Movatterモバイル変換

Author of "Jenny Wren's Boarding-House,"
"Jerry's Family," "The Boys' Revolt,"
"The Boys of 1745," Etc.

Colonial Press:
Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co.
Boston, U. S. A.

CONTENTS.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

CHAPTER I.
"KEEP OUT."

It was a small but by no means feeble-looking boy whostood in front of a driveway disclosed by the openingof huge gates which, until they had been swung inward,appeared to have been a portion of the high fence ofboards.

There was seemingly no inducement for a boy to lingerin this vicinity, unless, indeed, it might have been thesign posted either side the gate, on which was painted inletters rendered conspicuous because of the vivid colouring,the forbidding words, "Keep Out."

"I'll not keep out 'less I'm minded to, an' him as canhold me this side the fence needs to be spry on his feet,"the small boy said, half to himself, and with a gesture ofdefiance which told he had not been accustomed to obeyingcommands that might be evaded.

Through the gateway nothing could be seen saveenormous heaps of coal, some enclosed in pens formed of12planks as if to prevent them from mingling with theothers, and between all a path or road of no more thansufficient width to permit the passage of a cart. In thedistance, a rough building abruptly closed the view, andbeyond it the puffing ofsteam and rattle of ironimplements told of lifeand activity.

Outside the fence, itwas as if this certain portionof the city had beentemporarily deserted; butone could hear the rumbleof wheels over the pavementson either hand, givingtoken that the coalyardwas situated just beyondthe line of city traffic.

The boy gazed into theuninviting-looking place asif fascinated, only glancingup now and then atthe signs which mutelyforbade his entrance, and,as if unconscious of his movements, stole slowly nearerand nearer the gateway until he stood directly on the linethat separated the yard from the sidewalk.

"If I wanted to go in, it's more'n a couple of signs thatcould keep me out," he muttered, threateningly, and then,13with one backward glance to assure himself that no unfriendlypoliceman was watching from the distance, theboy darted forward, taking refuge behind the nearestheap of coal, lest an enemy should be lurking near athand.

Save for the hum of labour everywhere around, he heardnothing. No guardian of the smutty premises appearedto forbid his entrance, and after waiting a full minute tomake certain it was safe to advance yet farther, he leftone place of partial concealment for the next in his proposedline of march.

So far as he could see, there was no other guardian ofthe yard save the two signs at the entrance, and the onlypurpose they served was to challenge him.

Grown bolder as the moments passed without bringingto light an enemy, the lad advanced more rapidly until hestood, partially concealed by one of the pens, where it waspossible to have a full view of all that was being done inthis place to which the public were not supposed to beadmitted.

If the intruder had braved the unknown dangers of theyard simply in order to gratify his curiosity, then had hepaid a higher price than the view warranted.

The building, which from the street appeared to markthe end of the enclosure, was a structure wherein puffingengines, grimy men, long lengths of moving chains, andenormous iron cars or boxes were sheltered from the sunor rain. In front of it a wooden wall extended downinto the water,—a pier perhaps it might be called,—and14at this pier, held fast by hemp and iron cables, lay agigantic steamer built of iron.

The intruder gave no heed to the busy men andmachinery within the building. The vessel, so powerful,but lying there apparently helpless, enchained his attentionuntil he had made mental note of every spar, or boat, orcable within his range of vision.

Then, suddenly, from somewhere amid the chains, andcars, and puffing steam, came the shrill blast of a whistle,and as if by magic all activity ceased.

The engines no longer breathed with a heavy clank;cars and chains came to a standstill, and men movedquietly away here or there as if having no more interestin the hurly-burly.

One of the weary labourers, his face begrimed withcoal-dust until it was not possible to distinguish the colourof his skin, took from its near-by hiding-place a dinner-pail,and came directly toward where the small boy wasoverlooking the scene.

Within two yards of the lad the dusty man sat down,brushed the ends of his fingers on his trousers, rather fromforce of habit than with any idea of cleansing them, andwithout further delay began to eat his dinner.

The boy eyed him hungrily, looked around quickly tomake certain that there were no others dangerously near,and stepped out from behind his screen of coal.

"You'd better keep an eye out for the watchman," theman said, speaking indistinctly because of the bread in hismouth, and the boy replied, defiantly:15

"I'd like to see the watchman 'round here that I'm'fraid of, an' besides, he couldn't catch me."

"I might be eatin' if I had a chance; but there hasn'tbeen much of an openin' for me in that line this quite aspell."

"Don't you do anything for a livin'?" the man askedpassing the lad a generous slice from the loaf.

"Anything that pays. I've sold papers some since theSpaniards got so funny; but it ain't any great snap, onlyonce in awhile when the news is humpin' itself. A fellergets stuck mighty often, an' I'm thinkin' of tryin' somethin'else."

"I ain't got any to speak of now, since my father gotgiddy an' went off to war."

"Not a bit of it! He shovels coal aboard one of thembig steamers that's down smashin' the life out'er Cuby,that's what he does, an' he's nobody's slouch, dad ain't!"

The boy leaned over in order to look into the dinner-pail,and then said, promptly:

"Don't think you're robbin' me, 'cause you ain't. Ibelieve in feedin' well, an' this is only my first pail.There's another over there that I'll tackle later."

Teddy glanced in the direction pointed out by his newacquaintance, and, seeing a pail half concealed by someloose boards, at once stretched out his hand, as he said:

"Can't you earn enough to keep you in food?" and theman gave to the boy a most appetising sandwich.

"Say, that's a dandy! It's half meat, too! Them youget down-town don't have more'n the shadow of a hambone inside the bread! Course I make enough to buyfood; but you don't think I'm blowin' it all in jest for aspread, eh?"

"Well, it's kind'er like that; I'm puttin' it all away, so'sto go down to Cuby an' look after the old man. He allersdid need me, an' I can't see how he's been gettin' alongalone."

"Died when I was a kid. Dad an' me boomed thingsin great shape till he got set on goin' to war, an' thatbroke it all up."

"Not much he didn't, 'cause he knows I can take careof myself; but he allowed to make money enough so's wecould buy a place out in the country, where we'd have animitation farm, an' live high. Oh, I'm all right, an' everytime I catch a sucker like you there's jest so much moresaved toward goin' down to Cuby. You see I never didtake much stock in dad's kitin' 'round fightin' Spaniards,an' since he left it seems as if I was mighty foolish to lethim go, so I'm bound to be where he is, when things comemy way."

"Look here, Teddy," and the dust-begrimed manspoke in a more kindly tone to the boy, "If yourfather is a coal-passer in the navy, an' that's what heseems to be, 'cordin' to your story, you couldn't see verymuch of him, even though you was on board his vesselall the time."

"Don't yer s'pose I know that? I ain't sich a babythat I count on bein' right under his nose; but I'mgoin' to be somewhere near the old man in case heneeds me."

"It seems as if you might get down to Cuba easier thanearnin' the money to pay your passage."

"How?" and Teddy ceased eating for the instant tolook at this new friend who had made a suggestion whichinterested him more than anything else could have done.

"Why don't you try to work your passage? Now, here'sthis 'ere steamer, loadin' with coal for the navy—perhapsgoin' to the very ship your father is on. If you could jollythe captain into takin' you to do odd jobs, it would be a20snap, alongside of payin' for a ticket an' trustin' to luckafter gettin' there."

"Well, say! That would be a great racket if it could beworked! Is it a dead sure thing that the steamer's boundfor our war-vessels?"

"That's what, though it ain't to be said that she'll begoin' to the very craft your father's on. All I know isUncle Sam has bought this coal, an' it's bein' taken out toour navy somewhere 'round Cuba."

"I don't reckon any but them what enlists can goaboard the steamer, an' the snap can't be worked, for I'vetried four times to get taken on as a sailor."

"I mean she's only a freighter that Uncle Sam hashired to carry coal. You won't find enlisted men aboardof her."

"I can't say as to that, lad; but I'd make a try for aberth aboard if my mind was set on goin' into that part ofthe world, which it ain't. The captain went below not tenminutes before the noon-whistle sounded, an' he's likelythere this minute."

Teddy gazed inquiringly at this new acquaintance foran instant, as if suspicious that the man might be makingsport of him, and then marched resolutely toward the endof the pier, with the half-eaten sandwich almost forgottenin his hand.21

After perhaps five minutes had passed, he returned,looking disappointed, but not disheartened, and seatinghimself by the side of the owner of the two dinner-pails,resumed operations upon the sandwich.

"Guess not; he said he'd give me two minutes to getout of the cabin, an' I thought perhaps I'd better go."

"Quite natural, lad, quite natural; I'd done the samething myself. There couldn't have been any very greatharm worked, though, in askin' the question."

"It stirred him up considerable; but I guess he'll getover it without any very bad spell," Teddy said, grimly,and after a brief pause, added, reflectively, "It seems asthough some men hated boys; I've seen them as wouldtake a good deal of trouble to kick a feller if he stood theleast little bit in the way, an' I never could understand it."

"Perhaps there's more'n you in the same box; abrute's a brute whether he be old or young, an' age alwaysmakes 'em worse. It's a pity, though, that you didn't strikeone of the right kind, because if you're set on gettin'down where the fightin' is goin' on, this 'ere steamer wouldhave been the safest way."

"Do you know when she's likely to leave?" Teddyasked, after a long pause, during which he had been gazingintently at the gilt letters,Merrimac, on the vessel's rail.

"Some time to-night, I reckon. We've been workin'night an' day at the loadin', an' it's said that she'll leave22the dock within an hour after the last scoopful has beenput aboard."

"I can't say, lad, seein's I don't rightly know whereshe's bound; but it shouldn't be a long voyage at theworst, for such as her."

Again Teddy gazed at the gilt letters on the rail, as ifin them he saw something strange or wonderful, and whenthe owner of the dinner-pails had come to an end of hismeal, the boy said, abruptly:

"Watchman! I haven't seen any yet, though I reckonlikely there is one around somewhere; but he ain't agitatin'himself with doin' much watchin'."

"I haven't seen the gates closed yet; but most likelythat's because the work has been pushed on so fast, therehasn't been time to shut 'em. Look here, lad!" and nowthe man sat bolt upright, staring as intently at the boy asthe latter had at the gilt letters, "Is it in your head tostow away on that steamer?"

"Sim Donovan did it aboard a English steamer, an' I'veheard it said he had a great time."

"Yes, I reckon he did, if the captain was the usualsort," the dust-begrimed man replied, grimly.

"I could keep out of sight a whole week, if it was forthe sake of comin' across dad," the boy added, half tohimself.

"That's what you think now, lad; but it ain't the easywork you're countin' on. As a general rule, stowawaysget it mighty tough, an' I'd sooner take my chances ofswimmin', than to try any such plan."

"But you can't stay in hidin' any great length of time,lad. You'd have to come out for food or water after aspell."

"Not if I took plenty with me," Teddy replied, in thetone of one who has already arrived at a conclusion.

"It looks easy enough while you're outside; but onceshut in between decks, or cooped up in some small hole,an' you'd sing a different tune."

"But that's the trouble, my boy. You don't knowwhere the steamer is bound. She might be runnin'straight away from him, an' then what would you do?"

For an instant it was as if the owner of the two dinner-pailswould attempt to dissuade him from the hastilyformed determination, and then the man checked himselfsuddenly.

"I like to see a boy show that he's got some backboneto him, an' it may be you'll pull out all right. It'll be anexperience you'll never forget, though, an' perhaps it won'tdo any harm."

"Them as have tried it might be able to explain more'nI can; there's no call for me to spend wind tryin' to tellwhat you won't listen to, so I'll hold my tongue. I'mbound to say this much, though, which is that you'recertain to catch it rough when the time comes for showin'yourself."

"That'll be all right; I can stand a good deal for thesake of seein' the old man once more."

Having said this, Teddy turned his head away as if nolonger inclined for conversation, whereupon the owner ofthe two dinner-pails surveyed him admiringly.25

"I wouldn't wonder if you had considerable sand in you,Teddy Dunlap," he said, musingly. "An' even thoughit seems a queer thing for a grown man to do, I'm mindedto give you a lift along what's goin' to prove a mightyhard road."

"Meanin' that you're willin' to help me?" the lad asked,his face brightening wonderfully.

"It's little I can do, an' while I ought'er turn you overto the police in order to prevent your makin' a fool ofyourself, I'll see the game out so far as I can. Whathave you got by way of an outfit?"

"I ain't broke, an' it won't be any great job to buy asmuch grub as will keep me goin' for a spell."

"That's the same as all stowaways figger, an' the consequenceis that they have to show themselves mightysoon after the ship sails. I ain't advisin' you to try thegame; but if you're set on it, I says, says I, take allyou'll need for a week, an' then perhaps there'll be a turnin affairs that'll help you out of a bad hole. Here are mypails; they're yours an' welcome. Fill 'em both withwater, or perhaps cold tea would be best; buy whateverwill be most fillin', an' walk aboard as bold as a lion withinthe next hour. Them as see you are bound to thinkyou're waitin' upon some of the workmen, an' not a wordwill be said. The hidin' of yourself is easy enough; it'sthe comin' out that'll be rough."

"Say, you're what I call a dandy!" and Teddy laid his26hand on the man's knee approvingly. "I was mightylucky to come across one of your kind."

"I ain't so certain about that. Before twenty-fourhours have gone by you may be wishin' you'd never seenme."

"I'll risk that part of it, an' if you really mean for meto have the pails, you'll see me go aboard the steamermighty soon."

"They're yours, my boy, an' I only hope you'll comeout of the scrape all right."

"Don't worry 'bout that; it'll be a terrible spry captainthat can make me cry baby when I'm headin' toward wheredad is. Be good to yourself!"

Teddy took up the pails, and as he turned to go out ofthe yard his new acquaintance asked, solicitously:

"Got money enough to buy what'll be needed? If youhaven't there's some odd change about my clothes that—"

"I'm well fixed, an' that's a fact. Ever since the ideacame to me of huntin' dad up, I've kept myself in shapeto leave town on a hustle. You're mighty good, just thesame."

"I'm makin' an old fool of myself, that's what I'mdoin'," the man replied, angrily, and then turned resolutelyaway, muttering to himself, "It's little less than sheercruelty to let a lad like him stow away on a collier. Thereain't one chance in a thousand of his findin' the father he'safter, an' the odds are in favour of his havin' a precioushard time before gettin' back to this town."

Then a whistle sounded as a warning that the labourers29must return to their tasks, and a moment later the buildingwas alive once more with the hum and whir of machinery,the clanking of great chains, and the voices of men.

One of the steamer's hatches was already on and batteneddown. A second was being fastened in place, andthe final preparations being made told that the enormoushold had been nearly filled with the black fuel needed bythe war-ships.

Every man, whether a member of the vessel's crew, orone of the labourers employed for the lading, was intentonly on his own business, and among all that throng it isprobable that but one gave any heed to a small boy whocame rapidly down through the yard carrying two tin pailsin his hands, and a large paper parcel under his arm.

That single workman, who was giving heed to other thanhis own special work, nodded in the most friendly fashionas the lad passed near where he was standing, and whispered,gruffly:

The boy winked gravely, and then, setting his face seaward,marched boldly up on the steamer's deck, glancingneither to the right nor the left, lest it should be observedthat he was not familiar with his surroundings.

The man, who a few moments previous had been thepossessor of two dinner-pails, watched carefully as thesmall lad walked rapidly forward, and only when the latterwas lost to view did he give heed to his own work, sayinghalf to himself as he took up the task once more:

"I've half a mind to blow on the boy even now, for it's30a cruel shame to let him take the chances of stowin' awaywith but little hope of ever findin' his father."

As if in pursuance of this thought he took a step forward,and then checked himself, adding, thoughtfully:

"It would be more cruel to stop the little shaver justwhen he believes he's workin' his plan so smooth. Betterlet him go his own course, an' trust that them he comesacross will remember the time when they were lads."31

CHAPTER II.
KEEP IN.

Teddy Dunlap's father was formerly a coal-passeron a steam-tug, and many times had the lad,while spending the day with his parent, seen an ocean-goingsteamer at close range, while the small craft wentalongside the larger one for business purposes.

At such times the boy seldom lost an opportunity ofboarding the big vessel, and thus it was that he hada general idea of where he might the most readily find ahiding-place this day when he was venturing so much inthe hope of meeting his only relative.

The dinner-pails and the parcel under his arm wouldhave done much toward warding off suspicion as to hispurpose, had any one observed him; but every person ondeck, whether member of the crew or temporarily employedto make the ship ready for sea, was so intent onhis duties as to have no thought for a lad who appearedto be attending strictly to his own business.

Even if any one aboard had observed Teddy particularly,the natural thought would have been that he had come todeliver the parcel and pails to one of the workmen, and solong as the boy had been permitted to come over the rail,32it was reasonable to suppose he had due authority for beingthere.

Teddy knew full well that his chances for successfullystowing away in the vicinity of the main cabin, the engine-room,or the deck-houses, were exceedingly slight, for suchplaces were visited by many; but down in the very eyesof the ship, where were located the quarters for the seamen,was more than one dark, out-of-the-way hole into which hecould creep with but little fear of being discovered.

Turning his head neither to the right nor the left, andmoving rapidly as if it was his desire to be ashore again assoon as possible, the boy went into the forecastle—thesailors' parlour.

The dark, ill-ventilated place, filled with noisome odours,had at that moment no living occupants save the rats whohad grown bold through long tenancy. The crew wereall on deck, for at this time, when quick despatch wasnecessary, no skulking would be allowed, and had Teddy'sfriend with the dinner-pails attended to the arrangements,the boy could not have had a better opportunity.

He might be even boisterously noisy, and there waslittle likelihood any would come to learn the cause of theuproar until after the steamer had left the coal-sheds tobegin her long voyage straight toward the enemy's islands.

Being in a certain degree aware of this last fact, Teddyset about making his arrangements for the ticketless voyagein a methodical fashion, there being no reason why heshould allow himself to be hurried.

The crew on board the good steamerMerrimac had33neither better nor worse quarters than those to be foundon any other craft of her class; but to a lad whose experiencesof seafaring life had been confined to short excursionsaround the harbour, this "sea parlour" was by nomeans inviting, and save for the incentive which urgedhim forward, Teddy Dunlap might have allowed himselfto become disheartened even before it had been proventhat he could take passage secretly.

"It ain't soawful tough," he said to himself, "an'daddy will be all the more glad to see me after knowin'I've had a hard time gettin' to him."

This last thought was sufficient to strengthen his failingcourage, and straightway he set about searching for ahiding-place where he might remain concealed until thesteamer should come alongside Commodore Schley's flag-ship,theBrooklyn, whereon was his father.

Then—but there would be time enough to form plansfor showing himself when he had nothing better withwhich to occupy his attention.

The forecastle was well filled with sea-chests, bedding,which as yet had not been put in place, and such likegoods as seamen would naturally bring with them on areasonably long voyage, therefore Teddy found it difficultto judge as to what might be the general arrangementsfor stowage after the steamer should be under way; buthe had good reason to believe it was necessary to findsome place so small that it could not well be utilised bythe men.

When, after some search, he came upon a narrow, dark,34doorless closet, partially filled with coils of rope, bolts ofcanvas, and what appeared to be a general assortmentof odds and ends, it seemed as if he had indeed found thatfor which he was looking.

There was little chance this small den would be requiredfor other than what it was then used, and he had only tofear that some ofthe articles it containedmight suddenlybe needed,when he must of anecessity be discoveredby whosoevershould be sentto overhaul thegoods.

"I'll have totake the chances,"Teddy said to himself,having consideredwell thispossibility of discovery."It ain't likely they'll want anything out of heretill after the steamer is at sea, an' then it'll be too lateto send me ashore."

Once having decided that this was to be his abiding-placeduring the time he could remain in hiding on boardtheMerrimac, Teddy set about making such bestowal ofthe goods as would best serve to his comfort, arguing with35himself that he might not have another opportunity forputting the new quarters into decent shape.

Understanding that once the steamer was at sea shewould be tossed about by the waves until it might be difficultfor him to remain in whatever place he pleased, theboy's first care was to make of the rope and canvas abarricade to hold the remainder of the goods in properposition, and, this done, there was little else possible,save to unroll a bolt of the sail-cloth that it should serveas a bed.

"It's a good deal snugger than I expected, an' the darkpart of it don't count," he said to himself, contentedly, ashe wedged the two tin pails filled with water, and his storeof provisions, inside the largest coil of rope. "When thereain't too much noise I can hear the crew talkin', and that'llhelp out big if a feller happens to get lonesome. Themsigns on the coal-yard said 'keep out,' an' I come in; nowI ought'er put up one that says 'keep in,' an' perhaps I'llgo out quicker'n I'm countin' on. Anyhow it's a case ofkeepin' in mighty snug, 'less I want to run up against thatcaptain once more, an' I'm thinkin' he'd be an uglycustomer."

Teddy Dunlap was well content. He believed his storeof provisions and water was sufficient to keep both hungerand thirst at a distance during such time as it mightbe necessary for him to remain there in hiding, and whenthe short term of imprisonment should come to an end, hewould be with his father.

It was while counting up his reasons for being thankfulthat the stowaway fell asleep, the heat, the darkness, andthe comparative quiet all contributing to make his eyelidsheavy, and he was yet unconscious when two noisy, bustlinglittle tugs, one either side of the big vessel, towed herdown the harbour.

The voyage had begun, and, apparently, there was nosuspicion in the minds of the officers that theMerrimachad on board other than her regularly shipped crew.

When Teddy awakened he felt comfortable both in mindand body; the steamer was rising and falling on the oceanswell, but not to such a degree as inconvenienced him inthe slightest, and the many odours with which his nostrilswere assailed passed almost entirely unnoticed.

He believed, because of the pounding of the waves, thattheMerrimac was rushing through the waters at a sharppace, and this supposed fact was in itself sufficient tocounterbalance any defects he may have discovered in hishiding-place, for the greater the speed the sooner he mightsee his father.

Not until after he had been awake several moments wasit possible to distinguish, amid the varied noises, the soundof human voices; but he was finally able to do so, andbecame greatly cheered thereby.

"Now, this ain't goin' to be so bad," he said to himself,contentedly. "I'll know everything that's goin' on, 'causeit won't be a big job to crawl out far enough to hear themen talk, an' a feller couldn't be better fixed, not if he'dpaid two prices for a ticket."37

Then the idea came to Teddy Dunlap that he was hungry,and he laughed gently at the thought that it was onlynecessary to stretch out his hand in order to satisfy thedesire.

"Talk 'bout your palace-cars! They ain't a marker'longside this way of travellin'. I don't have to wait forany tousled-headed nigger to bring my order, 'cause hereit is!"

Straightway the boy began to satisfy his hunger, doingit in an economical fashion, for he was not minded toexhaust his supply on the first day of leaving port.

He drank sparingly of the water, but yet taking sufficientto quench his thirst, and when the meal was come to anend lay back on the canvas bed luxuriously, congratulatinghimself again and again, upon his determination to go insearch of his father.

The motion of the steamer grew more violent; butTeddy was proof against such rolling as theMerrimac wasindulging in then.

There remained the same buffeting of the waves whichtold of progress; told that the distance between himselfand his father was rapidly being lessened, and this wassufficient for the stowaway.

The plunging of the steamer was to Teddy Dunlap nomore than the violent rocking of a cradle would be to aninfant; it prevented him from remaining quiet as wouldhave been pleasant, but did not drive slumber from hiseyelids.

In less than ten minutes after having partaken of the38meal he was again wrapped in slumber, and during afull twenty-four hours he alternately slept and ate; butat the end of that time was more than ready for a changeof programme.

Then it was that his eyes refused to close; the folds ofcanvas, which at first had seemed as soft as any fellow couldhave asked for, became hard as iron, and he suddenly discoveredthat he was sore and lame from having been flungabout when the vessel rolled.

The hardships of a stowaway's life suddenly became areality, and instead of congratulating himself upon beingon board theMerrimac, he began to speculate upon theprobable length of the voyage.

He hungered to hear the voices of the men moredistinctly, and spent full two hours gently moving thedunnage around so that he might crawl out near theentrance to this seeming cave.

When he had gotten so far into the forecastle that nomore than two coils of rope hid him from view of thewatch below, and understood it would be dangerous toadvance any farther, he learned that it was impossible tohear any more than such words as were spoken in theloudest tone. There was little hope of being able torealise what might be going on around him by suchmeans.

Then came a most dismal twenty-four hours, whentheMerrimac, met full in the teeth by a gale of wind,staggered, plunged, and rolled her way along, every wavestriking the iron hull with a force that caused Teddy to39wince, and then came that deathly sickness which thosewho sail upon the sea are sometimes forced to endure.

There were many hours when the stowaway believedthe steamer was about to go to the bottom, and he fancieddeath was the only relief from his agony. He even ceasedto think of his father, and considered no person save himself,wondering why he had been so foolish as to believeit might be wise to search for Commodore Schley'sflag-ship.

More than once while the malady had a firm hold uponhim, did he decide to throw himself upon the mercy ofwhosoever might chance to be in view when he emergedfrom the hiding-place, and perhaps if the sickness hadbeen less severe, his adventures would have ended as dothe greater number of such exploits.

Once having recovered, however, his heart becamebraver, even though he learned that nearly all the waterhad been spilled while the steamer was tossing about sowildly, and his store of provisions, which had seemed solarge when he came on board, was nearly exhausted.

After this the hours passed more slowly, and eachmoment the imprisonment seemed more irksome.

It was only with difficulty he could force himself toremain screened from view, and more than once did heventure dangerously near the entrance to his floatingcave in the hope of seeing a human face, but yet hekept his secret forty-eight hours longer, when the provisions,as well as the water, had come to an end.

He had ceased to speculate upon the meeting with his40father, but thought only of how long he could endure thepangs of hunger and thirst, and even the fear of the commander'spossible brutality faded away as he dwelt uponthe pleasure of having sufficient to eat and drink.

And finally, as might have been expected, the momentarrived when he could no longer hold his courage againstthe suffering, and he made preparations to discoverhimself.

How long he had been cooped up in that narrow placeit was impossible for him to so much as guess; he did nottry to compute the number of hours that had elapsedsince he last tasted food or water; there was only in hismind an intense desire to receive the punishment forhaving stowed away, in order that he might the soonersatisfy the cravings of his stomach.

"It's no use to hold on any longer; the voyage ain'tcomin' to an end for weeks an' weeks, an' I'll be dead inanother day if I don't have somethin' to eat. I'll go outthis minute, an' take whatever they give me in the wayof a floggin', for waitin' won't make things any better."

Having arrived at this decision, Teddy Dunlap beganto attack the cordage which screened the entrance to hisretreat as if each strand of rope was a deadly enemy to beovercome without loss of time, and when he had throwndown the last obstacle he stood blinking and winking inthe not overly strong light of the forecastle, confrontedby a short, round-faced sailor, who surveyed him inmingled fear and astonishment.

"Where—who—what—oh, a stowaway, eh?" the43little man cried, after having expressed on his glisteningface, in rapid succession, fear, astonishment, and bewilderment."Well, I'll eat my hat if I ever heard of a ladstowin' away on a collier what's out on an errand likeours!"

"Yes, I'm a stowaway, an' I don't care who knows it!"Teddy cried, in a tone of desperation. "I held in just aslong as any feller could, an' it seems as if I was next doorto bein' dead, I'm so thirsty an' hungry!"

"You won't count triflin' things like that after you'vecome face to face with the captain, lad," and the little manappeared as truly sorrowful as any one of a like jollycountenance ever can, however saddening the situation.

"I'm thinkin' that anything else you've had in that linewill seem a good deal like a joke, alongside of what he'lldeal out, an' that ain't the worst of it."

"What else can he do?" and Teddy looked up timidly,absolutely frightened out of his hunger.

"This 'ere is the next thing to a government steamer,seein's we're on naval service, an' the captain is like toturn you over to the first cruiser we meet, for extrapunishment. I don't know how Uncle Sam treats themas stows away on his vessels, but I'll go bail it ain't withany very tender hand."

Teddy Dunlap looked around the forecastle, searchingfor some one to whom he could appeal, for he believedthis jolly-looking little sailor was trying to play upon hisfears; but the sea-parlour was empty.44

If he had waited forty-eight hours for an opportunetime in which to make his appearance, he could not havecome at a better moment.

"What's the use tryin' to scare a feller almost todeath?" he asked, piteously. "I've got to take the dose,of course; but there's no need of your rubbin' it in."

"I ain't comin' any game on you, lad, an' that's thesolemn truth. While I never saw the captain of this 'eresteamer till I came aboard, I'll eat my hat if he ain't atartar when you rub his fur the wrong way, an' I'm tryin'to think if there ain't some way of gettin' you out of thescrape."

Teddy pointed to his late place of concealment, andthe jolly little man said, quite cheerfully:

"That's the very thing for you to do, my son. I don'twant to see you abused, an' it'll be hard lines if betweenus you can't be got off this bloomin' steamer withouteverybody's knowin' that you've cheated Uncle Sam outof a passage."

"I will if it takes every cent that's comin' to me in theway of wages, to square the cook. Tell me what broughtyou here, sonny? You can stand jest behind this dunnage,an' we'll be able to talk quite comfortable."

That the little man would be a real friend there could45be no doubt, and without hesitation Teddy told him thewhole story, neither adding to nor taking therefrom, andsaying, by way of conclusion:

"Of course it'll be all right when I come across daddy,for there ain't no captain of a coal-steamer who'd dare giveit to me very rough while he was around."

"Well, I don't rightly know what he'll be able to dofor you in case we come across him, which is doubtful;but from what I've seen of skippers since this war begun,I'm thinkin' our captain will swing a pretty heavy hand,unless he meets some other feller who holds a biggercommission."

"You talk as if I couldn't find daddy," Teddy interrupted."He's aboard the flag-ship."

"That's what I heard you say; but it ain't any proofwe'll come across him. This 'ere cargo of coal is goin'where it's most needed, an' we may never find any ofSchley's fleet."

"See here, my son, Commodore Schley's fleet ain't theonly squadron in this war by a long chalk, an' we mightwork at coalin' the navy from now till we're gray-headedwithout comin' across him. I'm afraid the chances offindin' your father are slim; but I'm bound to help youout'er the snarl that bloomin' longshoreman got you into,if it so be I can. Get back into the hole, an' I'll seewhat can be found in the way of grub."46

Teddy, more disheartened because of the doubt expressedas to the possibility of finding his father, obeyedthe little man's order without remonstrance, and oncealone again, gave himself up to the most disagreeablethoughts, absolutely forgetting for the moment that hehad supposed himself on the verge of starvation a shorttime previous.

As yet he had not absolutely divulged his secret, saveto the little sailor who had promised to be his friend, andit might be possible that at some port he could slip onshore without the knowledge of any save this one man.

But all such counted for nothing at the moment, in viewof the possibility that he had, perhaps, made the venturein vain.

There was another and yet more alarming view to betaken of the situation. He might be forced to go ashorein a strange harbour, for it was hardly within the range ofprobability that he could return in theMerrimac to thehome port, and then there was the ugly chance that possiblythere would be great difficulty in finding his wayback.

"I've made the biggest kind of a fool of myself!" hewailed, very softly; "but I won't let anybody know thatI'm willin' to agree to it. When a feller gets into a musshe's bound to crawl out of it an' keep his upper lip stiff,else folks will have the laugh on him. It ain't so certainbut I'd better go straight on deck an' take my dose; thecaptain won't be likely to kill me, an' the sooner it's overthe easier I'll feel."47

It is not certain but that Teddy Dunlap might have putthis new proposition into execution at once, had it notbeen for the coming of the little sailor, who said, in acheery tone:

"Here you are, my hearty, salt horse an' tea! I reckonyou can worry along on that for a spell, an' meanwhile I'llkeep my weather eye liftin' for you. Things may not bemore'n half as bad as they look, an' even that'll be toughenough."

"I've been thinkin' I'd better have it out with thecaptain now, an' then I wouldn't be dreadin' it."

"What's the sense of picklin' a rod for your own backwhen you may run away from it? Hold on here for aspell, an' I'll get the lay of the land before anythingfoolish is done."

"You're mighty good to me," Teddy murmured, softly,as he took the hook-pot of tea and strip of cold meat fromthe sailor's hands. "What's your name?"

"Bill Jones—Snippey, some of the hands call mewhen they want to be funny. I reckon we'd best not doany more chinnin', for the port watch will be in hereprecious soon, an' there's more'n one man who'd makelife hot for you if he had the chance. I know whatsailors are, lad, seein's I've been one myself, man an'boy, these thirty years, an' their foolin' is pretty toughplay for one like you. Lay low till I give the word, an'if there don't seem to be any way out of this snarl withinthe week, then it'll be time enough to let the old manhave a whack at your hide."48

CHAPTER III.
OFF SANTIAGO.

It was really wonderful how changed everything appearedto Teddy Dunlap after his interview with BillJones.

As a matter of course there had been no enlargementof his hiding-place, and yet it seemed as if he could moveabout more freely than before. He was forced to remainin quite as cramped a position, but it no longer seemedpainful.

Although the sailor had given him no encouragementthat he might succeed in the task he had set himself,but, on the contrary, appeared to think it a hopeless one,Teddy felt positive that the moment was very near athand when he would be clasped once more in his father'sarms.

He had come out from his hiding-place weak anddespairing, choosing the most severe punishment thatcould be inflicted rather than longer endure the miserywhich had been his constant companion during so manydays, and now, even before partaking of the meat and tea,all was forgotten in the belief that he would soon be withhis father.49

It was as if some other boy had taken Teddy Dunlap'splace, and this second lad was strong where the otherhad been weak.

He made a hearty meal, rearranged his bed so that hemight be nearer the entrance to the hiding-place in casethe sailor found it necessary to communicate with himhurriedly, and then indulged in more refreshing sleep thanhad visited his eyelids during the past forty-eight hours.

When Teddy awakened, however, much of this newcourage had vanished, and again he allowed himself tolook forward into the future, searching for trouble.

He had no means of knowing whether it was day ornight, for the sunlight never came into this hole; but,because of the silence in the forecastle, it seemed probablethe crew were on deck.

The steamer rode on an even keel, save for a sluggishroll which told she was sailing over calm seas, and the airhad suddenly grown stifling hot.

Creeping so near the entrance that there was greatdanger of being discovered by such of the men as mightcome that way, Teddy waited with feverish impatience forsome word from Bill Jones, and it seemed as if a full daymust have passed before the voice of the jolly littlesailor was heard.

"Well, my hearty, you're in great luck, an' no mistake.I wouldn't have believed things could have goneso nearly your way, if I hadn't seen 'em with my owneyes."

Before the sailor ceased speaking, Teddy had come50out from his hiding-place regardless of possible discovery,and appeared to be on the point of rushing up the narrowcompanionway.

"Hold on, you young rascal! Do you count onjumpin' right into the captain's arms?" and Bill Jonesseized the lad by the shirt collar, pulling him backwardwith no gentle force. "Where was you headin'for?"

"Ain't it time for me to go on deck?" Teddy asked,speaking with difficulty because of the sailor's firmclutch.

"Time? I reckon not, unless you're achin' for a tasteof the rope's end. Our skipper ain't any very mildtempered man at the best of times, an' this is one of hisworst days, for everything has been goin' wrong end foremostjest when he wants to see the ship in apple-pieorder."

"I thought you said somethin' about my bein' in luck,an' the only thing of the kind that could come to me,would be to know father was on deck."

"I don't reckon you'll see him aboard theMerrimacfor some time to come, though you're nearer to him thisminute than I ever allowed you'd be in this part of theworld."

"What do you mean?" and Teddy literally trembledwith the impatience of anticipation.

"Sampson's fleet is dead ahead. His vessels are thevery ones we've come to coal, an' if that ain't luck enoughfor a stowaway, I'd like to know what you could call it?"51

"I don't allow you've any claim to count on luck likethat; but we're hard by Sampson's fleet, and it'll bestrange if we can't find a chance of lettin' your fatherknow where you are."

"Find a chance? Why, I'll go right on deck an' yellto him. He's bound to come out when he hears me."

There was in this remark something which struck BillJones as being so comical that he burst into a heartylaugh, and then, realising that his messmates on deckmight come down to learn the cause of such unusualmirth, he partially checked himself, gurgling and chokingin the efforts to suppress his merriment, until it appearedthat he was on the point of being strangled.

"Go on deck an' yell to him," he muttered in the intervalsbetween what appeared to be spasms. "Say, lad,it's precious lucky the weather is so hot that the crew52have been driven out, else we'd had 'em all down on us,for I can't hold in, no matter how hard I try. So youthink it's only a case of goin' on deck an' yellin', tobring your father right over the rail!"

"I ain't so certain 'bout that, for coal-passers don'thave the choice of promenading a battle-ship's deck.The officers generally have somethin' to say about capersof that kind. Besides, you might yell yourself black inthe face, even if theMerrimac was layin' close alongsidetheBrooklyn, an' he'd never be any the wiser. You seemto have the idee that one of Uncle Sam's vessels isbuilt something after the pattern of a tugboat."

"But I've got to get at him somehow," Teddy said, inperplexity, the new and great joy which had sprung up inhis heart dying away very suddenly.

"True for you, lad; but it ain't to be done in the wayyou're figgerin' on, an', besides, havin' come along sosmooth this far, I'm not countin' on lettin' you run yournose against such a thistle as the captain is like to be.It ought'er be enough that we've struck into the veryfleet you wanted to find, an' a boy what can't wait a spellafter all the good fortune you've had, ain't fit to be scurryin''round here huntin' for his father."

"I'll go right back into the hole, an' wait till you tellme to come out," Teddy said, meekly, understanding fullwell what his plight would be should this friendly sailorturn against him.

"Now you're talkin' sense," Bill Jones said, approvingly.53"I was countin' on cheerin' you up a bit, by tellin'of where theMerrimac had fetched up, an' didn't allow toset you off like a wild Injun. Hot down here, eh?"

"So much the better, because the crew will stay ondeck, an' you'll have more of a chance to move around.It's only a case of layin' low for three or four days, an'then we'll see what your father can do toward gettin' youout."

"There'll be plenty of show for that if we come alongsidetheBrooklyn; I can manage to send him word, Ireckon."

The conversation was brought to an abrupt close by theappearance of a sailor's feet as he descended from thedeck, and Bill Jones turned quickly away, pretending tobe overhauling his sea-chest, while Teddy made all hasteto regain his "hole."

Now it was that the stowaway had every reason tocongratulate himself upon the fair prospects which werehis, when it had seemed positive that much trouble wouldcome before the venture was ended, and yet the momentspassed more slowly than at any time since he had voluntarilybecome a prisoner.

With each hour his impatience increased, until it waswith difficulty he could force himself to remain inhiding.

While he believed his father was very far away, thereappeared good reason for remaining hidden; but now,54with theBrooklyn close at hand, it seemed as if he mustmake his whereabouts known without loss of time.

Fear as to what terrible punishment the captain of theMerrimac might inflict, however, kept him in his properplace, and before many hours passed Bill Jones broughthim further intelligence.

"TheNew York is to take on the first of the coal," hesaid, leaning over the barricade of rope, and whisperingto the impatient prisoner. "I'm thinkin' we'll get aroundto theBrooklyn before all the cargo is gone, an' then thisgame of hide will come to an end—if your father isa smarter man than the average of us."

The jolly little sailor had no time to say more, for oneof the petty officers interrupted the stolen interview bycalling loudly for "Bill Jones," and while obeying thesummons the sailor muttered to himself, "I wish the boywas well clear of this steamer; it seems as if he wasunder my wing, so to speak, an' I can't make out howany man, lower in rank than a full-fledged captain, can takehim aboard one of Uncle Sam's ships."

Fortunately Teddy had no misgivings as to the future,after his father had been made aware of his whereabouts.

He believed it would be the most natural thing in theworld for him to step on board theBrooklyn as a guest,and the possibility that a coal-passer might not be allowed toinvite his friends to visit him never entered the lad's mind.

Bill Jones, however, was seriously troubled as to theoutcome of the affair, as has been seen.

He had promised to aid the stowaway, as he would have55promised to aid any other lad in trouble, for the jolly littlesailor was one ever ready to relieve the distress of others,no matter how great might be the cost to himself; andnow, having taken the case in hand, his anxiety of mindwas great, because he was by no means as certain of hisability to carry it through successfully as he would haveTeddy believe.

Within four hours after the sailor reported that theMerrimac would speedily begin to take out her cargo,the prisoner in the forecastle became aware that thesteamer was at a standstill.

For the first time since leaving port the screw wasmotionless, and the absence of that pounding whichmarked the revolutions of the shaft caused a silencethat for a few moments seemed almost painful.

Shortly afterward, when Bill Jones came to bring afresh supply of provisions and water, he reported that theNew York was taking on coal.

"The other ships are certain to need a supply, an' we'rebound to come alongside theBrooklyn sooner or later," hesaid, cheerily, and Teddy replied, with a sigh:

"I reckon it's a case of havin' to, lad, unless you'rewillin' to take the captain's medicine, an' that's whatI wouldn't like to tackle."

"It's as if I'd been here a full month, an' accordin' towhat you say I'm mighty lucky if I have to stay only twoor three days more."56

"You're lucky if you get out in a week, so don't go tocountin' the minutes, or time will be long in passin'."

Twice during the next twenty-four hours did Teddyhave an opportunity of speaking with his friend, andthen he knew that theMerrimac was alongside theMassachusetts.

"You see we're goin' the rounds of the fleet, an' it'sonly a question of the coal holdin' out, to finally bring usto theBrooklyn," Bill Jones said, hurriedly, for there wasno opportunity of lengthy conversations while the crewwere engaged in transferring the fuel.

Another long time of waiting, and Bill Jones appearedat the entrance to the hiding-place in a state of thegreatest excitement.

"Somethin's got to be done right away, lad, an' I'mclean beat as to how we'll figger it out. This 'ere steameris goin' to be sunk!"

"Sunk!" Teddy cried in alarm, clutching Bill franticallyby the arm, as if believing theMerrimac was eventhen on the point of going down.

"That's jest it, an' we're to be shifted to the othervessels, gettin' a berth wherever one can be found."

"She's to be blowed up! Wrecked in the harbour ofSantiago de Cuba, so the Spaniards who are inside can'tget out!"

Teddy looked around him in bewilderment and alarm,understanding not one word of the brief explanation.

"You see the Spanish fleet is inside the harbour, and the59mouth of it ain't more'n three hundred feet wide. Thissteamer will be blowed up right across the channel, an'there the Spaniards are, bottled up tight till our fleet getsready to knock 'em into splinters."

"I reckon there's no help for it, lad, because it don'tstand to reason that you want to go down with the ship."

"We sha'n't have anything to do with it, lad. It's whatyou might call a precious fine job, an' 'cordin' to the wayeverybody looks at it, them who do the work ain't likelyto come back again."

"Look here, lad, if you was goin' on deck an' set offthree or four torpedoes under your very feet, what do youthink would be the show of gettin' ashore alive?"

Teddy made no effort to weigh the chances; his ownaffairs were in such a precarious condition that there wasno room in his mind for anything else.

"I'd better have gone to the captain when I first madeup my mind that it had to be done, an' it would be over bythis time," he said, with a long-drawn sigh.

"It wouldn't have been over till you got ashore, becausepretty nigh every sailor thinks it his bounden duty tomake things lively for a stowaway. You've saved yourselffrom bein' kicked an' thumped jest so many days as I'vebeen coddlin' you up, an' there's a good deal in that."

"So we are, lad; but these big ships don't huddle veryclose together, an' ten miles off is called bein' mighty nearat hand. I can't stop here chinnin' much longer, so listensharp. When the time comes, an' it's precious near athand now, you'll have walk up to the medicine-box like alittle man, so kind'er be bracin' yourself for what's sure tohappen. I'll watch till the captain appears to be in goodhumour, an' out you pop."

Teddy nodded his head; there was too much sorrowand disappointment in his heart to permit of speech, andBill Jones was so pressed for time that he failed to givedue heed to the boy's mental condition.

"Be ready when I come back next time!" the sailorwhispered, warningly, and then ran on deck, leaving thestowaway in a most unenviable frame of mind.

When Teddy's mouth was parched with thirst, and hisstomach craving for food, he had brought himself tobelieve that he could submit without a murmur to whateverpunishment the captain might see fit to inflict; butnow it seemed different. During a very long time he hadbeen cheering himself with the belief that before the closeof this hour or the next he would be with his father, andsuch a sudden and startling change in affairs caused himdeepest despair.61

Crawling into the narrow hiding-place, he gave full swayto the grief which had come upon him like a torrent, foronce Captain Miller knew of his having stowed away, sohe argued to himself, there would no longer be any hopeof communicating with his father.

To his mind he had not only failed in the purpose sethimself, but would be more widely separated from hisfather than ever before, and it is little wonder, with suchbelief in his heart, that the boy ceased longer to battleagainst his sorrow.

He was lying face downward upon the canvas when BillJones came to announce that the moment had arrivedwhen he should brave the ordeal of facing Captain Miller,and the sailor was forced to speak several times in a loudtone before the lad realised that his friend was near athand.

"Come, Teddy," the little sailor said, soothingly, "it'llbe over after awhile, an' perhaps won't be so bad as we'vefiggered, for the old man ain't tearin' 'round dreadful mad.Let's get on deck in a hurry, so's not to think about ittoo long, an' I'll stand right by your side till matters aresettled one way or the other."

"I might as well stay right here, an' be sunk when thesteamer goes down," the boy wailed.

"Nonsense, lad; after havin' the pluck to come thus farin search of your father, you mustn't lose heart now. Bea man, Teddy, an' count on me for a friend so long as thetrouble lasts."

It was not possible for Bill Jones to arouse the boy to a62proper show of courage until after fully half an hour hadpassed, and then the two came out into the sunlight, bothlooking much as if having just been detected in the mostheinous of crimes.

The dazzling sunlight nearly blinded the boy, who hadbeen shrouded in darkness so many days, and forced himto cover his eyes; therefore he failed to see the look ofsurprise and bewilderment on Bill Jones's face immediatelythey came on deck.

During several moments he was in such a daze as to bevirtually unconscious, and then he heard his companionask:

"They've been set aboard theNew York for a spell,seein's how this ain't likely to be a very pleasant craft tosail in after we get through with her," a strange voicereplied, and Teddy opened his eyes.

The deck of the collier appeared to be thronged withsailors in naval costume, all of whom were apparentlybent on doing the greatest amount of destruction in theshortest possible space of time.

Not far away to windward was a huge war-vessel, lookingmore like some submarine monster than anything built byman, and in the distance others of the same kind, cruisingto and fro, or lying quietly upon the ocean, rising and fallingwith the heavy swell.

All this picture Teddy took in with a single glance, andthen his attention was diverted by Bill Jones, who said tothe sailor with whom he had first spoken:63

"I reckon that'll be done after a spell; but just nowit's a case of hurry, an' what a few old shellbacks likeyou may consider dunnage, ain't taken into account."

"I saw him goin' toward the flag-ship. It seems he'sgot the biggest kind of a bee in his bonnet because LieutenantHobson is to be given the chance of killin' himselfan' his crew, when he claims the right because of havin'been in command of this 'ere collier."

Teddy was wholly at a loss to understand the meaningof the conversation, and he looked at the little sailor, whonow appeared perplexed rather than jolly, until the lattersaid, speaking slowly, as if in a maze of bewilderment anddoubt:64

"I'm all at sea, lad, about this 'ere business; but itbegins to look as if you wouldn't have any very hard timewith the old man to-day. He's got somethin' else on hismind that's of more importance than a worthless littlestowaway like you."

"He'll come back, won't he?" Teddy asked, yet unableto gather any clear idea of the situation.

"Unless he comes soon, there won't be anything left oftheMerrimac, an' that's a fact," Bill Jones replied, pointinghere and there to where a hundred men or more werebusily at work, seemingly trying to make a wreck of thecollier. "I s'pose they're bent on gettin' out of the oldhooker all that's of any value, before sinkin' her, an' itlooks as if they'd finish the job in a jiffy."

"See here, my son, we've no time to bother our headsabout her just now. It's enough for you that we can'tget speech with your father, an' unless I'm way off myreckonin', here's the chance to pull out of what promisedto be a bad scrape for you."

Teddy remained silent, for the very good reason thathe was at a loss for words, and after a short pause, BillJones exclaimed, as if a happy thought had at that instantcome into his mind:

"Hark you, lad, our men have gone over to theNewYork, an' so long as we don't follow them it'll be plainsailin'. We'll watch our chance, go aboard the nearestship, so it ain't the admiral's flag-ship, as bold as lions, an'it'll be believed that you belong to our crew. Unless65Captain Miller shows himself, you'll be livin' on the fat ofthe land."

"We won't bother our heads about anything of thekind. It's enough for us to know you've slipped out ofthe smallest kind of a hole without a scratch, and we'lltake all the enjoyment that comes our way, at UncleSam's expense."66

CHAPTER IV.
THE MERRIMAC.

There was no good reason why, as Bill Jones hadsuggested, Teddy could not successfully pose as oneof theMerrimac's crew.

The undertaking in hand was so important, with suchgreat advantages to be derived from its accomplishment,that for the time being it was as if every officer and manin the American squadron had no thought save concerningthe work upon the steamer to be sunk.

That the situation may be made more plain, as it wasto Teddy before he had been on board theTexas twohours, the following description of the daring venture isquoted from an article written the very day Bill Jones andhis protégé sought shelter on the battle-ship:[1]

"The mines in the narrow, tortuous channel, and theelevation of the forts and batteries, which must increasethe effectiveness of the enemy's fire, and at the same timedecrease that of our own, reinforced by the guns of theSpanish fleet inside, make the harbour, as it now appears,almost impregnable. Unless the entrance is countermined67it would be folly to attempt to force its passage with ourships.

"But the Spanish fleet is bottled up, and a plan is beingconsidered to drive in the cork. If that is done, the nextnews may be a thrilling story of closing the harbour. Itwould release a part of our fleet, and leave the Spaniardsto starve and rot until they were ready to hoist the whiteflag.

"'To drive in the cork,' was the subject nearest Rear-AdmiralSampson's heart, and he at once went into consultationwith his officers as to how it could best be done.One plan after another was discussed and rejected, andthen Assistant Naval Constructor Richmond PearsonHobson proposed that the big collierMerrimac, whichthen had on board about six hundred tons of coal, besunk across the channel in such a manner as to completelyblock it.

"The plan was a good one; but yet it seemed certaindeath for those who should attempt to carry it out asproposed. Lieutenant Hobson, however, claimed that, ifthe scheme was accepted, he should by right be allowedto take command of the enterprise.

"The end to be attained was so great that AdmiralSampson decided that the lives of six or seven men couldnot be allowed to outweigh the advantage to be gained,and Lieutenant Hobson was notified that his serviceswere accepted; the big steamer was at his disposal to dowith as he saw fit."

This was the work which had been begun when Bill68Jones brought Teddy Dunlap on deck that he mightconfess to being a stowaway, and it is little wonder thatmatters on board the collier were in seeming confusion.

On the night previous Lieutenant Hobson had receivedthe notification that his services were accepted, and at anearly hour next morning the work of making theMerrimacready for destruction had begun.

A dozen boys would have attracted no attention justthen, and the lad, who had mentally nerved himself tomeet the captain of the steamer, failed in finding any oneto hear his confession.

Bill Jones,however, wasquick to see thepossible advantageto be gained,and Teddy hadnot fully recovered from his bewilderment before thelittle sailor was forcing him over the rail into one of theTexas's boats, which had just come alongside.

"Turned out of house an' home, eh?" one of thesailors asked, with a laugh, and there was no question butthat the boy, as well as the man, had a right to be takenaboard the battle-ship.

The officers had all left the boat, therefore the two werenot subjected to any searching examination, and once onboard the big vessel, it was supposed, as a matter of course,that they had been regularly detailed to that ship.69

Strange as it may seem, these two who had but justcome from theMerrimac knew less regarding her proposedending than any other, and, therefore, were most deeplyinterested in such information as was to be picked upfrom the crew.

Before having been on board an hour they knew asmuch as has been set down at the beginning of this chapter,and, for the time being at least, they, like all aroundthem, had little thought save for the daring adventurewhich was to be made by Lieutenant Hobson and six men.

"It's a mighty brave thing to do," Bill Jones said confidentiallyto Teddy as the two were on the gun-deck,having concluded a most satisfactory repast; "but Iwouldn't want a hand in it."

"Why not?" Teddy asked, in surprise, for he had beenturning the matter over in his mind until having comealmost to envy those who were to brave death in theservice of their country.

"Because I ain't what might rightly be called a fightin'man; owin' to my bein' undersized, most likely. I takereal pride in the deeds of others, but can't seem to getmy own courage where it belongs. I'm only what youmight call a plain, every-day sailor, with no fightin' timberin me, else I'd been in the navy long before this."

"There's no doubt in my mind but that they'll hold onto life long enough to do the work, but it's afterward thatthe trouble will begin. Every Spanish gun within range70will open fire on 'em, an' what chance have they got ofcomin' out alive?"

"It'll be quite a spell before they get the steamer readyto make the dive, 'cordin' to my way of thinkin'. In thefirst place, as I'm told, there are to be plenty of torpedoesput in position inside the old hooker, an' it'll take sometime to made them ready. Anyway, you're snug as a bugin a rug now—"

"Have no fear of him," the little sailor said, as if thesubject was not worthy of consideration. "When hecomes, if he ever does, it isn't to this part of the shipthat he'll pay a visit. Officers spend their time aft, an'small blame to 'em. It may be, Teddy Dunlap, that he'llsee you; but the chances are dead against it, so take allthe comfort you can—"

"Well, you can't, leastways, not while we're aboard thiscraft, but you can count on comin' across him beforethis little scrimmage is ended off Santiago, an' then Iwarrant there'll be all the chance you need."

"But what am I to do on board here?" Teddy asked,anxiously. "It don't stand to reason that we'll be allowedto loaf around as if we owned the whole vessel."

"That's the way you look at it; but my idees are different.Uncle Sam will keep us for a spell, that's certain,an' until he gets tired of the job we needn't worry our71heads. You might live to be a thousand years old withoutstrikin' another job as soft as the one we've got onour hands this blessed minute, so I say, make the mostof it."

"It's different with you; but I'm only a stowaway, an'stand a good show of gettin' into a heap of trouble whenthe officers of this ship find out that I've no business tobe here."

"I don't figger that way," Bill Jones replied, with alight and airy manner. "It doesn't stand to reason youshould have been left aboard to go down with the steamer,eh?"

"An' had a precious good job doin' it. Look ye, TeddyDunlap, are you countin' yourself of so much importancethat a battle-ship is to leave her station for no other reasonthan to put you ashore?"

"Then wait till they get ready, an' don't borrow trouble.This crossin' of bridges before you come to 'em is likelyto make life mighty hard for a young chap like yourself,an' considerin' all you've told me, I wonder at it."

Teddy could say nothing more. It surely seemedreasonable Bill Jones knew what it was proper he shoulddo, and from that moment he resolved to "take thingseasy," as his friend advised, rather than fret over whatcouldn't be mended.

Therefore it was he ceased to worry, although at the72same time keeping a sharp watch over theBrooklyn, andby such a course saw very much of what happened offSantiago during those months of June and July, in theyear one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight.

Surely the stowaway had no cause to complain of histreatment by the crew of theTexas.

Every man did his best to make these waifs from thedoomed steamer feel perfectly at home, and when BillJones brought his sea-chest aboard, as he did the dayfollowing their abandonment of theMerrimac, there wasnot a man on the battle-ship who did not suppose Teddy'sdunnage was in the same capacious receptacle.

Rations were served to the stowaway the same as toany member of the crew, and then he and Bill Joneswere called upon for some trifling duty, but as the lattersaid, there was no more work than was good for themby way of exercise.

In the most pleasant fashion possible the time passeduntil theMerrimac was made ready for her doom, andthese two comrades, for it can well be supposed theywere become fast friends, saw all the preparations withoutbeing obliged to do any of the disagreeable work.

There was hardly an hour during these days of labourwhen the two did not hear Lieutenant Hobson's plansdiscussed, and they knew to the slightest detail all heproposed to do.

"Here is the way he'll sink our craft, 'cordin' to allI've heard," Bill Jones said to Teddy when the two werealone for a short time on the afternoon after it had been75reported on board theTexas that everything was ready forthe desperate venture. "He'll run at about ten-knot speeduntil four hundred yards or less past the Estrella battery,or, in other words, till he's in the narrowest part of thechannel. Then he'll put the helm hard aport, stop theengines, drop the anchors, open the sea connections, touchoff the torpedoes, an' leave the old hooker blockin' up theentrance to Santiago Harbour."

"Of course he can't, else why is he takin' a crew withhim? I'm told that this is the exact way he counts onworkin' it. There'll be four men on deck besides himself,an' two in the engine-room; all of 'em will be strippeddown to their underclothes, an' with revolvers an' ammunitionstrapped in water-tight packin' to their waists. Onewill be forward with an axe to cut the lashings of theanchor when the word is given. Of course Hobson signalsthe engineers to stop the engines, then the fellow forwardcuts the anchor loose; some one below smashes thesea connections with a sledge-hammer when the machinerystops, and all hands jump overboard, countin' on swimmin'to the boat that's bein' towed astern. The lieutenant himselftouches the button that explodes the torpedoes, an'then over he goes; it's a case of every man for himselfonce the work is begun. The steamer is bound to godown athwart the channel, an' there you have the entranceto Santiago Bay shut up as tight as Admiral Sampsoncan wish."

Teddy did not venture any criticism. He had heard76the subject discussed so often that there was nothing newhe could suggest, and it seemed wisest to hold his tongue.

On the close of this day word was passed among thecrew of theTexas that the venture would be made duringthe coming night, and the two visitors from theMerrimacwere on deck from sunset until sunrise.

The work of preparing the big collier was continuedthroughout the entire night, and just at daybreak she gotunder way, as if to begin the voyage which it seemedcertain could end only with the death of all; but beforethe men on the battle-ship had time to give her a partingcheer, she put back to her station, because, as some of themen declared, the admiral had given positive orders forher to wait until another night.

Twenty-four hours of additional preparation; as many ofspeculation and discussion among those who were refusedan opportunity to offer their lives as a sacrifice, andthen came the moment when Teddy was awakened fromhis sleep by Bill Jones, who said, as he shook the ladroughly:

"Get on deck, my hearty, get on deck! This timethere'll be no mistake as to the sailin', an' if you want tosee the last of theMerrimac, now's your chance!"

The stowaway did not wait for a second invitation, anda moment later he formed a small portion of the humanfringe which overhung theTexas's rail, peering out acrossthe waters where, by the pale light of the moon, could beseen the doomed steamer.

It was even possible to distinguish the forms of her77crew as they stood well forward, much as though takinga last look at the fleet, and, near at hand, the tiny launchfrom theNew York, which was to follow the collier inwith the hope of picking up some of her brave crew whenthey leaped into the water.

Among all that throng of men on theTexas hardlya word was spoken as theMerrimac slowly got under way.Every one remained silent as if under the spell cast bythe bravery of those who were literally taking their livesin their hands that the starry flag might wave triumphant.

Boldly the collier steamed in toward the coast, beinglost to view immediately she got under the shadow of thehigh hills at the entrance of the bay, and a mile or moreastern the tiny launch puffed her way along as if consciousthat this morning's work was of extreme importance.

Then both craft were swallowed up by the gloom, andyet that throng of men overhanging theTexas's railremained motionless, waiting with an anxiety that wasmost intense for some sign which would give token oftheir shipmates' fate.

During half an hour every man waited in keenest suspense,never one venturing to so much as speak, and thenfrom the heights at the entrance of the harbour the flashof a gun streamed out.

It came almost in the nature of a relief, for every oneknew that theMerrimac was nearing her destination at last.

The suspense was at an end, whatever might be theresult, and even Teddy Dunlap believed he could predictthe close of that most desperate venture.78

Within ten seconds after the first flash, another wasseen, then a third, and a fourth, until it was no longerpossible to count them.

The heights guarding the channel appeared to beablaze; but yet not a sound could be heard.

The blockading squadron were so far away that thereports were lost in the distance.

Then the eager men found tongue, and it was as ifeach spoke at the same instant, giving no heed as towhether his neighbour replied.

During full twenty minutes these silent flashes could beseen in the distance, and then they died away just as thegray light of the coming dawn appeared in the eastern sky.

"It's all over!" Bill Jones said, as he laid his hand onTeddy's shoulder. "I reckon the oldMerrimac is layin'in the channel to keep the Spaniards from sneakin' out;but them as carried her in so bravely are past all troublesof this world's makin'. It's great to be a hero; but theglory of it is soon over!"

"Do you suppose they've all been killed?" Teddyasked in a whisper, for it was much like speaking in thepresence of the dead.

"There's little doubt of it, lad. Think you a craft liketheMerrimac could stand the storm of shot and shell thatwas poured on her from the time we saw the first flash?Just bear in mind that every puff of flame betokeneda chunk of iron large enough to sink this 'ere battle-ship,if it struck her fairly, an' you can have a fair idee of howmuch chance those poor fellows stood."81

Among all the crew there was hardly one who did notshare this opinion with Bill Jones. To them, the heroeswho went smilingly to their death had left this worldfor ever, and yet the men continued to overhang therail, awaiting the return of the launch, with the ideathat when she arrived they might hear something ofimportance.

Not until three hours later did the little craft show herself,and then she came out from under the shadow ofthe land followed by a shower of missiles from the bigguns ashore.

The men on theTexas were forced to wait some timebefore learning what information she brought, for thelaunch went directly to theNew York, as a matter ofcourse, and several hours elapsed before the crew heardall that could then be told.

This was to the effect that the tiny boat followed thecollier until fire was opened upon the doomed steamer,and she was so enshrouded by smoke as to be lost fromview. Then the launch was headed in under the batteries,where she remained until daylight on the lookoutfor a swimmer.

At five o'clock in the morning no sign of life had beenseen, and the little craft made for the fleet, followed by arain of shot from the shore batteries.

While crossing the harbour entrance one spar of theMerrimac was seen sticking out of the water, and thus itwas known that the little band of braves had done theirwork faithfully, at whatever cost to themselves.82

There was neither jest nor careless word among thecrew of the battle-ship during this forenoon; even BillJones remained almost absolutely silent. It seemed thatthey stood in the presence of death, and more than oneacted as if believing he was taking part in the funeralservices of those who had so lately been among them.

Teddy had seen every man who went to make up thatdevoted crew, and to him it was as if his personal friendshad met their death; but in such a brave fashion that itwould have been almost a crime to mourn their takingoff.

Then, like a flash of lightning from a clear sky, camethe joyful news that every man among that band who haddevoted themselves to death, was yet among the living,and comparatively uninjured.

It was almost incredible information, and yet, because ofits source, no one could doubt it.

At two hours past noon, while the men of theTexaswere sheltering themselves from the burning rays of thesun and discussing for the hundredth time the last probablemoments of their shipmates, a steam-launch, carryinga white flag, put out from the harbour, making directly forthe flag-shipNew York.

At the time no one fancied for a single moment thatthe coming of this craft could have any connection withthose who had left the station to wreck theMerrimac,but there were some who suggested that the Spaniardswere ready to surrender, and, in support of this theory,cited the fact that the royal squadron was bottled up83so tightly it could never be used against the UnitedStates.

Others declared that the Spanish admiral was about tomake an offer of compromise, and not a few believed theflag of truce had to do with the capitulation of the city ofSantiago de Cuba.

Not a man was prepared for the news which floatedfrom ship to ship, no one could say exactly how; but inless than an hour from the time the launch made fastalongside theNew York,it was known that she broughta message from Admiral Cervera,commander of the Spanish fleet, to the effect that thecrew of theMerrimac had been captured, and were heldas prisoners of war.

Lieutenant Hobson was uninjured, and only two of theparty had been wounded slightly.

It seemed too good to be true, but when the menrealised that this information must be correct, that it hadbeen sent by a generous enemy, they spent a good fiveminutes cheering alternately for those who had escapedafter having gone down into the very jaws of death, and84for that gallant Spaniard who, recognising bravery even inhis foe, had taken the trouble to announce the safety ofthose who were battling against him.

"It's what I call a mighty fine thing for the old admiralto do," Bill Jones said, as he held forth to a gun's crewwith whom he and Teddy messed. "It ain't every officeras would go out of his way to send such news as that, an'if Admiral Cervera should ever fall into my hands as aprisoner of war, he can count on bein' treated like a whiteman."

There was a roar from Bill's auditors at the intimationthat the commander of the Spanish fleet might ever becaptured by that sailor, for by this time all had come toknow him as a "plain, every-day sailor, with not a fightin'timber in him;" but not a man within sound of his voicecared to contradict him.

On that night, after the subject of the venture and itssequel had been discussed until worn threadbare, the littlesailor said to Teddy, as if telling him some importanttruth:

"You'll see great doin's now, lad, an' it wouldn't giveme such a terrible surprise to know that the war wasended within the next twenty-four hours, for thembloomin' Spaniards in Santiago must understand bythis time that the sooner they give in whipped, the lessof a lickin' they're like to get."

And Teddy, thinking more of his own condition thanthe glory of the country, asked, with no slight distress ofmind:85

"If it should come to a stop as soon as that, how couldI ever get word to father? Of course theBrooklyn wouldgo right home, an' I'd be left here."

"I'll take care of that, lad," Bill Jones replied, in a toneof assurance. "Never you have a fear but that I'll seeshe don't leave this station till you've had a chance to goon board long enough to sort out the coal-passers."86

CHAPTER V.
THE CHASE.

Bill Jones found time to change his opinion as tothe speedy termination of the war after theMerrimachad been sunk at the entrance of Santiago Bay.

Instead of displaying any anxiety to surrender, theSpaniards on the island appeared to be making everypreparation for a stubborn defence, and the fleet of war-vesselshad little opportunity to do much more thanblockade duty.

Teddy Dunlap, looked upon by the crew of theTexas asa lad who had every right to be among them, might haveenjoyed this cruising to and fro, keeping watch over theentrance to the harbour, now and then overhauling a suspicious-lookingvessel that ventured too near, and at timesthrowing shells ashore from the big guns, but for thefact that he burned with impatience to be with hisfather.

TheBrooklyn remained in view nearly all the time,now so close at hand that it seemed as if the two shipsmust immediately come within hailing distance, and againso far away that she appeared only as a tiny speckagainst the white sky, yet the stowaway was as completely87separated from his father as if they were thousands ofmiles apart.

"If only the captains couldn't talk with those littleflags, it might be that the ships would come side byside!" he said, with a long-drawn sigh, to Bill Jones."There'll never be any need for them to sail nearer thanwithin sight, an' I won't get a chance to speak to father,—perhapsnot this year."

"The prospect don't look very encouragin' just at thepresent time, an' that's a fact," Bill said, thoughtfully,filling his pipe with unusual care. "Two or three daysago it seemed as if the war was mighty nigh at an end; butnow there 'pears to be a good deal of fight left in theDagoes."

"An' while we're loafin' 'round here, Captain Millerwill come aboard some fine day. Then where'll I be?"

"Right here, my lad, an' there's no use lookin' ahead.He won't come the sooner, or stay away any longer, nomatter how much you fuss, so why not save the wear an'tear of thinkin'?"

"See here," and Teddy leaned forward to look the littlesailor full in the eyes, "do you believe I'll ever havea chance of lettin' daddy know where I am?"

"Now you're askin' me a question I ain't in conditionto answer. It may be two or three weeks, or, then again,the show might come sudden, within an hour. At sea88you can't ever tell what's goin' to happen, Teddy Dunlap,an' there's nothin' for it but to keep your ears an' eyesopen all the time, ready to jump on the first promisin'chance that comes your way."

There is no good reason why such a conversation as thisshould be set down, save that it is similar to a hundredothers which were held between the two comrades duringthe weeks which followed the sinking of theMerrimac,when Teddy Dunlap, without effort on his part, was transformedfrom a stowaway to a lad apparently in the employof Uncle Sam.

Never for a single moment did he lose sight of thepossible fact that either theBrooklyn or theTexas mightbe ordered away from this particular station, in whichcase it was reasonable to suppose that many monthsmust elapse before he could inform his father of hiswhereabouts.

There was grave danger the two might be separatedso widely that months, perhaps years, would elapse beforethey could meet again, and Teddy was never comfortablein mind, but, despite all the good advice given by BillJones, continued to look out into the future, searching fortrouble.

Meanwhile both he and the little sailor were kept atwork on board theTexas exactly as if they had beenregularly enlisted; but the duties were so light amongsuch a large number, that he who complained of the workmust indeed have been an indolent fellow.

And while Teddy worried over his own seeming troubles,89the two nations continued at war, killing and woundingmen at every opportunity, and ever striving to strike somedecisive blow.

As a matter of course Teddy and Bill Jones took theirsmall part in the bombardment of the batteries at theentrance to Santiago Harbour two days after theMerrimachad been sunk.

TheTexas was the third vessel in the first column,headed by theBrooklyn, when, shortly after sunrise, thefleet steamed inshore and opened fire with the heavyguns.

It was to the boy as if he went into action almost bythe side of his father, and he worked with a will at whatsoeverwas set him to do, although at times the terrificroar literally stunned him, while the heat was so greatthat it seemed as if he was on the verge of suffocationduring every moment of the four hours the bombardmentcontinued.

Then the squadron steamed back to its blockadingstation, and at no time had theBrooklyn andTexas beenso near each other as to have rendered it possible forTeddy to see his father, even though the latter had stoodon the battle-ship's deck every moment.

Again and again, as the days passed, did theTexasgo into action, and at no time were the little stowaway andhis small comrade remiss in their duties.

They did their full share of the work, despite BillJones's assertion that he was only a "plain, every-daysailor with no fightin' timber about him," and as the weeks90wore on these two became more and more closely identifiedwith the battle-ship to which chance had sent them.

When the ship was sent to bombard the works atMatamoras, and a Spanish shell struck near the stern onthe port side, passing through the hull three feet belowthe main-deck line, and exploding on the berth-deck, killingone man and wounding eight, Teddy's search for hisfather nearly came to an end.

A fragment of the shell passed within ten inches of theboy's head, strikingdown a sailorjust beyond him,and Teddy wonthe admiration ofevery man onboard by springingto the reliefof the poor fellowwhose leghad been shattered, instead of taking flight, as might quitenaturally have been expected.

Later, when theTexas had withdrawn from the action,man after man congratulated the lad upon his behaviour,predicting that he would in time prove himself worthy ofserving under such a commander as Captain Philip, andotherwise bestowing so much praise that at the firstopportunity he said confidentially to Bill Jones:

"It makes me ashamed to have them say so much abouthow I acted. It wasn't different from what any other91feller would have done, because I forgot all about thedanger when Baker fell."

"I'm thinkin' you're out of your reckonin' there, lad,for accordin' to my idee, there ain't a boy in a thousandwho'd handled himself as well as you did. Now I'm nofightin' man, as I've said before, but your keepin' sucha stiff upper lip, when there was precious good chance ofbein' killed, did me solid good. I knew you had sand,from the first minute of settin' eyes on you, but neversuspected there was so much of it."

"You're talkin' worse than the others, even when I'mtellin' the truth about not knowin' there was any danger.I only saw poor Baker, an' thought I might helphim."

"It ain't what you thought, lad, but what you did, thatcounts, an' now if Captain Miller comes aboard I'm willin'to guarantee he won't be allowed to kick up any rowbecause of your stowin' away on theMerrimac. The crewwouldn't allow any funny business with you, after thisday's work. Don't you see how much nearer your fatherwe are than we were this mornin'?"

"Just what I say, lad. You've made for yourself astandin' on board this ship, an' now when the time comesright I'm goin' to tell your story to one of the pettyofficers, askin' him to see it reaches Captain Philip's ears.Once that's been done, Teddy Dunlap, we'll be hailin' theBrooklyn with signals flyin' to tell the coal-passers thatone of 'em has got a son on board this craft."92

"Why don't you do it now? I've given up hopin' thiswar is pretty near at an end, an' am hungry to see daddy."

"Better wait awhile longer, my boy. It's a little toosoon to show ourselves very big, 'cause it ain't no wayscertain the captain has had time to hear of what you did.We'll hold off a spell, an' then, when the signs come right,you'll see me put this business along in great shape."

Because of this promise, and also owing to the manywords of praise which were showered upon him by themen, Teddy Dunlap believed, as he had several timesbefore, that the hour was very near at hand when hewould be with his father once more; but, as in the past,he was doomed to disappointment during more days thanhe cared to count.

The "signs" never came so nearly right as to give BillJones courage to take the responsibility of telling Teddy'sstory to those who would repeat it to Captain Philip, andthese two refugees from theMerrimac remained aboardtheTexas, much to the satisfaction of the crew.

It was known to them, as to every one on the warships,that hot fighting was going on ashore in the vicinity ofSantiago, and at frequent intervals the big vessels steamedtoward the land, in this direction or that, to shell theSpanish camps; but they were at such a distance fromthe scene of action that such work had little the appearanceof warfare.93

In fact, the air of plain, every-day business about theoperations rendered it difficult to believe the huge shotand shell which were hurled landward carried in theirwake death and destruction to many.

When one of theTexas's big guns was discharged,Teddy could hear the roar, and feel the concussion, asa matter of course; he could also see the missile as it spedthrough the air; but he had no means of knowing whereit struck, neither did he have a view of the desolation andruin it caused, therefore, like many another man aboardthe battle-ship, he came to look upon this work of war asnothing more than harmless practice.

The day was near at hand, however, when the stowawayand his little comrade were to have all too good aview of the butchery and inhumanity of war.

The crew of theTexas had been mustered for religiousservices, and while Bill Jones and Teddy waited in theirproper places for the coming of the chaplain, the sailorwhispered:

"To-morrow mornin' I'm goin' to start in on your business,lad. So far as I can see, the fleet is likely to behere a year or more before the Spaniards are ready tosurrender Santiago, and if I don't bring you to the captain'snotice soon, all your good behaviour when the shotcame aboard will have been forgotten."

"I'm afraid we've waited too long already," the ladreplied, with a sigh, for the hope had been so long deferredthat his "heart was sick" indeed for a sight of his father.94

"I reckon not, Teddy; but if I've made a mistake inholdin' off, it was done through fear I might speak toosoon."

"Don't think I'm blamin' you," the boy replied, quickly,pressing his comrade's arm in a friendly fashion. "Ifyou never did anything more, I'd feel as if you'd beenmighty good to me, for I couldn't have run across manysailors who'd lay themselves out to help a stowaway."

Bill Jones was interrupted by a shout,—Teddy willnever know who uttered it, or what the words were,—andinstantly, without the slightest apparent cause, allwas seeming confusion on board the ship.

It was to the lad as if the very air bristled with excitement;he saw men darting here and there, heard sharp,quick words of command, and as if at the very same instant,theTexas seemed to leap forward with a bound, hugeclouds of black smoke suddenly pouring out of her stacks.

"The Spaniards! The Spaniards!" Bill Jones yelledin the lad's ear, at the same time pointing toward theentrance to the harbour, from out of which could be seenthe dark hull of an enemy's ship.

Teddy saw long lines of signal-flags run up to theBrooklyn'smasthead; he heard the roar of a 6-pounder as theIowa fired the first shot at the foe, and understood, ratherthan saw, that every vessel in the squadron was under afull head of steam almost immediately.95

At one instant the blockading squadron lay motionlessand apparently lifeless off the harbour, rocking lazily on thelong swell, and then, before one could speak, as it were,every listless hull was a war machine, quivering with life,and pouring forth deadly shot and shell.

The transformation was so sudden and complete that itis little wonder Teddy and Bill Jones stood transfixed withastonishment until the chase was well under way.

One after another of the Spanish cruisers came at fullspeed out of the harbour which it had been believed wasclosed by the hull of theMerrimac, and as each shiprounded the point her guns were discharged at the Yankeesquadron. The dense smoke pouring out of theirstacks; the clouds of spray from their bows, glisteninglike diamonds in the sunlight of that Sabbath morning asit was thrown aft by the fierce impetus of the huge vesselsto mingle with the smoke that came from every gun; theroar and thunder of the discharges; the shrieking of themissiles, and the spouting of water as the metal fell short,made up a scene of war in its most terrific phase.

On the other side, three battle-ships and an armouredcruiser dashing forward at the full speed of their engines;the heavy reverberations of guns; black clouds and whiteof smoke from coal and from burning powder; men strippedto the waist and working at the pieces with a fury, haste,and energy that could not have been increased had eachindividual member of the crew been fighting against apersonal foe, and words of command, encouragement, orhope, which were heard on every hand, thrilled the boy96who had trembled before the supposed wrath of a collier'scaptain, until each nerve was tingling with excitement,—eachpulse bounding with the hot blood that leaped infeverish throbs from artery to artery.

Teddy Dunlap was in the very midst of what but fewhad ever seen,—a sea-battle with the mightiest ships inthe world as combatants.

It was while the lad and his elderly comrade stood likestatues, gazing at the wondrous, terrible sight aroundthem, that the former saw a huge shell leave the turretof theIowa, rise on the arc of a circle in the air, cleavingits way directly toward theTeresa, the foremost of thefleeing ships.

Teddy was still following the missile with his eyes whenit struck the Spaniard's hull, cutting its way through as ifno resistance was offered, and it seemed that the hugemass had but just disappeared when great volumes ofsmoke and flame burst from the aperture made by theshell, telling that the first of the enemy's fleet was alreadyvanquished.

Then came a mighty yell from every man aboard theTexas as well as theIowa, for the gun had been aimedwith a precision worthy a Yankee gunner whose forefathers,perhaps, had been forced to shoot accurately inorder to save their scalps from the lurking Indian.

This cry of satisfaction had not yet died away when theMaria Teresa was headed for the beach, with smoke andflame enveloping all her after part,—a wreck before shehad more than cleared the harbour's mouth.97

"There's one of 'em done for, an' in short order!"Bill Jones screamed, dancing to and fro like a crazy person,and if he made any further remark Teddy failed tohear it, because of the cheers of triumph which came fromevery vessel in the American fleet.

The enemy had counted on cutting his way through theblockading squadron, but the first of his vessels had cometo grief before the chase was fairly begun.

As theTeresa swung round in order to gain shoalwater before the fire should completely envelop her,Teddy saw two small, swift, low-lying steamers come outfrom behind her with a speed which seemed like that ofthe wind, and the little sailor cried, in tones nearly resemblingfear:

"There are the destroyers! ThePluton andFuror!Our ships are not speedy enough to keep out of theirway! Now is the Spaniard's chance to pay for the lossof theTeresa!"

Teddy had heard of these torpedo-boats, and knew whatit was possible for them to do unless, perchance, theymight be checked at long range, and yet the commandersof the Yankee battle-ships apparently gave no heed tothe dangerous enemies which had been designed for thesole purpose of destroying such as they.

Straight toward theBrooklyn these formidable craftwere headed, and the stowaway involuntarily cried aloudin terror, for was not his father on board that vessel whichappeared to be in such peril?

Then, coming up swiftly, as a hawk darts out upon its98prey, the lad saw the little yachtGloucester swim directlyinshore to meet these mighty engines of destruction,when one well-directed shot from their guns would havesent her to the bottom, crushed out of all semblance of avessel.

At that moment Teddy and Bill Jones saw what muchresembled the attack of a fly upon two huge spiders.

The tinyGloucester steamed straight down upon thedestroyers, cutting them off from their intended prey, andpelting them with shells from her small 6-pounders, butdoing the work with such accuracy and precision of aimthat it seemed as if the battle was no more than begunbefore these two mighty machines turned toward the shoreto follow theTeresa, but sinking even while one couldsay they were beaten.

Two hundred voices rose high with shouts of triumphand exultation that the Yankee gunners had not only donetheir work well, but with bravery such as could not beexcelled, and meanwhile the big ships went tearing madlyon lest theVizcaya, theCristobal Colon, and theAlmiranteOquendo, all that were left of the Spanish fleet, shouldescape them.

TheIowa and theTexas had selected theVizcaya astheir prey, and while the remainder of the fleet stretchedaway in pursuit of the other ships, these two cut off thebig Spaniard, forcing her to fight whether she liked ornot.

Teddy and Bill Jones stood on the port side of the101Texas, all unconscious that they were exposed to anychance shot the Spaniard might send aboard, and realisingnothing save the fever of battle. The odour of burningpowder was in their nostrils, and life or death, danger orsafety were alike the same.

TheTexas literally reeled under their feet as her bigguns were discharged full at theVizcaya, which ship washurling shot and shell with reckless rapidity and inaccuracyof aim.

The roar of the pieces was like the crashing of thunder;the vibrations of the air smote one like veritable blows,and enormous smoke clouds rolled here and there, nowshutting off all view, and again lifting to reveal the enemyin his desperate but ill-directed flight.

"Can we sink her?" Teddy asked once, when the twocomrades were so closely enveloped by the pungentvapour that it was impossible to distinguish objects fivefeet away, and the little sailor cried, in a delirium ofexcitement:

"She is workin' her guns for all they are worth, an'I've heard it said that even a ship like this would godown if a big shell struck fairly."

"Ay, lad, an' so she would, I reckon; but we'll haveyonder Spaniard under the water before her gunners canget the range. Every shot of ours is hittin' its mark, an'they're not comin' within half a mile of us! Sink her!We'll—"

Even as Bill Jones spoke, the 12-inch gun in theTexas's102forward turret was discharged. The smoke rolled asideat the same instant, and the two watchers saw a huge shelldart forth, speeding directly toward the ship that had solately been a friendly visitor in the harbour of New York.

It struck its mark fairly, crashed through the ironplating as if through paper, and then Teddy saw themighty vessel reel under her death-stroke when the shellexploded.

Another howl of triumph; half naked men danced toand fro in their excitement; the gunners rushed out fromthe turrets gasping for breath, but yelling with savage joy,and theVizcaya's bow was headed toward the shore!

The fourth vessel of the enemy's fleet had been disabled,and there only remained the two mighty ships inthe distance, from the smoke-stacks of which poured forthlong rolls of black smoke, flecked with sparks and burningbrands, that told of the desperate efforts being made toescape.103

CHAPTER VI.
TEDDY'S DADDY.

TheMaria Teresa and theVizcaya were in flames,heading for shoal water that they might not carrydown with their blackened hulks the men who had defendedthem, although feebly, and there was no longer anyreason why theTexas should remain in that vicinity.

TheIowa swung inshore to make certain the ruin wasas complete as it appeared from the distance, and whenthe royal ensign was hauled down that a white flag mightbe hoisted on theVizcaya, Captain Philip gave the wordwhich sent theTexas ahead in chase after the survivorsof what had, less than half an hour previous, been amighty fleet.

As one who witnessed the battle has already writtenconcerning this particular time and the wonderfully one-sidedengagement, his words had best be quoted:

"Huge volumes of black smoke, edged with red flame,rolled from every port and shot-hole of theVizcaya, asfrom theTeresa. They were both furnaces of glowingfire. Though they had come from the harbour to certainbattle, not a wooden bulkhead, not a partition in thequarters either of officers or men had been taken out, nor104had trunks and chests been sent ashore. Neither hadthe wooden decks or any other wooden fixtures beenprepared to resist fire. Apparently the crew had noteven wet down the decks."

It was the experience of a full lifetime, to witness thedestruction of these four fighting-machines, and yet TeddyDunlap and his little comrade almost forgot what theyhad seen in the excitement of the race, as their shipleaped forward in that mad chase which was to end onlywith the wrecking of all those vessels that had sailed outof the harbour to make their way past the Yankeefleet.

The two comrades were conscious of nothing save thethrobbing and quivering of their own ship, as, under pressof every ounce of steam that could be raised, theTexasdashed onward, overhauling first this Yankee vessel andthen that, flinging the spray in showers over her deck,and rolling from side to side in the heavy swell as shetore onward at a rate of speed that probably she hadnever before equalled.

It was a race to the death; now and then the hatcheswere opened that some one of the engineer's crew, exhaustedby almost superhuman efforts and the excessiveheat, might be brought up from those fiery depths below,while others took the place of him who had fallen at thepost of duty, and the speed was never slackened.

On, on, over the long swell, every man aboard in thehighest possible state of excitement, eager that theTexasshould be in at the death, and ahead, straining every105nerve as it were, fled the Spaniards, knowing full wellthat there could be but one ending to such a race.

"It's Yankee grit an' Yankee skill that's winnin' thisfight!" Bill Jones cried, excitedly, forgetting that hewas only a "plain, every-day sailor, with no fightin'timber about him," and at every onward leap of theship his body swayed forward as if he was eager for afray.

But neither Bill Jones nor any man aboard theTexas,save those brave souls in the very bowels of the gallantship, had any opportunity to display personal bravery.

The fight ended when the chase did, for then nothingwas left of those mighty Spanish ships save blackenedhulks.

TheOregon was sending 13-inch projectiles after theOquendo at every fair opportunity, and theTexas, morethan holding her own with the other vessels, was comingup astern with a speed that threatened to bring the longrace to a speedy conclusion.

Then, suddenly, although all had been expecting it,theAlmirante Oquendo's bow was headed toward theshore,—she saw the uselessness of further flight,—andall the pursuers, save theTexas, hauled off in pursuit oftheCristobal Colon.

Standing with a group ofTexas men, Teddy andBill Jones saw the Spaniard near the line of surf, andas their vessel's speed was checked there came a roarmightier than when the battle was first opened; thedoomed ship rocked to and fro as if she had struck106a sunken reef, there was an uprending of the irondecks, and then came a shower of fragments that toldof the tremendous explosion within the hull of theOquendo.

Now it was the Yankee crew burst once more intoshouts of triumph; but before the first cheer arose on themorning air Captain Philip cried:

Then it was that every man realised what had, untilthis moment, been absolutely forgotten: the game inwhich they were such decided victors was one of death!While they were triumphantly happy, scores upon scoresof the enemy were dying,—mangled, scalded, drowning,—andon the instant, like a flash of light, came the terriblefact that while they rejoiced, others were suffering a lastagony.

At that instant Teddy Dunlap understood what mightbe the horror of war, and forgetting the joy and exultationwhich had been his an instant previous, the lad coveredhis eyes with his hand,—sick at heart that he should havetaken even a passive part in that game which could beended only by suffering and death.

Later, after the men were sufficiently calm to be ableto discuss intelligently the doings of that day when thefull Spanish fleet was destroyed by Yankee vessels whothroughout all the action and chase sustained no injurywhatsoever, it was learned that more than six hundredhuman beings had been sent out of the world in less than107four hours, and nearly eighteen hundred men were takenprisoners by the American vessels.

Teddy Dunlap was like one in a daze from the instanthe realised what all this thrilling excitement meant, untilBill Jones, who had been ordered to some duty below,came to his side in the greatest excitement.

"What do you think of that, lad?" he cried, shakingthe boy vigorously as he pointed seaward, and Teddy,looking in the direction indicated by his outstretchedfinger, but without seeing anything, asked, hesitatingly:

"Of course it isn't, my lad! That vessel is a wreck offTarquino Point, so we heard half an hour ago. Don't yousee the ship here almost alongside?"

"Oh, yes, I see her," Teddy replied, with a sigh ofrelief. "There's been so much that is terrible goin' onaround us that it's like as if I was dazed."

"An' that's what you must be, lad, not to see that here'stheBrooklyn nearer alongside than she's like to come againfor a year or more."

"TheBrooklyn!" Teddy cried, now aroused from thestupefaction of horror which had come upon him withthe knowledge of all the suffering caused that day. "TheBrooklyn!"

"Ay, lad, an' her launch is alongside makin' ready totransfer some of the prisoners. Now's our chance, whensuch as we don't amount to a straw in view of the greatthings that have been done this day, to slip over on a littlevisit to your daddy!"108

Probably at no other time could such a thing have beendone by two members of the crew; but just now, whenevery man and officer was overwhelmed by the feverof victory, little heed was given to the movements of anyparticular person.

Therefore it was that Teddy Dunlap and the littlesailor had no difficulty in gaining theBrooklyn's deckwithout question or check, and the first person they sawon clambering aboard was a coal-passer, stripped to thewaist and grimy with dust and perspiration, who staredwith bulging eyes at the boy who followed close behindBill Jones.

"I reckon this is no place for me," Bill Jones mutteredas he made his way forward, and if the "plain,every-day sailor with no fightin' timber about him"had sufficient delicacy to leave father and son alone atsuch a time, surely we should show ourselves equallyconsiderate.

It is enough to say that Teddy's troubles were at anend after a short visit with his father, and that he did notleave theTexas immediately.

Captain Philip came to hear the boy's story, and anopportunity was given him to enlist for so long a term ashis father was bound to theBrooklyn.

Since the purpose of this little story was only to tellhow the stowaway found his father, there is no excuse109for continuing an account of Teddy's experience off Santiagowith Sampson; but at some future time, if thereader so chooses, all that befell him before returninghome shall be set down with careful fidelity to everydetail.

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PAGE
The Maria Teresa in Flames	Frontispiece
At the Gateway	12
Talking with the Longshoreman	17
The Merrimac	22
Teddy Comes on Board the Merrimac	27
Setting the Hiding-place in Order	34
Teddy Discloses Himself	41
The Fleet	51
"'This 'Ere Steamer Is Goin' to Be Sunk'"	57
The Texas	63
Sailors from the Texas	68
Keeping Watch of the Brooklyn	73
The Sinking of the Merrimac	79
The Merrimac	83
Teddy Tries to Assist the Wounded Sailor	90
The Texas in the Fight	99

Movatterモバイル変換

The Project Gutenberg eBook ofOff Santiago with Sampson

OFF SANTIAGO WITH SAMPSON

CONTENTS.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

CHAPTER I.
"KEEP OUT."

CHAPTER II.
KEEP IN.

CHAPTER III.
OFF SANTIAGO.

CHAPTER IV.
THE MERRIMAC.

CHAPTER V.
THE CHASE.

CHAPTER VI.
TEDDY'S DADDY.

FOOTNOTE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

CHAPTER	PAGE
I.	"Keep Out"	11
II.	Keep In	31
III.	Off Santiago	48
IV.	The Merrimac	66
V.	The Chase	86
VI.	Teddy's Daddy	103

Movatterモバイル変換

The Project Gutenberg eBook ofOff Santiago with Sampson

OFF SANTIAGO WITH SAMPSON

CONTENTS.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

CHAPTER I."KEEP OUT."

CHAPTER II.KEEP IN.

CHAPTER III.OFF SANTIAGO.

CHAPTER IV.THE MERRIMAC.

CHAPTER V.THE CHASE.

CHAPTER VI.TEDDY'S DADDY.

FOOTNOTE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

CHAPTER I.
"KEEP OUT."

CHAPTER II.
KEEP IN.

CHAPTER III.
OFF SANTIAGO.

CHAPTER IV.
THE MERRIMAC.

CHAPTER V.
THE CHASE.

CHAPTER VI.
TEDDY'S DADDY.