 
 in Caleb. " Those yarns are pure trash. Paul, 
 you had better study some good book on gunnery, 
 and try to become a gun captain." 
 
 u I thought the story was slightly overdrawn," 
 said Paul, growing red in the face. " There is 
 another about the Boy Hero of Havana, who 
 saves General Lee s life at the time the Americans 
 are getting out of Havana. I suppose that is 
 untrue, too." 
 
 " To be sure, Paul. General Lee w r as in no 
 great danger at that time. Of course some of the 
 sensational papers had to make the most of it, 
 and they reported that he was travelling around 
 with a six-shooter in his pocket, and a detective 
 dogging his footsteps. As a matter of fact he 
 walked around with nothing but a white cotton 
 umbrella, to keep the sun off." 
 
 " I ll burn the whole batch of colored stuff up," 
 
274 FIUHTINO IX 01 BAN WATKRS 
 
 cried the apprentice ; and he did, at the big galley 
 tire. No one on board ever caught him reading 
 dime and half-dime novels again. 
 
 Although the marines had established themselves 
 fairly well at and near Guantanamo, the Spaniards 
 were determined to drive them otY, and to hold 
 this landing and a number of others, several of 
 the warships were kept busy bombarding the 
 enemy s strongholds and in tiring with Catling 
 guns at the Spanish soldiers whenever they put 
 into appearance along the coast. 
 
 The day after Walter came on board the ./V.K>.fr- 
 fjf*, which remained on the blockade otY 5>a.ntiago 
 Hay, the TVxii*, J/tirMr/W^f, and $u(c\int<f ran into 
 Guantanamo Hay and attacked the fort at T.ii- 
 manenu a small village not far from Guantanamo. 
 The attack began at two o clock in the aftenuvn, 
 and in less than two hours the fort was in ruins 
 and those who had garrisoned it were tlceing inland 
 for their lives. 
 
 Caimanera was thus taken, but to hold it was 
 as dirticult as it was to hold Guantanamo. Many 
 of the people were in sym^Jthy with the ^j\uush 
 gvn eminent, and some went so far as to soak the 
 streets aud some of the houses with coal oil, that 
 
BOMBARDMENT OF THE SANTIAGO BATTERIES 275 
 
 the town might be burned down at a minute s 
 notice. 
 
 While this was going on, Admiral Sampson de 
 termined to make another attack on the outer 
 defences of Santiago Harbor, only sparing Morro 
 Castle, in which it was understood that Lieutenant 
 Hobson and his men were confined. It was weary 
 waiting for the transports to arrive with the army, 
 and something must be done to tear down the 
 numerous fortifications the Spaniards were con 
 structing. 
 
 The orders for the bombardment were issued on 
 Wednesday evening ; and at once a subdued but 
 excited talk took place among the various crews 
 of the blockading squadrons, which now numbered 
 the following ships, along with a few others of 
 lesser importance : - 
 
 First squadron, under the direct command of 
 Admiral Sampson, the flagship New York, battle 
 ships Iowa and Oregon, protected cruiser New 
 Orleans, gunboat Mayflower, torpedo boat Porter, 
 and the sprightly Scorpion. The second squadron, 
 under Commodore Schley, embraced the flagship 
 Brooklyn* battleships Massachusetts and Texas, and 
 the Marblehead and Vixen. Other vessels, such 
 
276 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 as the Indiana, Dolphin, and Suwanee, were kept 
 busy plying between the blockading fleet and 
 Guantanamo Bay and surroundings. 
 
 It was half-past three in the morning when the 
 men were called up and served with coffee. 
 Among the first on hand was Walter. u Xow for 
 a first real use of our gun," he said to Si. "I ve 
 been aching for this ever since I enlisted." 
 
 Before four o clock came the call to quarters, 
 and the men ran to their various stations, and 
 stripped for action, most of them wearing little 
 more than an undershirt and a pair of trousers. 
 The weather was frightfully hot, and the interior 
 of the cruiser was little better than a bake-oven. 
 Possibly this was one reason why the thought 
 ful admiral planned the attack for so early in the 
 day. 
 
 Silently the warships steamed for the mouth 
 of the harbor, and took up their various positions 
 in a grand semicircle, the heavy fighting ships in 
 the centre, and the torpedo boats on the ends, ready 
 to take care of any infantry fire, should the Span 
 iards hurry their soldiers to the shore. The big 
 ships kept at a distance of three thousand yards 
 not quite two miles. 
 
BOMBARDMENT OF THE SANTIAGO BATTEKIES 277 
 
 " We re a long way off," observed Walter, as he 
 assisted in loading the " Polly," as Caleb had named 
 his gun. 
 
 " Twenty-nine hundred yards ! " came the report 
 from the range-finder ; and the crew went to work 
 to elevate the gun accordingly. In the meantime, 
 the magazines had been opened, the ammunition 
 hoists set in motion, and powder, shot, and shell 
 were delivered everywhere from barbette to fight 
 ing-top. 
 
 " We re near enough to blow em sky-high if we 
 strike em right," muttered the old gunner, who, 
 with the smell of powder in the air, was in his 
 element. "How about that hose, Stuben?" he 
 went on to the hoseman. 
 
 " Dot hose it s all right alretty," answered Carl 
 Stuben, a round-faced German, who was an Amer 
 ican citizen, even though he did speak the lan 
 guage but brokenly. Heretofore Walter had had 
 but little to do with the man, yet they got along 
 very well together. 
 
 It was too dark to begin firing, and for half an 
 hour the ships lay quiet, every man ready to obey 
 a command the instant it was given. This was a 
 nerve-trying test for Walter, who wondered how 
 
278 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 the thing would sound when all of the ships began 
 firing. 
 
 Slowly it grew lighter, and the men became 
 more anxious. The guns were trained on the 
 shore batteries to the west of the harbor entrance, 
 while other ships covered the batteries on the east. 
 
 Boom I It was a broadside from the New York, 
 directed against the battery below El Morro. In 
 stantly every other warship present responded in a 
 deafening crash and a shock to be heard many 
 miles away. At once the air became filled with 
 the smoke, and on shore the dirt and masonry of 
 the batteries were seen to fly in all directions. 
 
 " Oh, my ! " gasped Walter, as the gun before 
 him belched forth its mass of flame and smoke. 
 " What a noise ! Did did we hit anything ? " 
 
 " I hope we did," answered Steve Colton, the 
 second gun captain, laconically ; and then came 
 the order to unlock the breech of the gun. As the 
 breech fell back a cloud of smoke swirled into the 
 sponson hood, impregnated with the odor of salt 
 petre, which caused Walter and several of the 
 others to cough violently. " Never mind ; you ll 
 get used to it before you die," went on Colton. 
 
 The gun being opened, Carl Stuben caught up 
 
BOMBARDMENT OF THE SANTIAGO BATTERIES 279 
 
 his hose-pipe, turned on the nozzle and sent a stream 
 of cold water ^hrough the jjun, to both clean and 
 cool the interior. By the time this was accom 
 plished the hoist had another shell ready, and this 
 was shoved in by the mechanical rammer. Brown 
 prismatic powder followed, with a small quantity 
 of black prismatic powder behind it, as a primer. 
 Then the breech-block was swung into position and 
 locked again, and the electrical connections were 
 adjusted. 
 
 All this had been done almost in the time it 
 takes to tell it, but the next shot was not dis 
 charged at once, since the various gunners had 
 strict orders to take their time and make every 
 discharge count. It was not like a pitched battle 
 where every moment counted. 
 
 But though the gunners took their time, there 
 were so many ships and so many guns that the fir 
 ing was continuous a spiteful cracking of rapid- 
 firing guns, mingled with the thunder-claps of the 
 gigantic thirteen-inch guns and the solid banging 
 of the eight-inch and eight and ten pounders. 
 
 " This is war and no mistake," remarked Walter. 
 In ten minutes his undershirt had become as black 
 as a stove-cloth, and he himself looked almost like 
 
280 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 a negro. In the meantime the perspiration was 
 streaming from every pore of his body. 
 
 " War ! " shouted Caleb. " Why, lad, this is 
 nothing. If only Cervera would come out, then 
 you would see some fun." 
 
 The order had been passed to lessen the charges 
 in the big guns and elevate them more, in order to 
 secure a plunging fire. The effect of this change 
 in tactics was soon apparent, as shot and shell 
 began to drop directly into the Spanish strong 
 holds or behind them. Soon one of the batteries 
 was completely silenced, and a cheer went up from 
 the warship nearest to it. 
 
 It must not be imagined that the Spaniards took 
 this attack quietly. No sooner had the American 
 warships opened than they returned the fire with 
 equal fierceness. But although at an elevation, 
 and using guns which were stationary, their aim 
 was wild, and only a few of their shots took 
 effect. 
 
 As one battery after another was silenced, several 
 of the warships elevated their guns still more and 
 put in large charges of powder, and, as a result, 
 one shell was carried far up the harbor to where 
 the Vizcaya lay and burst directly over her deck, 
 
BOMBARDMENT OF THE SANTIAGO BATTERIES 281 
 
 doing considerable damage and injuring several 
 sailors and an under-officer. 
 
 Presently a terrific explosion rent the air. One 
 of the shots from the Texas had landed in a powder 
 magazine and sent it skyward. The spectacle thus 
 caused was magnificent, and for a moment all in 
 the squadrons watched the timbers, rocks, and dirt 
 as they sailed through the air, some coming down 
 inland and some falling with loud splashes into 
 the sea. 
 
 " That s a shot worth making ! " cried Caleb. 
 " Hurrah for the man as trained that gun ! " 
 
 And the cheer was given with a will. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 IN WHICH THE ARMY OF INVASION ARRIVES 
 
 "MAYBE I ain t hot and tired, Walter. I could 
 sleep standing up and go in an ice-house and do it." 
 
 It was Si who spoke, as he was washing him 
 self in a bucket of water set on the gun-track. 
 The water had been fresh when Si began his 
 ablutions and was now dirty, but the Yankee 
 youth was still far from clean, for gun smoke and 
 gun dirt have a disagreeable knack of getting 
 into the pores of one s skin. 
 
 The bombardment had lasted over an hour and 
 every land battery had been silenced. Yet, as the 
 American ships drew away, one or two guns spat 
 out spitefully after them. 
 
 "You ll feel .all right in an hour or two, Si, 
 answered Walter. " Oh, but wasn t it glorious ! 
 I could stand such bombarding for a week. 
 What a sight it was when that powder magazine 
 went up." 
 
 282 
 
IN WHICH THE ARMY OF INVASION ARRIVES 283 
 
 " Such a bombardment costs Uncle Sam a good 
 many thousand dollars," put in Caleb, leaving the 
 gun to get a drink of water from the tub stand 
 ing by. " A week of it would put a big hole in 
 his pocket, large as it is." 
 
 " I presume that is so, Walton. But say, why 
 don t we run in and finish things, now we have 
 knocked the batteries out ? " 
 
 " Better ask the admiral, lad ; he s the one who 
 knows. Remember, we didn t touch Morro Castle 
 nor that fortification on Smith Cay, and those 
 Spanish warships are somewhere around the bend, 
 out of sight. I reckon the time ain t quite ripe 
 for running in yet. If we run in now and do up 
 that Spanish fleet, we haven t men enough to take 
 Santiago itself. We must wait until Shafter 
 arrives with his army." 
 
 "But why did we go at them at all for, then?" 
 
 " To keep em from becoming too well fortified. 
 Now they ll have their hands full for several days 
 repairing damages, and in the meantime our army 
 may arrive at least, I hope it does." 
 
 Si had been right about the heat. Even in the 
 United States we had a spell of uncommonly hot 
 weather, and down here, under the tropical sun, 
 
284 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 it was " sizzling," as Walter expressed it. During 
 the noon hour no one thought of going on deck 
 unless it was absolutely necessary. Refreshments 
 of any kind were at a premium, and when a 
 society known as the Colonial Dames sent on a 
 number of boxes of oranges and lemons for dis 
 tribution, the jackies could hardly contain them 
 selves for joy. Cuban sugar was easily obtained, 
 and lemonade and orangeade became the order of 
 the hour. 
 
 Having been away on shore, Walter had not 
 felt the monotony on shipboard so much, but 
 those who had been on the blockade for nearly 
 three weeks felt fearfully bored, especially as read 
 ing matter was scarce. Every scrap of a news 
 paper was saved and passed around, and poor 
 Paul was collared and tossed up in a canvas 
 hammock for having burnt the penny-dreadfuls 
 previously mentioned. 
 
 " Mail ! mail ! mail ! " such was the welcome cry 
 which rang through the Brooklyn, several days 
 after the bombardment just described. The news 
 caused a commotion, and all who could rushed on 
 deck and peered eagerly over the side as several 
 heavy mail sacks were hoisted on board. Hardly 
 
IN WHICH THE ARMY OF INVASION AKEIVES 285 
 
 anybody could wait for the mail to be distrib 
 uted. 
 
 "Three letters for me, and a bundle of news 
 papers ! " cried Walter, joyfully. " Here s luck 
 and no mistake." He studied the various post 
 marks for a moment. " One from Boston, in my 
 uncle s handwriting ; one from Tampa, Florida, and 
 that s from Ben ; and one from yes Hong Kong, 
 China, and that must be from dear old Larry. 
 Now which shall I read first ? Oh, I must hear 
 from Larry first." And dropping on deck he tore 
 open the letter from the other side of the world 
 and perused it eagerly. 
 
 " Well, I never ! " came from him, a few minutes 
 later. " Si, Walton, listen to this ! My brother 
 Larry was with Dewey at Manila and helped whip 
 the Dons ! Oh, but Larry s the boy, after all! 
 Just read the letter for yourselves." And he 
 tossed it over. 
 
 Ben s letter came next, a rather short communi 
 cation, for Ben had never been much of a boy to 
 write. 
 
 " I am high private in the best company of the 
 Seventy-first regiment of New York," he wrote. 
 
286 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " We are down here at Lakeland, near Tampa, 
 getting into condition to invade Cuba. At present 
 things are slow and awfully hot, but we look for 
 livelier times ahead and that keeps up our spirits. 
 My chum, Gilbert Pennington, has joined Theodore 
 Roosevelt s Rough Riders. I hope we go to Cuba 
 together. 
 
 " I suppose you are quite a jack tar by this 
 time and walk with a regular swagger. Larry is 
 now a bigger fellow than either of us, for he was 
 on the Olympia,, Dewey s flagship, at the battle of 
 Manila Bay. He wrote me all about it and said 
 he would write to you, too, so I suppose you 
 already have the letter. 
 
 " Uncle Job seems to be coming around to his 
 senses with giving both you and me permission 
 to take care of ourselves. If I were you, I would 
 not let up on him about going to Boston. Those 
 heirlooms ought to be located, and he is the man 
 who must push the work, even if it does cost a 
 few dollars. I want father s watch, and I am 
 sure you and Larry want the wedding rings. 
 
 " I have made many friends while in the army, 
 but I also have two enemies, Gerald Holgait and 
 D wight Montgomery, and I am afraid that sooner 
 
IN WHICH THE ARMY OF INVASION ARRIVES 287 
 
 or Liter they will try to play me some mean trick. 
 However, I will be on my guard against them. 
 Good-by and good luck to you." 
 
 " I hope Ben does come down," mused Walter. 
 "And if he has any enemies of the Jim Haskett 
 sort he had better look out. And then he turned 
 to the communication from Job Dowling. 
 
 " My dearest nephew," began the guardian, and 
 the term of address made Walter smile. " Your 
 letter was a big surprise to me, and I ain t over 
 it yet. That you should meet that thief gets me, 
 and I don t understand it nohow. However, I 
 packed my valise (my new one that cost me a 
 dollar thirty-five, although Wilson says it is worth 
 the money) and the next day 1 took the cars for 
 Boston on a ticket I got at cut rates, although it 
 was tolerably dear even at that. When I got to 
 Boston I introduced myself to Mr. Phil Newell, the 
 one-legged man you used to work for, and he took 
 me to police headquarters, and now I am stop 
 ping here at a boarding-house, on Hammond Street. 
 The police sent a detective to me, and he is going 
 to find them heirlooms and that rascal of a Deck 
 
288 FIGHTING IX CTJBAX WATERS 
 
 Mumpers, or whatever his name is, or know the 
 reason why. If he finds the things, I m to give 
 him two hundred dollars in cash ; if he don t, I 
 pay his travelling expenses and no more. I 
 wouldn t make such a bargain, but I know all 
 you boys want the things back and I can t do the 
 running after the thief. It s a waste of money, 
 but it can t be helped. I want to show you and 
 Ben and Larry that your uncle means well in spite 
 of what you think of him. 
 
 "Newell says for me to tell you he will send 
 you a bundle of newspapers. He says he knows 
 how lonely life on Board of a man-of-war gets 
 sometimes. I hope you don t get hurt, if you get 
 into a fight down in Cuba. Keep out of the sun, 
 and write when you can, care of Newell s news 
 stand for I stop there every day, after the de 
 tective s report. The detective hopes to get the 
 things back before this week is out. 
 " Your loving uncle, 
 
 "JOB DOWLING." 
 
 The letter was a mere scrawl, horribly mis 
 spelled, and it took Walter fully quarter of an 
 hour to decipher it. " Well, Uncle Job is turn- 
 
IN AVHICH THE ARMY OF INVASION ARRIVES 289 
 
 ing over a new leaf," he thought, as he put it 
 away. " I only hope that detective is all right, 
 and don t hoodwink him into paying over his 
 money for nothing. I reckon the letters Ben and 
 I wrote him scared him pretty well, otherwise he 
 wouldn t agree to pay two hundred dollars if the 
 heirlooms are recovered." 
 
 Caleb had read Larry s letter with much inter 
 est. One portion of it, relating to the narrow 
 escape from disaster during the battle, interested 
 him not a little. 
 
 " Your brother had a close shave," he said. "To 
 fire a gun when the breech is unlocked is a fearful 
 thing." 
 
 " I don t see how it could happen on board of 
 such a ship as the Brooklyn, answered Walter. 
 "Everything works like clockwork here." 
 
 " You don t know how a thing would work 
 in the middle of a battle, lad. Men get excited, 
 and sometimes the jarring of the shots breaks the 
 electric connections. More than likely that gun 
 ner was firing his piece by hand at the time. I ve 
 done the same, when the electric connection gave 
 out. Last month I heard from a friend of mine, 
 a gunner on the Neiv Orleans, that used to be a 
 
290 FIGHTING IN CUBAX WATEKS 
 
 Brazilian warship. They couldn t get their elec 
 tric-firing apparatus into shape nohow, and had to 
 do everything by hand, and that is the time 
 accidents occur. But somebody ought to have 
 been watching that breech-block your brother 
 or somebody else." And then Caleb turned away 
 to his duties. 
 
 Larry had written that he was now in Hong 
 Kong, and did not know whether he would go 
 back to Dewey s squadron, or return to the United 
 States. " You ll hear from me again soon, one way 
 or another," he added in a postscript. 
 
 For a day or two, all of Walter s spare time 
 was spent over the newspapers his former employer 
 had been kind enough to send him, but drills and 
 other duties must not be neglected, and now that 
 the army of invasion was hourly expected, disci 
 pline on the warships became more rigid than 
 ever. 
 
 At last, one clear morning, a cry echoed and 
 reechoed from one warship to another : 
 
 " The transports are in sight ! General Shafter s 
 army has arrived !" 
 
 What a shouting, cheering, and yelling broke 
 loose ! Jackies flew to the deck, and up the mili- 
 
IN WHICH THE ARMY OF INVASION ARRIVES 291 
 
 tary masts, and all other points of vantage. Yes, 
 the news was true, over thirty transports were 
 coming up from the direction of Guantanamo Bay, 
 having rounded Cape Maysi some hours previously. 
 The army of invasion had really arrived, nearly 
 seventeen thousand strong. As that vast fleet 
 came up, convoyed by fourteen warships, it pre 
 sented a most imposing appearance, and guns 
 boomed loudly to welcome it. 
 
 " Is the Seventy-first on board ? " was Walter s 
 question ; and when at last he heard that it was, 
 his heart beat quickly. " Ben must be there ! " 
 he thought. And Ben ivas there, and thinking 
 of Walter at the same time. 
 
 " Santiago is doomed now," said Caleb, as he 
 surveyed the scene. 
 
 " That s so," put in Si, tossing up his cap. " And 
 old Cervera must either come out and fight, or haul 
 down his colors. Oh, but won t we just smash 
 things when that army is landed ! " 
 
 And Walter agreed with both of them. 
 
 As soon as it could be arranged, the army was 
 landed at Baiquiri, Siboney, and other points, 
 Guantanamo being reserved as a coaling station 
 for the warships. After the first landing, a strong 
 
292 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 detachment of regulars and Rough Riders was 
 thrown out, and then followed the battles of La 
 Guasima, San Juan, and El Caney, described in 
 detail in the previous volume of this series. The 
 soldier boys fought bravely, and Ben Russell and 
 his chum, Gilbert Pennington, were well to the 
 front, as we know. 
 
 The landing of the troops was no easy matter, 
 for the surf ran high, and it was feared that the 
 Spaniard might make a heavy onslaught at any 
 instant. All the small boats of the warships were 
 called into use, to land men and army stores, and 
 while this work was in progress, many of the ships 
 began to bombard various points along the coast, 
 for the purpose of confusing the enemy, so that 
 they would not realize the truth of what was 
 taking place. The ruse succeeded, and during the 
 landing the Spaniards remained comparatively quiet, 
 hardly knowing in what direction to turn, or what 
 to do, since the Americans were covering over a 
 hundred miles of rugged coast-line. 
 
 The debarkation at an end, the Brooklyn returned 
 to her position on the blockade. All hands knew 
 that something important would soon happen, and, 
 consequently, everybody slept thenceforth u with 
 
IN WHICH THE ARMY OF INVASION ARRIVES 293 
 
 one eye open." "Cervera must not be allowed to 
 escape, night or day, under any circumstances," 
 was the order passed, and it was to be obeyed to 
 the letter. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 THE SPANISH FLEET AND ITS COMMANDER 
 
 " Now that we are so anxious to catch Admiral 
 Cervera and smash his ships, I should like to know 
 something about the man and his command," re 
 marked Walter, a few days after the army had 
 landed. He addressed George Ellis, who, in his 
 quiet, gentlemanly way had taken a liking to the 
 youth. 
 
 The two were seated in the shadow of one of 
 the forward guns, taking it easy, for the morning 
 drills were over and it yet lacked half an hour to 
 mess time. Slowly the Brooklyn rose and sank 
 on the waves of the Caribbean Sea, four miles 
 outside of Santiago Bay. This was the visual 
 distance in the daytime. At night, despite the 
 danger of an attack by a torpedo destroyer, the 
 warships came in much closer, and the glare of 
 the searchlights never left Morro Castle or the 
 narrow harbor entrance. 
 
 294 
 
THE SPANISH FLEET AND ITS COMMANDER 295 
 
 " I know very little about Admiral Cervera ex 
 cepting that lie has been in the Spanish navy for 
 many years and is said to be one of the finest 
 gentlemen that ever trod the deck of a ship. 
 Why he ever allowed himself to be bottled up 
 like this is more than I can understand. I imag 
 ine, though, that he was on his way to Havana, 
 to break the blockade there, when he heard that 
 Admiral Sampson was coming for him one way 
 and our commodore the other, and he concluded 
 that the best thing he could do would be to scoot 
 into the bay yonder and save himself and possibly 
 Santiago. They say he carried a lot of guns and 
 ammunition for the Spanish army. He can dis 
 tribute those as well at Santiago as he can at 
 Havana, for I understand General Toral here is 
 as hard up as Blanco is at the other city." 
 
 " And what of the ships under him ? They 
 say he has six. Do you know how big they are ? " 
 went on Walter. 
 
 " He has four warships and two torpedo de 
 stroyers," answered the chief yeoman. " I got 
 that straight from Lieutenant Blue, who went 
 ashore for Admiral Sampson, made a detour of 
 seventy miles, and from the top of a high hill saw 
 
296 . FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 the ships in the harbor through his powerful 
 glasses." 
 
 " Somebody said all the big ships were armored 
 cruisers." 
 
 " That is true, and three of them, the Vizcaya, 
 the Almirante Oquendo, and the Maria Teresa, are 
 sister ships, of seven thousand tons each. Each 
 is about three hundred and sixty feet long and 
 can speed at eighteen to nineteen knots an hour. 
 They carry about five hundred men each, and 
 every one has a main battery of two 11-inch 
 Hontoria and ten 5.5-inch Hontoria guns, with 
 a secondary battery of eight 6-pounders, ten 
 1-pounders, several machine guns ; and they also 
 carry six torpedo tubes each." 
 
 " And what of the fourth cruiser ? " 
 
 " She is the Cristobal Colon, the fastest of the 
 lot, even though her displacement is two hundred 
 tons short of the others. They say she can run 
 eighteen knots an hour with ease and twenty 
 knots if she is put to it. Her armor belt is 
 six inches thick, alongside of twelve inches on 
 the other cruisers. She also carries about five 
 hundred men, and she has a main battery of two 
 10-inch and five 6-inch guns, and a secondary 
 
THE SPANISH FLEET AND ITS COMMANDER 297 
 
 battery of rapid-firing rifles, 6 and 10 pounders 
 and two Maxim guns. Her torpedo tubes number 
 four." 
 
 " Then they are no small fry to battle with," 
 observed Walter. " When their batteries break 
 loose they ought to do some talking." 
 
 "They will talk. We mustn t expect any walk 
 over, if Cervera ever comes out of his hole." 
 
 " And what of the two torpedo boats ? " 
 
 " They are sister ships, the Pluton and Furor, 
 each of three hundred and eighty tons displace 
 ment. They say that each has a speed of twenty- 
 seven knots an hour, and both are equipped with 
 the latest appliances for such crafts, carrying regu 
 lar, automatic, and rapid-fire guns, and also four- 
 teen-inch Schwartzkopff torpedo tubes." 
 
 " I should say they would be good things to 
 keep out of the way of," exclaimed Walter. 
 
 " We ve got our eyes wide open for them, lad. 
 To be sure, one or another of them may play us 
 some dirty trick of a dark night but that is 
 one of the risks to be taken in war times," con 
 cluded the chief yeoman, as a petty officer called 
 him away. 
 
 All on board the warships waited eagerly for 
 
298 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 news from the army of invasion. It was known 
 that the Rough Riders had had a severe skirmish 
 at La Guasima, but that was all, so far as the 
 jackies went. Possibly the officers knew more, 
 but if so, they kept the knowledge to them 
 selves. 
 
 " Another dull week will come to an end to 
 morrow," remarked Si, as he and Walter Avere on 
 their way to the mess table. " Oh, but I m sick 
 of laying around looking at old Morro. If only 
 those ships would come out, we d sink them all in 
 less than two hours; I feel sure of it." 
 
 Si s growl was becoming a universal one, even 
 the officers grumbling a good deal. All wanted 
 to fight Cervera s fleet, and the more the Span 
 ish admiral kept himself hidden, the more angry 
 did they become. Many almost begged to have 
 their ships forced into the harbor, no matter what 
 the consequences they stating that anything 
 would be better than this everlasting waiting. 
 The blockade had now lasted five long weeks. 
 
 In the meantime, matters elsewhere had not 
 been idle. Chagrined over Dewey s victory at 
 Manila, Spain resolved to send another fleet to 
 the Philippines by way of the Suez Canal, taking, 
 
THE SPANISH FLEET AND ITS COMMANDER 299 
 
 for this purpose, almost all the warships left in 
 her home waters. As soon as this was brought 
 to light, our own naval board decided to send 
 an American fleet to the coast of Spain, and Com 
 modore Watson was placed in command of the ex 
 pedition. But before the American warships could 
 sail, the Spanish fleet, having gone through the 
 Suez Canal, turned back for home, and the Ameri 
 can warships remained where they were, and 
 Dewey was left unmolested at Manila, so far as 
 Spanish operations were concerned, although the 
 insurgents under General Aguinaldo soon began 
 to give him a great deal of trouble. 
 
 Saturday morning dawned misty but hot. From 
 a great distance could be heard the rattle of mus 
 ketry, showing that the army of invasion was slowly 
 but surely advancing. 
 
 " They re in it all right enough - began Si, 
 when there came a sudden call to quarters, and 
 at the same time the Brooklyn s engines began to 
 move and she headed for Santiago Bay. "Hullo, 
 what does this mean?" 
 
 "Perhaps we are going to force an entrance!" 
 ejaculated Walter. "Hurrah, if we do! " 
 
 " Better not count your chickens before they 
 
300 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 are hatched," remarked Caleb, who had just rolled 
 from his hammock. 
 
 They soon learned the truth of the movement. 
 The shore batteries were again to be bombarded, 
 and this time not even Morro Castle was to be 
 spared, it having been ascertained that Hobson 
 and his men had been removed to safe quarters. 
 
 4i Down with old Morro ; we ll show the Dons 
 a thing or two ! " was the cry, and off rushed the 
 men to their guns, their eyes brighter than they 
 had been for many a day, for Morro Castle had 
 been an eyesore to all. 
 
 The flagship New York was leading the fleet, 
 which, as before, soon ranged up in a semicircle. 
 Inside of five minutes every vessel had her station. 
 
 " Cast loose and provide ! " 
 
 The now familiar cry was scarcely needed, for 
 the jackies were already at Work, stripped, as before, 
 of all their superfluous clothing. Shot and powder 
 were quickly handled, and the flagship began the 
 firing, which immediately broke forth in all its 
 fury, deafening everybody and sending forth a 
 great cloud of smoke which hung over the war 
 ships like a pall. 
 
 " Morro s flag is down ! " came the shout. It 
 
THE SPANISH FLEET AND ITS COMMANDER 301 
 
 was true. A gunner on the noble Oregon had 
 taken careful aim and cut the flagstaff in two. 
 The falling of the Spanish emblem was greeted 
 with a wild cheer. At once the Spaniards tried 
 to put another flag up, but it was some time ere 
 they succeeded, and then it was a tiny affair, hardly 
 visible excepting with a glass. 
 
 " We ll try for that battery yonder ! " exclaimed 
 Caleb, during the height of the bombardment. 
 " I think those fellows have been firing this way 
 ever since they started." 
 
 He had scarcely spoken when bang ! something 
 hit the armor plate directly under their gun, hurl 
 ing the gunner, Walter, and several others back 
 by the shock. 
 
 " They ve struck us, but the shot didn t pierce 
 our armor," remarked Caleb, calmly, as he got 
 up. " All right, you villains, here s the compli 
 ment returned ! " And he made his preparations 
 with care. 
 
 The shot following was the best they had yet 
 placed. It struck into a battery on the west 
 shore of the harbor entrance, ploughed up the 
 foundation of a six-pound gun, and sent the piece 
 flying high into the air. 
 
302 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " My, but that was immense ! " cried Walter, 
 while Si and the others cheered wildly. " Give 
 them another ! " 
 
 And they did give the battery another, and then 
 a dozen more, until at last the place was silenced, 
 showing that Avhat was left of the gunners had 
 fled. 
 
 At half-past seven came the order to cease firing, 
 but it was fully twenty minutes later before the last 
 of the warships guns Avere discharged. By this time 
 not only the batteries but also old Morro were filled 
 with gaping holes. It is more than likely that if 
 the fleet had sought to enter the harbor at this time 
 it could have done so with comparative ease. 
 
 The work at the gun had been very hot, and as 
 soon as they were able to do so, W alter and Si 
 scurried to the upper deck to get a bit of fresh 
 air. 
 
 " It fairly stews the fat out of a fellow," grumbled 
 Si, running the perspiration from his forehead with 
 his forefinger. " I ll bet I m ten pounds lighter 
 than before this blockade began." 
 
 "Never mind; it s one of the fortunes of war 
 began Walter, when of a sudden a strange whir 
 and a singing sound filled the air. It was a shell, 
 
THE SPANISH FLEET AND ITS COMMANDER 303 
 
 fired from Morro Castle, just as the Brooklyn was 
 turning away. 
 
 " Look out ! " yelled Si, and dropped down, but 
 the words were still on his lips when the shell 
 exploded, sending the fragments flying in all direc 
 tions. Both boys were struck, and with a groan 
 Walter fell senseless to the deck. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 " THE ENEMY IS ESCAPING ! " 
 
 " Is he dead, surgeon ? " 
 
 "Oh, doctor, he ll live say he ll live!" 
 
 Caleb and Si had followed the senseless form of 
 Walter to the sick bay of the warship, the Yankee 
 youth with the blood streaming from a deep cut in 
 his left cheek. Both were in distress for fear their 
 comrade was seriously injured. 
 
 " Yes, he ll live, but he has had a narrow escape," 
 was the reply of the medical man in charge of the 
 case. " The bit of shell scraped his left temple, as 
 you see. Had it come a little closer, it would have 
 gone through his brain." 
 
 Walter had been placed on a swinging cot, and 
 now his head was bound up. Before this operation 
 was over he opened his eyes. 
 
 u Whe where am I ? " he stammered. " Wh 
 what hit me ? " 
 
 " Praise God, he s himself again ! " murmured 
 Caleb, reverently. " I was afraid he was a goner." 
 
 304 
 
" XHE ENEMY IS ESCAPING ! " 305 
 
 " So was I," whispered Si. " And I don t know 
 how I could spare Walter he seems so like a 
 brother." 
 
 " You must lie quiet for a while," said the sur 
 geon. "You ll be all right by to-night." And then 
 he gave Walter some medicine to brace his nerves, 
 for they had been sadly shattered by the shock. 
 The remainder of that Saturday was spent in 
 bed. 
 
 On this memorable day the righting on land had 
 been even more fierce than on the sea. The army 
 of invasion had taken the various outposts of Santi 
 ago, and the very city itself now lay at General 
 Shafter s mercy. It was felt that a day or two 
 longer would bring matters to a climax. 
 
 When Walter joined his comrades after supper 
 he looked rather pale and scared. Almost silently 
 he took Si s hand and wrung it. 
 
 " You are all right ? " he whispered. 
 
 "No hurt to speak of," was the answer. 
 
 " But we were pretty close to death. Oh, Si, I 
 never realized before how quick one could be put 
 out of this world ! " 
 
 "Neither did I, Walter. After this I m going 
 to well I m going to attend church more regu- 
 
306 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 larly, that s all. I never did take much to sech 
 matters afore, like you do." 
 
 "It s always well to be prepared for death, Si 
 I m going to try to be prepared after this," was 
 Walter s low answer, and in the darkness of the 
 berth deck they clasped hands again. They under 
 stood each other pretty well, these boys. 
 
 On Sunday morning the sun arose clear and 
 strong, and early in the day an awning was spread 
 over the quarterdeck of the flagship Brooklyn, 
 and preparations were made to pass a hot day as 
 comfortably as possible. " We will rest to-day," 
 was the word passed around, and the jackies were 
 not sorry, for the bombardment on Saturday morn 
 ing had tired them out. 
 
 The Brooklyn rested about three miles out from 
 Santiago Bay, and not far off lay the Texas. Be 
 tween the two ships the long, green waves rose 
 and fell, only making a soft slish-slish as they 
 struck the vessels sides. The jackies lolled here, 
 there, and everywhere, some talking, some reading 
 old newspapers which from frequent handling 
 would scarcely hold together, while a few studied 
 the Bibles they had brought with them. 
 
 Presently from the Texas came the musical 
 
" THE ENEMY IS ESCAPING ! " 307 
 
 bugle-call for church service. " I d like to go on 
 board of her once," said Walter to Si, as they 
 listened to the bell that followed. " She s cer 
 tainly a fine-looking craft." 
 
 " Three bells," put in Caleb, as he came up. 
 " Come on, lads, first Sunday in the month, re 
 member, and the Articles of War have got to be 
 hearkened to." 
 
 " That s so ; I had forgotten," answered Walter. 
 And he and the others dropped below, to don 
 their cleanest and neatest " rigs," for general 
 muster. Soon the call came, and from all parts 
 of the big cruiser the men hurried to their various 
 divisions, while the higher officers buckled on 
 their swords, and the executive officers prepared 
 to make their inspections. 
 
 On the quarterdeck, near the hatchway, sat 
 Commodore Schley, musing thoughtfully, as he 
 gazed over the waters in the direction of Morro 
 Castle. The fighting commodore undoubtedly felt 
 as hot as anybody, for he wore a thin, black alpaca 
 coat and an equally thin, white summer hat. He 
 was now in sole command of the blockading fleet, 
 for the New York had carried Admiral Sampson 
 many miles away, to confer with General Shafter. 
 
308 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 For some time there had been smoke in the 
 harbor entrance in front of the warships, and 
 many were wondering what it meant. " Must be a 
 supply boat for the batteries," said several under- 
 officers, and this theory was accepted as correct. 
 Nevertheless, Commodore Schley glanced toward 
 that smoke more than once. 
 
 " We are going to have general muster, commo 
 dore," announced Captain Cook, as he presented 
 himself, followed by Executive Officer Mason, and 
 the commander of the fleet pro tern, nodded. But 
 those keen eyes were still bent shoreward. 
 
 Suddenly, from the forward bridge there came 
 a yell through a megaphone, a yell that electrified 
 everybody who heard it. 
 
 " After bridge there ! Report to the commo 
 dore and the captain that the enemy s ships are 
 coming out of the harbor!" 
 
 There was no necessity to report, for commo 
 dore, captain, and all others heard the cry. There 
 was a second of silence. Could this news be true? 
 Then came the command of the executive officer. 
 
 "Clear ship for action!" 
 
 " Hurrah ! the enemy is coming out at last ! 
 To your guns, boys ! Remember the Maine ! " 
 
" THE ENEMY IS ESCAPING ! " 309 
 
 These and a score of other cries rang out, while 
 men rushed hither and thither, dropping one gar 
 ment or another as they ran, and kicking shoes 
 right and left, for no Jackie will do work worth 
 the counting unless he is barefooted. Everybody 
 had on his best clothing, but that did not matter, 
 and down into the grimy depths of the big vessel 
 dropped the firemen, coal heavers, and all the rest 
 of the "black gang," as they are termed, for 
 steam must be gotten up in a tremendous hurry 
 or the enemy would surely get away. Ton after 
 ton of coal was thrown onto the fires, and the 
 firemen coaxed and coaxed until the black lumps 
 grew first red and then white, and converted the 
 water in the boilers into high-pressure steam. 
 " Fire up ! for the sake of the ship s honor, fire 
 up ! " came in a hoarse cry down the speaking- 
 tube, and the men did fire up as never before, 
 until all were ready to drop from the terrific 
 heat. And all this while the engineers were 
 watching their engines, oiling this part and that, 
 and making every pound of steam do its utmost 
 to send the great armored cruiser dashing and 
 hissing through the sea to that point where the 
 Spanish fleet was trying to escape. 
 
310 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 For Admiral Cervera could stand it no longer 
 inside of the harbor. With the army of invasion 
 at the very outskirts of Santiago, and with the 
 American fleet beyond his bay of refuge, some 
 thing must be done, and done quickly. He would 
 run for it, run at the top of his speed and 
 trust to luck, if not Providence, to get out of 
 range and reach Cienfuegos or Havana. Santiago 
 Bay was " too hot to hold him." 
 
 It was the big prow of the Maria Teresa that 
 first showed itself, quickly followed by the Vlzcaya, 
 Oquendo, and Colon, with the torpedo boats Pluton 
 and Furor bringing up closely in the rear. All 
 were under a full head of steam, and the thick 
 smoke shot up in heavy clouds from every funnel. 
 For an instant all seemed to pause at the gate 
 way to the sea, then, led by the Maria Teresa, 
 they turned westward along the coast. To this 
 side of the blockade now lay but three American 
 warships, the Brooklyn, Texas, and the little Vixen. 
 If he could only get out of range of these, 
 Admiral Cervera felt that he would, for the time 
 being at least, be safe. 
 
 Boom ! It was a three-pounder, fired from the 
 Iowa, lying some distance to the eastward of the 
 
" THE ENEMY IS ESCAPING ! " 311 
 
 Texas. She, too, was flying the signal, " The 
 enemy is escaping," in red and white and blue 
 flags. Beyond the Iowa, still further eastward, 
 lay the pride of the western coast, the mighty 
 Oregon, and it was this ship that first started up 
 her engines in pursuit, having, by chance, a good 
 head of steam up. And as the Oregon turned in 
 one direction, the little Resolute turned in the 
 other, to carry the news to the absent rear-admiral. 
 
 Three minutes had not yet passed, yet a com 
 plete transformation had occurred on the Brooklyn. 
 Five hundred men had scuttled to as many differ 
 ent directions, battle hatches had been lowered, 
 water-tight compartments closed, hose attached and 
 decks wet down, fire tubs filled, magazines opened, 
 hoists put into operation, and ammunition de 
 livered to turret, decks, and to the fighting-tops. 
 Down below, fire had been started under four 
 fresh boilers, and a dozen different connections 
 between engines made. 
 
 Nor was this all. Splinter nets had been spread 
 as before, all useless woodwork thrown overboard, 
 and the surgeons operating tables made ready. 
 The warning gun from the lotva was followed by 
 a gun from the Texas, and then the Brooklyn 
 
312 FIGHTING IX CUB AX WATERS 
 
 helped to " open the ball " with her forward eight- 
 inch guns. Another great naval battle, fully equal 
 to that of Manila Bay, was now on. 
 
 " It s a question of do or die, boys ! " cried 
 Caleb, as he worked over the heavy gun before 
 him. " Hustle now, as you never hustled before, 
 or the dagos will get away. Now then, Polly, 
 do the best you can !" And bang! went the gun, 
 with a noise that was deafening. Ten minutes 
 later Walter felt as if his hearing had left him 
 entirely, so incessant was the firing. 
 
 The first fire from the enemy came from the 
 Maria Teresa, and was an eleven-inch shell directed 
 at the Brooklyn. Hardly had this been discharged 
 when the Indiana, coming up behind the Iowa, 
 took a long-range chance and sent a shell directly 
 upon the Teresa s deck, doing not a little damage. 
 Then the firing became general, and shot and shell 
 was hurled in every direction. 
 
 So far, the Brooklyn had been headed directly 
 for the harbor entrance, commodore and captain 
 being intent upon cutting off the enemy s west 
 ward flight, if possible. This course soon brought 
 the Maria Teresa, Vizcaya, and the Brooklyn into 
 close proximity, and presently all were lost to view 
 
" THE ENEMY IS ESCAPING ! " 313 
 
 in a dense cloud of smoke, from which shot long 
 streaks of fire, as battery after battery was dis 
 charged at close range. 
 
 " Give it to em ! " was the cry that rang 
 throughout the Brooklyn. " Don t let up on em ! 
 We must do as well as Dewey did, and better ! 
 Remember the Maine, and three cheers for Uncle 
 Sam ! " Such cries were truly inspiring, but pres 
 ently the men became silent, as the work began 
 to tell upon them, and they realized what a fear 
 ful task still lay before them. 
 
 " The second ship s flag is down ! " was the 
 welcome news which soon drifted down from the 
 fighting-tops. It was true, the Vizcaya s big silk 
 flag had been riddled completely and the halyard 
 shot away ; but soon another flag was run up. 
 Later on the Brooklyn s flag also came down, but 
 it did not remain so more than two minutes before 
 a Jackie had it up again. 
 
 The battle had but fairly begun, and the Brook 
 lyn and the Maria Teresa were having it " hot and 
 heavy," when suddenly the bow of the Vizcaya 
 began to turn swiftly. At once a cry rang out. 
 " That ship is going to ram the Brooklyn! See, 
 she is turning full toward her ! " 
 
314 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 The warning proved true. The Vizcaya was 
 turned fairly and squarely for Commodore Schley s 
 flagship. Bells were ringing on board of her for 
 " Full speed ahead." On and on she came, like a 
 demon of the deep, in one wild, terrible effort to 
 ram the vessel Walter was on and sink her ! 
 
CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET 
 
 "WE are lost!" 
 
 " That ship will cut us in half ! " 
 
 " Give her a broadside, boys, before we go 
 down ! " 
 
 These and a hundred other cries rang out, as 
 the Vizcaya came leaping over the waves on her 
 awful mission of death and destruction. Then 
 gun after gun roared out, sending shot and shell 
 on the enemy s deck. If this was their last hour 
 on earth, these brave jackies were going to make 
 the most of it. 
 
 But commodore, captain, and executive officer 
 were all on the alert and were not to be caught 
 napping. As the Vizcaya came on, the necessary 
 orders were given, and the Brooklyn began to turn 
 in a twelve-point circle to starboard. Like a flash 
 she swept past the warship dashing on to destroy 
 her, and then the command rang out, " Give her 
 
 315 
 
316 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 another broadside ! " And the port guns, twenty 
 in number, vomited out their death-dealing shots 
 and shells, raking the Spanish deck from end to 
 end, and killing and wounding a great number of 
 sailors and officers. To this awful fire was added 
 that from the Oregon, which now came up to assist 
 the flagship. Realizing that the plan to ram the 
 Brooklyn was a failure, the Vizcaya started west 
 ward once more. 
 
 It was now high time to turn attention to the 
 two torpedo-boat destroyers, Pluton and Furor, 
 that were coming out of the harbor at a speed of 
 twenty knots per hour. Once these destroyers 
 gained the open sea, to catch them would be im 
 possible. Like long, steel arrows glistening in 
 the sunlight, they darted through the greenish 
 waves and for a moment hid themselves behind 
 their big sisters. 
 
 Then on came the Gloucester, a converted yacht, 
 commanded by Lieutenant Wainwright. Wain- 
 wright had been executive officer of the Maine 
 when she was blown up in Havana Harbor, and 
 had vowed more than once to sink something if 
 only he were given a chance. Like an avenging 
 angel the Gloucester, but lightly armed, bore down 
 
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET 317 
 
 upon the torpedo boats and sent shot after shot 
 into them. Then the destroyers began to turn, 
 as if to sink the little enemy who dared to molest 
 them, but now it was too late, the big warships 
 were coming to the Gloucester s aid. 
 
 It was the Oregon and the Iowa that first came 
 to the converted yacht s assistance, and as the 
 destroyers turned, first one way and then another, 
 as if to ram or to run, a perfect hailstorm of shot 
 and shell landed on their sides and decks, churning 
 up the water into a milk-white froth, and causing 
 the destroyers to look like gigantic whales lash 
 ing themselves in their death throes. The noise 
 was even greater than it had been before, and the 
 smoke made the heavens above look as if a violent 
 thunderstorm was at hand. 
 
 Finding they could not withstand such a com 
 bined attack, and with the Texas hurrying to the 
 scene, the destroyers turned tail, as if to make 
 for the shore. As the turn was made a huge 
 shell, flying over the masts of the G-loucester, hit 
 the Pluton directly amidship, and with a crash 
 and a splutter she broke and sank, leaving the 
 still living members of her crew struggling in 
 the boiling waters for their lives. 
 
318 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 Left to herself, the Furor again paused, like 
 some wild animal seeking in vain for cover. She 
 started to get behind the Oquendo, but, in spite 
 of the fire from the shore batteries, the Gloucester 
 went in after her, with every available gun doing 
 its utmost, and fairly fillirig her with small holes. 
 At last the destroyer could stand it no longer, 
 and with a lurch she struck on a reef and began 
 to break. In a moment more the water poured 
 over her sides, and her crew was compelled to 
 surrender. The instant the surrender was made, 
 the converted yacht, from being an angel of ven 
 geance, became an angel of mercy, and to gallant 
 Lieutenant-commander Wainwright fell the honor 
 of rescuing hundreds of wounded and drowning 
 Spaniards who must otherwise have perished. 
 
 Such was the close of this running light. At 
 the front, the four big warships were, still trying 
 to push on, with the Brooklyn, Oregon, Iowa, 
 Texas, and Indiana in the chase. With a full 
 head of steam the noble Oregon reached a posi 
 tion between Commodore Schley s flagship and the 
 Texas, and every vessel in the line belched forth 
 its messengers of death and destruction. 
 
 Presently a cry echoed throughout the squadron 
 
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET 319 
 
 regarding the Oquendo. " She is on fire ! See, 
 she is burning in three places ! " 
 
 The report was true. A shell had burst near 
 the quarterdeck of the warship, and now high to 
 the sky arose a column of yellowish red smoke. 
 Then the flames burst out of her bow. In vain 
 the Spaniards tried to man their fire-hose. A 
 shower of projectiles from the fighting-tops of 
 our own ships assailed them and drove them to 
 shelter, while the big guns continued to "pump 
 up " shot and shell as never before. 
 
 But the Oquendo was no worse off than the 
 Maria Teresa, if as badly. She staggered on, and 
 a few minutes later passed her sister ship as if 
 looking for aid, when aid could not be given. 
 
 " The Maria Teresa is on fire ! " was the next 
 cry, but a few minutes later. " Down goes Cer- 
 vera s flag ! Hurrah, boys, we ve got em on the 
 run ! Give it to em hot ! " 
 
 Yes, the admiral s flag was down, and so was 
 the mast that had held it. Would the Spanish 
 emblem go up again ? All watched anxiously, and 
 meanwhile the Brooklyn continued to pour in her 
 hottest fire. 
 
 " She s going ashore ! " rang through the Ameri- 
 
320 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 can flagship. " She s burning up ! " and then came 
 a heavy shot from the Brooklyn, another from the 
 Texas, and staggering like a thing of life, the Maria 
 Teresa ran for the beach, a mass of seething 
 and roaring flames. Admiral Cervera s doom was 
 sealed. Five minutes later the Oquendo was also 
 cast on the shore. 
 
 Four of the enemy s ships had been laid low, 
 but the great fight was by no means over. Shot 
 and shell were flying around the Vizcaya and 
 Cristobal Colon, but both warships kept on their 
 way, the Colon slowly but surely forging to the 
 front. Both Spanish ships were returning the 
 Americans hot fire, and many a shot hit the Brook 
 lyn and many a shell burst over her deck. But 
 as yet no serious damage had been inflicted. 
 
 But a calamity was at hand, as rapid in its 
 execution as it was appalling. Near the forward 
 eight-inch turret George Ellis was standing, watch 
 ing the struggle of the enemy s ships to escape. 
 
 " Ellis, give us the range again ! " shouted Cap 
 tain Cook. 
 
 "I ll have it in a moment, captain," answered 
 the chief yeoman, and took up his stadiometer. 
 Making his calculation, he turned to Commodore 
 
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET 321 
 
 Schley, who was but a short distance away. " It 
 is fourteen hundred yards to the Vizcaya, sir," 
 he said. 
 
 These were the last words he ever uttered, for 
 an instant after there was the whistling of a 
 shell, and those standing around were horrified to 
 see Ellis s headless body drop to the deck below. 
 The poor fellow had been killed instantly, in the 
 very midst of his duties. What a shock this was 
 to those about him I will leave my readers to 
 imagine. Never until now had they realized what 
 this awful war meant. " Poor Ellis, he was such 
 a fine man ! " murmured one comrade as he turned 
 away. And then his face grew even more sober. 
 " But he s the first on board of this ship. What 
 of those poor Dons yonder, who are going down 
 by the wholesale ? " And though they were ene 
 mies, his heart beat in sympathy for the poor 
 wretches who were struggling madly amid shot, 
 shell, fire, and water for their lives. Fortunately 
 the Iowa was already coming to the succor of the 
 defeated ones. 
 
 " We re going to catch it now, lad," remarked 
 Caleb to Walter, as he pointed through a rift in 
 the cloud of smoke hanging over the gun. " There 
 
322 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 are two of the enemy s ships, and they are both 
 going to pound us. Where in the world are our 
 other vessels ? " 
 
 " The Oregon is coming up ! " came from the 
 after-deck, a minute later. " And the Texas isn t 
 far behind." 
 
 Around the gun it was suffocating, and every hand 
 was ready to drop. Indeed, fainting fits were fre 
 quent, but the most that could be done for a sufferer 
 was to either throw some water over his head or yell 
 out to the surgeons helpers to carry the men to the 
 ward room for treatment. As the Brooklyn was 
 struck here and there, splinters began to fly, and a 
 number were injured, although no one seriously. 
 
 The Texas had done wonderful work on the 
 Maria Teresa and the Oquendo, and iio\v did her 
 best to keep to the front of the chase. But the 
 speed was too great for her, and gradually she 
 dropped behind, although still continuing to throw 
 shot and shell after the Vizcaya that had dropped 
 some distance behind the Colon. It was now 
 apparent to all that if any vessel was going to 
 get away it was to be the Colon, for her speed 
 was greater than the Vizcaya and as yet she had 
 hardly been touched. 
 
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET 323 
 
 "The Vizcaya, boys, the Vizcaya!" came the 
 cry from the quarterdeck. " Don t let her screen 
 the Colon!" 
 
 " We ll pound em both ! " was the answer. 
 " Remember the Maine f Remember Manila Bay ! " 
 
 And then the mighty guns of the Brooklyn and 
 Oregon roared out swifter than ever, and the 
 Vizcaya, doing her best to sink one or the other 
 of the American warships, was raked as if pass 
 ing through a blizzard of fire, until her men were 
 forced again and again from their posts, and at 
 last the guns were abandoned. Then fire caught 
 the craft in its awful embrace, and rolling from 
 side to side, she, too, sought for a harbor of 
 refuge, but found none. Down came her colors, 
 and at the same instant she struck with a crash 
 on the rocks. The fight had started at quarter 
 to ten. Now it was but quarter past eleven, just 
 an hour and a half, and all the Spanish ships 
 but one had been destroyed. Such is the appall 
 ing swiftness of modern naval warfare. Where 
 in olden days jack tars had fought for hours, they 
 now fought for minutes. 
 
 But the destruction of the Vizcaya had taken 
 time, and the Colon was forging onward, panting 
 
324 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 and throbbing like a thing of life trying to escape 
 from unspeakable terrors. Down in the bowels of 
 the warship the furnaces were at a white heat, and 
 the engineers had long since pushed their engines 
 far past the danger point. "Faster ! faster ! " came 
 the cry from the deck and tower. " It will be better 
 to blow up than to allow the Yankee pigs to sink 
 us. We must save at least one ship ! " And the 
 engines pounded and quivered, threatening each 
 instant to blow into a million pieces. For once Don 
 Quixote was making the run of his life. 
 
 Unable to stand the heat, Walter had obtained 
 permission to lay off for a few minutes and get 
 some fresh air. A look from the spar deck had 
 showed him the Colon dashing far ahead, enveloped 
 in a thin line of smoke. Every few seconds a 
 flash of fire would come from her stern guns, but 
 the marksmanship was poor and no serious damage 
 was done to the Brooklyn. 
 
 The boy returned to his gun to find Caleb and 
 the others in deep perplexity. Something was 
 wrong with a shell, and it had become wedged in 
 the gun and could not be pushed forward to its 
 proper place or hauled back. " We can t use 
 Polly any more ! " groaned Caleb. 
 
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET 325 
 
 " I ll fix her ! " cried Si Doring, and caught up 
 a rammer. In a moment the brave Yankee lad 
 was crawling out over the smoking piece toward 
 the muzzle. But he had scarcely reached the out 
 ward end of the gun than the Brooklyn gave a 
 lurch and down he slipped over the side and into 
 space ! 
 
CHAPTER XXX 
 
 FINAL SCENES OF THE GKEAT FIGHT 
 
 " Si has fallen overboard ! " 
 
 The cry came from half a dozen throats at once, 
 and Walter s heart almost stopped beating, so at 
 tached had he become to the Yankee lad. 
 
 " If he s overboard, he ll be sucked under and 
 drowned," he groaned. " I wonder if I can see 
 anything of him." 
 
 Without a second thought he leaped on the gun 
 and began to crawl out, on hands and knees, as 
 perilous a thing to do, with the vessel going at 
 full speed, as one would care to undertake. 
 
 " Come back ! " roared Caleb, trying to detain 
 him. " You ll go overboard, too." 
 
 At that moment came a cry from below, and 
 looking down the steel side of the Brooklyn, Walter 
 beheld Si clinging to a rope ladder, one of several 
 flung over, to be used in case of emergency. " Si, 
 are you all right ? " he called loudly. 
 
 "I reckon I I am," came with a pant. 
 326 
 
RAMMER IN HAND, WALTER EDGED CLOSE TO THE MCZZLE. 
 
 Page 327 
 
FINAL SCENES OF THE GREAT FIGHT 827 
 
 " But I had an awful tumble and the wind is 
 about knocked out o me." And then Si began 
 to climb up to the deck. 
 
 " He s on the ladder and he s all right," shouted 
 Walter, to those still behind the gun. Then a 
 sudden idea struck him. " Hand me another 
 rammer, Stuben." 
 
 " Mine cracious ! don t you try dot," cried the 
 hoseman. "Yon vos fall ofer chust like Si." 
 
 " Yes, come in here," put in Caleb, and Paul 
 also called upon him to return. 
 
 " I m all right," was the boy s reply. " Give it 
 to me, Stuben." And catching the rammer from 
 the hoseman, Steve Colton passed it forward. " In 
 war we have got to take some risks," he reasoned, 
 as Caleb gave him a severe look. 
 
 " Then why didn t you get out on the gun, 
 Steve ? " was the old gunner s dry response ; and 
 the second gun captain said no more. 
 
 Rammer in hand, Walter edged closer and closer 
 to the muzzle of the Polly. The Brooklyn, was 
 moving up and down over the long green waves, 
 sending the spray flying on both sides of the bow. 
 He gave one look down, felt himself growing dizzy, 
 and then kept his eyes on the gun. 
 
328 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 At last the muzzle was gained, and not without 
 difficulty the rammer was inserted. The projectile 
 had not been very tightly wedged, and a firm 
 pressure sent it backward, so that Caleb could 
 catch it and pull it out through the breech. Then 
 throwing the rammer aboard, Walter lost no time 
 in coming in again. He had been exposed to the 
 direct fire of the enemy, but no shot had come 
 near him. 
 
 " Boy, you re too plucky," exclaimed Caleb, catch 
 ing him by the shoulder. " You ought to be 
 flogged for your daring. Let me see your hands. 
 Ah, just as I thought ; both of em blistered. Go 
 and put some sweet oil on em, and a bit of flour. 
 I ll bet the end of Polly is red-hot." 
 
 " Well, it is pretty hot," replied Walter, and 
 then he was glad enough to follow Caleb s advice, 
 for both hands smarted a good deal. Soon Si 
 joined him, to get something for his hands also. 
 
 The Colon had now drawn out of range, so 
 firing would have been a useless waste of ammu 
 nition. Down to the gunners came the order: 
 "Cease firing." And a moment later, "All hands 
 on deck for an airing." What a laughing and 
 shouting ensued as the jackies poured up, to 
 
FINAL SCENES OF THE GREAT FIGHT 329 
 
 secure the best viewing places they could within 
 the ship s regulations. Hot, tired, ready to drop 
 from exhaustion, they shook hands with each 
 other, sang, laughed, and whistled. 
 
 " Three cheers for Commodore Schley ! " came 
 suddenly from somebody, and the cheers came 
 with vigor, and a tiger, and then came a cheer 
 for Captain Cook and a cheer for the Oregon, 
 coming up with ever increasing speed. The 
 Oregon s men cheered in return, and for a moment 
 one would have thought this was holiday-making 
 instead of grim war. 
 
 The Colon was close to shore, while the Brooklyn 
 and the Oregon lay from two to three miles out 
 to sea. Some miles farther westward the Cuban 
 shore slopes southward to Cape Cruz. If the 
 Colon kept on her present course she would have 
 to make for the cape, thus coming down toward 
 the American warships. " We will catch her 
 there," said Commodore Schley, confidently. 
 
 The Oregon was flying the signal " Remember the 
 Maine " from her masthead, and as she drew still 
 closer to the Brooklyn, another shout of approval 
 went up. The two warships would fight the Colon 
 between them, if only they could get within range. 
 
330 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 It was now noontime, and a hasty mess was 
 served all around, and the men continued to air 
 themselves, something easy to do with the pon 
 derous ship speeding the waters at an eighteen- 
 knot rate. Suddenly from the Oregon came the 
 boom of a thirteen-inch gun, and the shell fell 
 just astern of the Colon, sending the water up 
 like a fountain. The battle was again on. 
 
 " Now for it ! " cried Caleb, as the Spanish war 
 ship turned southward down the coast, and the 
 Polly spoke up as fiercely as at any time during 
 the contest. 
 
 " The Spaniards are losing heart ! " came the cry, 
 a few minutes later. " They ain t doing half the 
 firing they were ! " 
 
 It was true ; the Colon was running short of 
 ammunition, and her officers saw what a hopeless 
 fight a contest with the Brooklyn and Oregon 
 would prove to be. With shot and shell falling 
 all around him, Captain Moreu hauled down his 
 flag and sent his ship ashore at Rio Tarquino. 
 
 The battle was won, and Dewey s magnificent 
 victory at Manila, which the world in general had 
 declared was a miracle that could not be matched, 
 had been duplicated. Henceforth American war- 
 
FINAL SCENES OF THE GREAT FIGHT 331 
 
 ships and American sailors would stand as the 
 equals of any nation on the face of the globe. 
 
 And now that the contest was over what was to 
 follow ? To me, the hours that came after are even 
 greater in honor than those glorious hours of victory. 
 Already down the shore, the work of rescuing the 
 sailors and marines from the Maria Teresa, Oquendo, 
 and Vizcaya had begun, and now the crews of the 
 Brooklyn and Oregon turned in to aid the wounded 
 and the dying, and those in danger of drowning, on 
 the Colon. Boat after boat went out, close to the 
 sinking cruiser, now burning fiercely, with aban 
 doned guns going off, loose powder and shells ex 
 ploding, and magazines in danger of tearing all 
 asunder. Amid such perils did our noble jackies 
 work, hauling man after man from the ship, or from 
 the water, and taking them to our own warships, 
 there to be cared for as tenderly as though they 
 were our own. Some of the Spaniards could not 
 understand this treatment. They had been told 
 that the Americans were butchers and had no hearts, 
 and when they realized the truth many burst into 
 tears of joy. 
 
 When the battle was all over, some of our officers 
 and men could not comprehend what had been 
 
332 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 accomplished that a whole fleet of Spanish war 
 ships had been destroyed, that hundreds of men had 
 been killed and many more wounded and taken pris 
 oners, and that the loss to our side had been but one 
 man killed, a handful wounded, and no ship seriously 
 damaged. " It was an act of Providence," said more 
 than one, and Captain Philip of the Texas spoke 
 thus to his crew, as he gathered all around him on 
 this never-to-be-forgotten Sunday, so bright and 
 clear : 
 
 " I wish to make confession that I have implicit 
 faith in God and in the officers and crew of the 
 Texas, but my faith in you is only secondary to my 
 faith in God. We have seen what He has done for 
 us, in allowing us to achieve so great a victory, and 
 I want to ask all of you, or at least every man who 
 has no scruples, to uncover his head with me and 
 silently offer a word of thanks to God for His good 
 ness toward us all." The thanks were given, some 
 dropping upon their knees to deliver them, and this 
 outpouring of hearts travelled from one ship to 
 another throughout the entire fleet. 
 
 "Poor Ellis ! " said Walter; "the only seaman to 
 give up his life! It s too bad! " And when George 
 Ellis s body was buried with all naval honors he wept 
 
FINAL SCENES OF THE GEEAT FIGHT 333 
 
 as bitterly as did anybody on board of the flag 
 ship. 
 
 The victory had been gained, but the work of the 
 fleet was not yet over. The army still occupied the 
 outskirts of Santiago, and General Shafter had sent 
 word to General Toral that unless he surrendered, 
 the city would be shelled Monday morning. At a 
 conference with Admiral Sampson, later on, it was 
 decided that the fleet should take part in the bom 
 bardment even if it was necessary to force an 
 entrance into the harbor. Without delay our war 
 ships were gotten into condition for this task. 
 
 But the bombardment did not come for the 
 reason that both on land and sea the enemy had had 
 enough of fighting. Several days passed, and the 
 conditions of a surrender were discussed. In the 
 meantime Lieutenant Hobson and his men were 
 released and turned over to us in exchange for a 
 number of Spanish prisoners. Several of the men 
 remembered seeing Walter, and were glad to learn 
 that the youth had escaped. 
 
 The battle on sea had taken place on July the 
 third, and my readers can imagine what a glorious 
 Fourth of July followed, not only among the sol 
 diers and sailors, but among our people at large. 
 
334 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 All over the land cannons boomed, pistols cracked, 
 rockets flared, bells pealed forth, and bands played 
 for the marching of thousands. It was a real old- 
 fashioned "Yankee Doodle time," as one down-east 
 paper put it, and North, South, East, and West 
 united in celebrating as never before. Less than 
 two weeks later Santiago surrendered, a peace pro 
 tocol followed ; and the war with Spain came to an 
 end. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 TOGETHER ONCE MORE CONCLUSION 
 
 "Axo now that business is finished, an I m 
 most awfully glad on it ; yes, I am ! " 
 
 It was Job Dowling who spoke. The uncle and 
 guardian of the three Russell boys was sitting by 
 the side window of his home in Buffalo. In his lap 
 lay a small, flat package, which had been wrapped 
 in heavy brown paper and well sealed. In his hand 
 was an open letter which he had just finished 
 reading. 
 
 " It was a dreadful price to pay thet detective," 
 he resumed. " But I couldn t git them hairlooms 
 back no other way, and I m afraid the boys would 
 raise the roof ef I didn t git em back. It s a com 
 fort to know thet thief was caught and is going 
 to be tried for even a wuss crime than stealin 
 them rings an the watch an the Australian dia 
 mond. I hope they give him about twenty years 
 in prison." He paused to put the package away 
 
 335 
 
336 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 in his dilapidated secretary. " So Ben is coming 
 home this week? I wonder what he ll have to 
 say when he faces me ? Somehow, I don t know 
 wot I m going to say myself." And he dropped 
 into his chair again. 
 
 Job Dowling was a different man from what he 
 had been. The determined stand taken by Larry, 
 Walter, and Ben had opened his eyes to the knowl 
 edge that he had no mere children to deal with, 
 but boys who were almost men, and who were fully 
 capable of taking care of themselves. His visit to 
 New York, when he was robbed of the Russell 
 heirlooms, had caused him considerable loss of self- 
 confidence, and the trip to Boston after the thief 
 had awakened him to the fact that, after all, he 
 was of but little importance in this world. His 
 efforts to help the police recover the heirlooms 
 had been laughed at, and even the detective had 
 shown him plainly that he was hindering more 
 than he was helping. Finally he had returned 
 home in disgust, and the detective had finished 
 the work on the case alone, recovered everything, 
 and sent Deck Mumpers to jail to stand trial on 
 half a dozen charges. The detective s bill had 
 been over two hundred dollars, a sum the paying 
 
TOGETHER ONCE MOKE CONCLUSION 33T 
 
 of which had nearly given Job Dowling a fit ; but 
 now the whole thing was settled and he was await 
 ing Ben s return, for the gallant young volunteer had 
 been shot in the left arm on the day before Santiago 
 surrendered, and was coming home on sick leave. 
 
 Ding ! ding ! it was a double ring at the front 
 door bell, and before Mrs. Graham, the new house 
 keeper, and a great improvement on the tartar-like 
 Mrs. Raiferty, could get to the door, Job Dowling 
 was there himself. 
 
 " Ben an Walter ! " he exclaimed, as he found 
 himself confronted by two nephews instead of one, 
 as expected. "Well er, how is this?" 
 
 " How do you do, Uncle Job ! " exclaimed Ben, 
 extending his hand. 
 
 "Aren t you glad to see me too, Uncle Job?" 
 put in Walter. 
 
 " Why er of course, of course ! " came with a 
 stammer ; and Job Dowling held out both of his 
 bony hands. " Come right in. This is Mrs. Gra 
 ham, my new workwoman." And the lady of the 
 house, dressed in a neat wrapper and with a clean 
 kitchen apron on, came forward and bowed. 
 " Knows a sight more than Mrs. Rafferty did," 
 went on the uncle, in a whisper. 
 
338 FIGHTING IX CUBAN WATERS 
 
 " I didn t know Walter was coming on till day 
 before yesterday," continued Ben. " We met quite 
 by accident in New York, and we made up to 
 come on together and surprise you." 
 
 "I see I see." Job Bowling was still very 
 nervous, and he could hardly tell why. At one 
 instant he thought he ought to quarrel with them, 
 the next that it would be quite proper to embrace 
 them and tell them they were forgiven and could 
 henceforth do as they saw proper. But he chose 
 a middle course and did neither. " Sit down and 
 make yourselves to hum, and, Mrs. Graham, you 
 had best get a few extry chops three won t be 
 enough. Tell Boggs to send me the best on the 
 stand." 
 
 At this order Walter nudged Ben, and both 
 looked at each other and smiled. " He s reform 
 ing," whispered the young sailor. " Only give 
 him time, and he ll be all right." 
 
 " Yes, Mr. Dowling," put in the housekeeper. 
 " And you said something about pie yesterday, 
 when Master Ben should come. What of that?" 
 
 "Ah, yes, so I did, so I did.* The former 
 miser wrinkled his brow. " How much does a 
 pie cost ? " 
 
TOGETHER ONCE MORE CONCLUSION 339 
 
 " Ten and twenty cents." 
 
 " Boys, do you think you could eat a twenty- 
 cent pie ? " 
 
 " Do we?" cried Walter. "Just try us and 
 see, Uncle Job." And now he clasped his guardian 
 half affectionately by the shoulder. 
 
 " Then get the twenty-cent pie, Mrs. Graham, 
 and be sure an pick out the best. You er 
 have the other things ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir potatoes, green corn, and coffee." 
 
 "Very good." And as the housekeeper retired, 
 Job Dowling turned to the boys again. " And how 
 is your arm, Ben ? Not seriously hurt, I trust ? " 
 
 " It s only a scratch," was the answer. 
 
 "And you, Walter?" 
 
 " I m all right. But how have you been, Uncle 
 Job, and what of that stolen stuff ? " 
 
 " Oh, I m only tolerable got quite some rheuma 
 tism. The hairlooms is all safe but they cost 
 me two hundred and twenty-seven dollars an a 
 half to git em ! " And the guardian nodded to 
 emphasize his words. 
 
 "Well, they re worth it," answered Ben, promptly ; 
 and Job Dowling did not dare dispute the asser 
 tion. " Where are they ? " 
 
340 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 "In the desk. I ll show em to you, and then 
 ye can both tell me all about yer adventures on 
 the water and in Cuby. " 
 
 The heirlooms had just been brought out, and 
 Ben was examining the watch, when a form dark 
 ened the window opening, the form of a boy 
 dressed in a natty sailor suit. All looked up in 
 wonder, and all cried out in unison : 
 
 " Larry ! " 
 
 " Ben, Walter, and Uncle Job ! " came from the 
 youth who had fought so gallantly under Uewey 
 at Manila. " Here s a family gathering, for sure ! " 
 And with a light leap he cleared the window-sill 
 and actually fell into his brothers arms, while Job 
 Dowling looked on with a half smile on his wrinkled 
 face. 
 
 " I couldn t remain away from the United States 
 any longer," explained Larry, when, an hour after, 
 all sat down to the really excellent dinner Job 
 Dowling had provided. "While I was at Hong 
 Kong I got a good chance to ship on a steamer 
 for San Francisco, and we came home on the double- 
 quick, for the government had chartered the vessel 
 to carry troops to the Philippines. Maybe I ll go 
 back under Dewey some time, but not just yet. 
 
TOGETHER ONCE MOKE CONCLUSION 341 
 
 I ve got some prize money coming to me, I don t 
 know yet how much, and I ll lie off to see." 
 
 " And I ve got prize money coming, too," added 
 Walter. " I like the navy first-rate, and shall stick 
 to it for the present, even if I have a chance of 
 being mustered out." 
 
 " I haven t any prize money coming, but I am 
 to be a second lieutenant of volunteers," put in 
 Ben. " Our regiment is to be mustered out very 
 soon, and then I m going to try for something 
 else in the same line." 
 
 " And what is that, Ben ? " asked Job Dowling 
 and the other boys together. 
 
 " I m going to try for a commission in the regular 
 army." 
 
 " Hurrah ! that s the talk ! " came from Larry. 
 " And if you stay in the army, I ll see what I can 
 do toward working my way up in the navy." 
 
 Then both lads looked toward their guardian. 
 Job Dowling scratched his chin in perplexity, and 
 cleared his throat. 
 
 "All right, boys I should say young men, fer 
 ye ain t none o ye boys no more go an do as ye- 
 please, I ain t got nothin agin it. You have all 
 done yer duty to Uncle Sam, an thet bein so, it 
 
342 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS 
 
 stands to reason ye are capable o doin yer duty to 
 yerselves an to me. To look back it pears to me 
 thet I made some kind of a mistake at the start with 
 ye, an so I say, you willin an me willin , we ll take 
 a fresh start, an there s my hand on t." 
 
 "Uncle Job, you re a a brick!" came from 
 Walter, and a general handshaking followed, and 
 then, as Mrs. Graham came on with a coffee-pot and 
 the dessert, Ben arose with the cup in his hand. 
 
 " Boys, let us drink Uncle Job s health in a cup 
 of coffee ! " 
 
 " We will ! " came from his brothers. 
 
 " And eat it, too, in a piece of that pie ! " con 
 cluded the ever-lighthearted Larry. 
 
 Here we will bring to a close the story of Walter 
 Russell s adventures while " Fighting in Cuban 
 Waters," which has taken us through a thrilling 
 naval campaign and shown us what true American 
 pluck can accomplish even under the most trying 
 circumstances. 
 
 As my readers know, the Russell boys had a 
 large inheritance coming to them, and now that 
 Job Dowling had come to his senses regarding a 
 proper treatment of them, it was to be hoped that 
 
TOGETHER, ONCE MOKE CONCLUSION 343 
 
 matters would move much more smoothly for all 
 concerned. 
 
 Through Larry it was learned that his old-time 
 friend, Luke Striker, was still with Dewey in 
 Philippine waters and had been promoted to the 
 position of first gun-captain on board the Olympia, 
 much to the old Yankee s credit and delight. 
 
 Frank Bulkley, Ben s soldier chum, was still 
 sick with the fever, but was at his home in the 
 metropolis, and was out of danger, which was much 
 to be thankful for, considering what awful havoc 
 that fever had made with the army of invasion. 
 
 Walter s friends were all on the Brooklyn, and it 
 was not long before the lad was anxious to get 
 back to them, for he had become very much attached 
 to the noble flagship that had rendered such a good 
 account of herself in the mighty conflict with 
 Cervera s fleet. 
 
 Gilbert Pennington, Ben s friend of the Rough 
 Riders, was in Cuba, but expected to come north 
 shortly. Gilbert had an offer of a position as book 
 keeper with an importing firm in New York, but 
 was destined to see a good deal more of fighting 
 ere he settled to work behind a desk. 
 
 When Ben spoke of trying for a commission, and 
 
344 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATEKS 
 
 Larry said lie should remain in the navy, both 
 thought that fighting for the American army and 
 navy was at an end. This supposition was correct 
 so far as Spain was concerned, but the insurgents in 
 the Philippines under General Aguinaldo refused 
 to recognize Uncle Sam s authority, and it was not 
 long before a large army had to be sent to Manila 
 and other points, to cooperate with Dewey in re 
 storing peace and order. Ben could -not resist the 
 temptation to join these soldiers in a distant clime, 
 and with more fighting in view, Larry hastened to 
 rejoin the Olympia. In another volume, to be en 
 titled, " Under Otis in the Philippines; Or, A 
 Young Officer in the Tropics," we shall follow the 
 future adventures of these two brothers, and shall 
 also see more of Gilbert Pennington, Luke Striker, 
 and several others of our old acquaintances. 
 
 And now, for the time being, good-by to all our 
 friends, and especially to Walter Russell, the Ameri 
 can lad who made such a record for pluck Avhile, 
 "Fighting in Cuban Waters," 
 
THE OLD GLORY SERIES. 
 
 By EDWARD STRATEMEYER, 
 
 Author of "The Bound to Succeed Series," " The Ship and Shore Series," etc, 
 Three Volumes. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.25. 
 
 UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA Or the War Fortunes of 
 
 a Castaway. 
 A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA Or Fighting for the 
 
 Single Star. 
 FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS Or Under Schiey on 
 
 the Brooklyn. 
 
 PRESS NOTICES. 
 
 " Under Dewey at Manila* is a thoroughly timely book, in perfect sympathy with 
 the patriotism of the day. Its title is conducive to its perusing, and its reading to 
 anticipation. For the volume is but the first of the Old Glory Series, and the im 
 print is that of the famed firm of Lee and Shepard, whose name has been for so many 
 years linked with the publications of Oliver Optic. As a matter of fact, the story is 
 right in line with the productions of that gifted and most fascinating of authors, and 
 certainly there is every cause for congratulation that the stirring events of our recent 
 war are not to lose their value for instruction through that valuable school which the 
 late William T. Adams made so individually distinctive. 
 
 " Edward Stratemeyer, who is the author of the present work, has proved an extra 
 ordinarily apt scholar, and had the book appeared anonymously there could hardly 
 have failed of a unanimous opinion that a miracle had enabled the writer of the 
 famous Army and Navy and other series to resume his pen for the volume in hand. 
 Mr. Stratemeyer has acquired in a wonderfully successful degree the knack of writ 
 ing an interesting educational story which will appeal to the young people, and the 
 plan of his trio of books as outlined cannot fail to prove both interesting and valu 
 able." Boston Ideas. 
 
 " Stratemeyer s style suits the boys." JOHN TERHUNE, Supt. of Public Instruc 
 tion, Bergen Co., New Jersey. 
 
 " The Young Volunteer in Cuba," the second of the Old Glory Series, is better 
 than the first; perhaps it traverses more familiar ground. Ben Russell, the brother 
 of Larry, who was with Dewey, enlists with the volunteers and goes to Cuba, 
 where he shares in the abundance of adventure and has a chance to show his courage 
 and honesty and manliness, which win their reward. A good book for boys, giving 
 a good deal of information in a most attractive form." Universalist Leader. 
 
 For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price by 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, 
 
 BOSTON. 
 
THE BOUND TO SUCCEED SERIES 
 
 By EDWARD STRATEHEYER, 
 
 Author of "Under Dewey at Manila" etc. 
 
 Three Volumes. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.00. 
 
 RICHARD DARE S VENTURE Or Striking Out for 
 
 Himself. 
 OLIVER BRIGHT S SEARCH Or The Mystery of 
 
 a Mine. 
 TO ALASKA FOR GOLD Or The Fortune Hunters 
 
 Of the Yukon. (In press.) 
 
 PRESS OPINIONS OF EDWARD STRATEMEYER S BOOKS FOR YOUNG 
 PEOPLE. 
 
 " In Richard Dare s Venture, Edward Stratemeyer has fully sustained his repu 
 tation as an entertaining, helpful, and instructive writer for boys." Philadelphia 
 Call. 
 
 " Richard Dare s Venture, by Edward Stratemeyer, tells the story of a country 
 lad who goes to New York to earn enough to support his widowed mother and 
 orphaned sisters. Richard s energy, uprightness of character, and good sense carry 
 him through some trying experiences, and gain him friends." The Churchman, 
 New York. 
 
 "A breezy boy s book is Oliver Bright s Search." The author has a direct, graphic 
 style, and every healthy minded youth will enjoy the volume." N. Y. Commercial 
 Advertiser. 
 
 " Richard Dare s Venture is a fresh, wholesome book to put into a boy s hands." 
 St. Louis Post Dispatch. 
 
 " Richard Dare s Venture is a wholesome story of a practical boy who made a 
 way for himself when thrown upon his own resources." Christian Advocate. 
 
 "It is such books as Richard Dare s Venture that are calculated to inspire 
 young readers with a determination to succeed in life, and to choose some honorable 
 walk in which to find that success. The author, Edward Stratemeyer, has shown a 
 judgment that is altogether top rare in the makers of books for boys, in that he has 
 avoided that sort of heroics in the picturing of the life of his hero which deals in 
 adventures of the daredevil sort. In that respect alone the book commends itself to 
 the favor of parents who have a regard for the education of their sons, but the story 
 is sufficiently enlivening and often thrilling to satisfy the healthful desires of the 
 young reader." Kansas City Star. 
 
 " Of standard writers of boys stories there is quite a list, but those who have not 
 read any by Edward Stratemeyer have missed a very goodly thing." Boston Ideas. 
 
 For sale by all booksellers, or will be sent, postpaid, on receipt of Price bjf 
 
 LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, 
 BOSTON. 
 
BOOKS BY 
 
 EVERETT T. TOMLINSON 
 
 THE WAR OF 1812 SERIES 
 
 By EVERETT T. TOMLINSON Cloth 
 Illustrated Per volume $1.50 
 
 COMPRISING 
 
 The Search for Andrew Field 
 
 The Boy Soldiers of 1812 
 
 The Boy Officers of 1812 
 Tecumseh s Young Braves 
 
 Guarding the Border 
 
 The Boys with Old Hickory 
 
 Mr. Tomlinson, who knows the " ins and outs " of boy nature by heart, 
 is one of the most entertaining and at the same time one of the most in 
 structive of living writers of juvenile fiction. In his younger days a 
 teacher by profession, he has made boys and their idiosyncrasies the ab 
 sorbing study of his life, and, with the accumulated experience of years to 
 aid him, has applied himself to the task of preparing for their mental 
 delectation a diet that shall be at once wholesome and attractive; and that 
 his efforts in this laudable direction have been successful is conclusively 
 proven by his popularity among boy readers. 
 
 LIBRARY OF HEROIC EVENTS 
 
 STORIES OF THE AMERICAN 
 REVOLUTION 
 
 First Series 
 
 By EVERETT T. TOMLINSON Cloth 
 Illustrated $1.00 
 
 STORIES OF THE AMERICAN 
 REVOLUTION 
 
 Second Series 
 
 By EVERETT T. TOMLINSON Cloth 
 Illustrated Si.oo 
 
 Sold by all booksellers and sent prepaid on receipt of price 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston 
 
OLIVER OPTIC S BOOKS 
 
 All-Over-the- World Library. By OLIVER OPTIC. First Series, 
 
 Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.25. 
 
 1. A Missing Million ; OR, THE ADVENTURES OF Louis BELGRADE. 
 
 2. A Millionaire at Sixteen; OK, THE CRUISE OF THE "GUARDIAN 
 
 MOTHER." 
 
 3. A Young Knight Errant; OR, CRUISING IN THE WEST INDIES. 
 
 4. Strange Sights Abroad; OR, ADVENTURES IN EUROPEAN WATERS. 
 
 No author has come before the public during the present generation who 
 has achieved a larger and more deserving popularity among young people than 
 " Oliver Optic." His stories have been very numerous, but they have been 
 uniformly excellent in moral tone and literary quality. As indicated in the 
 general title, it is the author s intention to conduct the readers of this enter 
 taining series " around the world." As a means to this end, the hero of the 
 story purchases a steamer which he names the " Guardian Mother," and 
 with a number of guests she proceeds on her voyage. Christian Work, N. Y. 
 
 A.ll-Over-the- World Library. By OLIVER OPTIC. Second 
 
 Series. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.25. 
 
 1. American Boys Afloat; OR, CRUISING IN THE ORIENT. 
 
 2. The Young Navigators ; OK, THE FOREIGN CRUISE OF THK 
 
 " MAUD." 
 
 3. Tip and Down the Mile ; OR, YOUNG ADVENTURERS IN AFRICA. 
 
 4. Asiatic Breezes ; OR, STUDENTS ON THE WING. 
 
 The interest in these stories is continuous, and there is a great variety or 
 exciting incident woven into the solid information which the book imparts so 
 generously and without the slightest suspicion of dryness. Manly boys 
 will welcome this volume as cordially as they did its predecessors. Boston 
 Gazette. 
 
 All-Over-the- World Library. By OLIVER OPTIC. Third Se 
 ries. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.25. 
 
 1. Across India; OR, LIVE BOYS IN THE FAR EAST. 
 
 St. Half Round the World ; OR, AMONG THE UNCIVILIZED. 
 
 3. Four Young Explorers ; OR, SIGHT-SEEING IN THE TROPICS. 
 
 4. Pacific Shores ; OR, ADVENTURES IN EASTERN SEAS. 
 
 Amid such new and varied surroundings it would be surprising indeed if the 
 author, with his faculty of making even the commonplace attractive, did not 
 tell an intensely interesting story of adventure, as well as give much informa 
 tion in regard to the distant countries through which our friends pass, and 
 the strange peoples with whom they are brought in contact. This book, and 
 indeed the whole series, is admirably adapted to reading aloud in the family 
 circle, each volume containing matter which will interest all the members of 
 the family. Boston Budget. 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD, BOSTON, SEND THEIR COMPLETE CATALOGUE FREE, 
 
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