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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43420 ***
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+  Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have
+  been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
+
+  Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal
+  signs=.
+
+
+
+
+OFF SANTIAGO WITH SAMPSON
+
+
+
+
+THE "Stories of American History" Series.
+
+By JAMES OTIS,
+
+Author of "Toby Tyler," "Jenny Wren's Boarding House," etc. Each story
+complete in one volume; with 17 original illustrations by L. J.
+Bridgman.
+
+Small 12mo, neatly bound in extra cloth, 75 cents each.
+
+=1. When Dewey Came to Manila.=
+
+=2. Off Santiago with Sampson.=
+
+Two new volumes on the recent Spanish-American War, in the author's
+deservedly popular "Stories of American History" Series.
+
+=3. When Israel Putnam Served the King.=
+
+=4. The Signal Boys of '75=: A Tale of the Siege of Boston.
+
+=5. Under the Liberty Tree=: A Story of the Boston Massacre.
+
+=6. The Boys of 1745= at the Capture of Louisburg.
+
+=7. An Island Refuge=: Casco Bay in 1676.
+
+=8. Neal the Miller=: A Son of Liberty.
+
+=9. Ezra Jordan's Escape= from the Massacre at Fort Loyall.
+
+
+Dana Estes & Co., Publishers, Boston.
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+     OFF SANTIAGO WITH SAMPSON
+
+     BY
+     JAMES OTIS
+
+     AUTHOR OF "JENNY WREN'S BOARDING-HOUSE,"
+     "JERRY'S FAMILY," "THE BOYS' REVOLT,"
+     "THE BOYS OF 1745," ETC.
+
+     Illustrated
+
+     BOSTON
+     DANA ESTES & COMPANY
+     1899
+
+
+
+
+     Copyright, 1899
+
+     BY DANA ESTES & COMPANY
+
+     Colonial Press:
+     Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co.
+     Boston, U. S. A.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+     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
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                                  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 SUNKEN MERRIMAC                            83
+
+     TEDDY TRIES TO ASSIST THE WOUNDED SAILOR       90
+
+     THE TEXAS IN THE FIGHT                         99
+
+
+
+
+OFF SANTIAGO WITH SAMPSON.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+"KEEP OUT."
+
+
+It was a small but by no means feeble-looking boy who stood in front
+of a driveway disclosed by the opening of huge gates which, until they
+had been swung inward, appeared to have been a portion of the high
+fence of boards.
+
+There was seemingly no inducement for a boy to linger in this
+vicinity, unless, indeed, it might have been the sign posted either
+side the gate, on which was painted in letters 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 can hold me this
+side the fence needs to be spry on his feet," the small boy said, half
+to himself, and with a gesture of defiance which told he had not been
+accustomed to obeying commands that might be evaded.
+
+Through the gateway nothing could be seen save enormous heaps of coal,
+some enclosed in pens formed of planks as if to prevent them from
+mingling with the others, and between all a path or road of no more
+than sufficient width to permit the passage of a cart. In the
+distance, a rough building abruptly closed the view, and beyond it the
+puffing of steam and rattle of iron implements told of life and
+activity.
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+Outside the fence, it was as if this certain portion of the city had
+been temporarily deserted; but one could hear the rumble of wheels
+over the pavements on either hand, giving token that the coalyard was
+situated just beyond the line of city traffic.
+
+The boy gazed into the uninviting-looking place as if fascinated, only
+glancing up now and then at the signs which mutely forbade his
+entrance, and, as if unconscious of his movements, stole slowly nearer
+and nearer the gateway until he stood directly on the line that
+separated the yard from the sidewalk.
+
+"If I wanted to go in, it's more'n a couple of signs that could keep
+me out," he muttered, threateningly, and then, with one backward
+glance to assure himself that no unfriendly policeman was watching
+from the distance, the boy darted forward, taking refuge behind the
+nearest heap of coal, lest an enemy should be lurking near at hand.
+
+Save for the hum of labour everywhere around, he heard nothing. No
+guardian of the smutty premises appeared to forbid his entrance, and
+after waiting a full minute to make certain it was safe to advance yet
+farther, he left one place of partial concealment for the next in his
+proposed line of march.
+
+So far as he could see, there was no other guardian of the yard save
+the two signs at the entrance, and the only purpose they served was to
+challenge him.
+
+Grown bolder as the moments passed without bringing to light an enemy,
+the lad advanced more rapidly until he stood, partially concealed by
+one of the pens, where it was possible to have a full view of all that
+was being done in this place to which the public were not supposed to
+be admitted.
+
+If the intruder had braved the unknown dangers of the yard simply in
+order to gratify his curiosity, then had he paid a higher price than
+the view warranted.
+
+The building, which from the street appeared to mark the end of the
+enclosure, was a structure wherein puffing engines, grimy men, long
+lengths of moving chains, and enormous iron cars or boxes were
+sheltered from the sun or rain. In front of it a wooden wall extended
+down into the water,--a pier perhaps it might be called,--and at this
+pier, held fast by hemp and iron cables, lay a gigantic steamer built
+of iron.
+
+The intruder gave no heed to the busy men and machinery within the
+building. The vessel, so powerful, but lying there apparently
+helpless, enchained his attention until he had made mental note of
+every spar, or boat, or cable within his range of vision.
+
+Then, suddenly, from somewhere amid the chains, and cars, 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 moved quietly away here or there as if
+having no more interest in the hurly-burly.
+
+One of the weary labourers, his face begrimed with coal-dust until it
+was not possible to distinguish the colour of his skin, took from its
+near-by hiding-place a dinner-pail, and came directly toward where the
+small boy was overlooking the scene.
+
+Within two yards of the lad the dusty man sat down, brushed the ends
+of his fingers on his trousers, rather from force of habit than with
+any idea of cleansing them, and without further delay began to eat his
+dinner.
+
+The boy eyed him hungrily, looked around quickly to make 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," the man said,
+speaking indistinctly because of the bread in his mouth, and the boy
+replied, defiantly:
+
+"I'd like to see the watchman 'round here that I'm 'fraid of, an'
+besides, he couldn't catch me."
+
+"What'er you doin' here?"
+
+"Nothin'."
+
+"A boy of your size has got no business to be loafin' 'round doin'
+nothin'."
+
+"I might be eatin' if I had a chance; but there hasn't been much of an
+openin' for me in that line this quite a spell."
+
+"Hungry?"
+
+"Give me a piece of that bread an' I'll show yer."
+
+"Don't you do anything for a livin'?" the man asked passing the lad a
+generous slice from the loaf.
+
+"Course I do."
+
+"What?"
+
+"Anything that pays. I've sold papers some since the Spaniards got so
+funny; but it ain't any great snap, only once in awhile when the news
+is humpin' itself. A feller gets stuck mighty often, an' I'm thinkin'
+of tryin' somethin' else."
+
+"Where's your folks?"
+
+"I ain't got any to speak of now, since my father got giddy an' went
+off to war."
+
+"Out for a soldier, eh?"
+
+"Not a bit of it! He shovels coal aboard one of them big steamers
+that's down smashin' the life out'er Cuby, that's what he does, an'
+he's nobody's slouch, dad ain't!"
+
+"What's your name?"
+
+"Teddy Dunlap."
+
+"Want more bread?"
+
+The boy leaned over in order to look into the dinner-pail, and then
+said, promptly:
+
+"I've had enough."
+
+"Don't think you're robbin' me, 'cause you ain't. I believe 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 new acquaintance,
+and, seeing a pail half concealed by some loose boards, at once
+stretched out his hand, as he said:
+
+"If you've got plenty, I don't care if I do have another piece of that
+bread."
+
+"Can't you earn enough to keep you in food?" and the man gave to the
+boy a most appetising sandwich.
+
+"Say, that's a dandy! It's half meat, too! Them you get down-town
+don't have more'n the shadow of a ham bone inside the bread! Course I
+make enough to buy food; but you don't think I'm blowin' it all in
+jest for a spread, eh?"
+
+"Runnin' a bank?"
+
+"Well, it's kind'er like that; I'm puttin' it all away, so's to go
+down to Cuby an' look after the old man. He allers did need me, an' I
+can't see how he's been gettin' along alone."
+
+"Where's your mother?"
+
+"Died when I was a kid. Dad an' me boomed things in great shape till
+he got set on goin' to war, an' that broke it all up."
+
+"Did he leave you behind to run wild?"
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+"Not much he didn't, 'cause he knows I can take care of myself; but he
+allowed to make money enough so's we could buy a place out in the
+country, where we'd have an imitation farm, an' live high. Oh, I'm all
+right, an' every time I catch a sucker like you there's jest so much
+more saved toward goin' down to Cuby. You see I never did take much
+stock in dad's kitin' 'round fightin' Spaniards, an' since he left it
+seems as if I was mighty foolish to let him go, so I'm bound to be
+where he is, when things come my way."
+
+"Look here, Teddy," and the dust-begrimed man spoke in a more kindly
+tone to the boy, "If your father is a coal-passer in the navy, an'
+that's what he seems to be, 'cordin' to your story, you couldn't see
+very much of him, even though you was on board his vessel all the
+time."
+
+"Don't yer s'pose I know that? I ain't sich a baby that I count on
+bein' right under his nose; but I'm goin' to be somewhere near the old
+man in case he needs me."
+
+"It seems as if you might get down to Cuba easier than earnin' the
+money to pay your passage."
+
+"How?" and Teddy ceased eating for the instant to look at this new
+friend who had made a suggestion which interested him more than
+anything else could have done.
+
+"Why don't you try to work your passage? Now, here's this 'ere
+steamer, loadin' with coal for the navy--perhaps goin' to the very
+ship your father is on. If you could jolly the captain into takin' you
+to do odd jobs, it would be a snap, alongside of payin' for a ticket
+an' trustin' to luck after gettin' there."
+
+"Well, say! That would be a great racket if it could be worked! Is it
+a dead sure thing that the steamer's bound for our war-vessels?"
+
+"That's what, though it ain't to be said that she'll be goin' to the
+very craft your father's on. All I know is Uncle Sam has bought this
+coal, an' it's bein' taken out to our navy somewhere 'round Cuba."
+
+"I don't reckon any but them what enlists can go aboard the steamer,
+an' the snap can't be worked, for I've tried four times to get taken
+on as a sailor."
+
+"But bless your heart, this 'ere craft is only a chartered collier."
+
+"A what?"
+
+"I mean she's only a freighter that Uncle Sam has hired to carry coal.
+You won't find enlisted men aboard of her."
+
+"An' do you really think there's a chance for me?"
+
+"I can't say as to that, lad; but I'd make a try for a berth aboard if
+my mind was set on goin' into that part of the world, which it ain't.
+The captain went below not ten minutes before the noon-whistle
+sounded, an' he's likely there this minute."
+
+Teddy gazed inquiringly at this new acquaintance for an instant, as if
+suspicious that the man might be making sport of him, and then marched
+resolutely toward the end of the pier, with the half-eaten sandwich
+almost forgotten in his hand.
+
+After perhaps five minutes had passed, he returned, looking
+disappointed, but not disheartened, and seating himself by the side of
+the owner of the two dinner-pails, resumed operations upon the
+sandwich.
+
+"See the captain?"
+
+"Yep."
+
+"Didn't want a boy, eh?"
+
+"Guess not; he said he'd give me two minutes to get out of the cabin,
+an' I thought perhaps I'd better go."
+
+"Quite natural, lad, quite natural; I'd done the same thing myself.
+There couldn't have been any very great harm worked, though, in askin'
+the question."
+
+"It stirred him up considerable; but I guess he'll get over it without
+any very bad spell," Teddy said, grimly, and after a brief pause,
+added, reflectively, "It seems as though some men hated boys; I've
+seen them as would take a good deal of trouble to kick a feller if he
+stood the least little bit in the way, an' I never could understand
+it."
+
+"Perhaps there's more'n you in the same box; a brute's a brute whether
+he be old or young, an' age always makes 'em worse. It's a pity,
+though, that you didn't strike one of the right kind, because if
+you're set on gettin' down where the fightin' is goin' on, this 'ere
+steamer would have been the safest way."
+
+"Do you know when she's likely to leave?" Teddy asked, after a long
+pause, during which he had been gazing intently 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 leave the dock within an hour
+after the last scoopful has been put aboard."
+
+"How long will it take her to get there?"
+
+"I can't say, lad, seein's I don't rightly know where she's bound; but
+it shouldn't be a long voyage at the worst, for such as her."
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+Again Teddy gazed at the gilt letters on the rail, as if in them he
+saw something strange or wonderful, and when the owner of the
+dinner-pails had come to an end of his meal, the boy said, abruptly:
+
+"Do you know the watchman here?"
+
+"Watchman! I haven't seen any yet, though I reckon likely there is one
+around somewhere; but he ain't agitatin' himself with doin' much
+watchin'."
+
+"Is the yard open all the time?"
+
+"I haven't seen the gates closed yet; but most likely that's because
+the work has been pushed on so fast, there hasn't been time to shut
+'em. Look here, lad!" and now the man sat bolt upright, staring as
+intently at the boy as the latter had at the gilt letters, "Is it in
+your head to stow away on that steamer?"
+
+"Sim Donovan did it aboard a English steamer, an' I've heard it said
+he had a great time."
+
+"Yes, I reckon he did, if the captain was the usual sort," the
+dust-begrimed man replied, grimly.
+
+"I could keep out of sight a whole week, if it was for the sake of
+comin' across dad," the boy added, half to himself.
+
+"That's what you think now, lad; but it ain't the easy work you're
+countin' on. As a general rule, stowaways get it mighty tough, an' I'd
+sooner take my chances of swimmin', than to try any such plan."
+
+"If a feller kept under cover he couldn't get into much trouble."
+
+"But you can't stay in hidin' any great length of time, lad. You'd
+have to come out for food or water after a spell."
+
+"Not if I took plenty with me," Teddy replied, in the tone of one who
+has already arrived at a conclusion.
+
+"It looks easy enough while you're outside; but once shut in between
+decks, or cooped up in some small hole, an' you'd sing a different
+tune."
+
+"I wouldn't if it was a case of seein' dad when we got there."
+
+"But that's the trouble, my boy. You don't know where the steamer is
+bound. She might be runnin' straight away from him, an' then what
+would you do?"
+
+"You said she was goin' to carry the coal to our vessels, didn't you?"
+
+"Yes; but that don't mean she'll strike the very one your father is
+workin' on."
+
+"I'll take the chances," and now Teddy spoke very decidedly.
+
+For an instant it was as if the owner of the two dinner-pails would
+attempt to dissuade him from the hastily formed determination, and
+then the man checked himself suddenly.
+
+"I like to see a boy show that he's got some backbone to him, an' it
+may be you'll pull out all right. It'll be an experience you'll never
+forget, though, an' perhaps it won't do any harm."
+
+"How can it?" Teddy asked, sharply.
+
+"Them as have tried it might be able to explain more'n I can; there's
+no call for me to spend wind tryin' to tell what you won't listen to,
+so I'll hold my tongue. I'm bound to say this much, though, which is
+that you're certain to catch it rough when the time comes for showin'
+yourself."
+
+"That'll be all right; I can stand a good deal for the sake of seein'
+the old man once more."
+
+Having said this, Teddy turned his head away as if no longer inclined
+for conversation, whereupon the owner of the two dinner-pails surveyed
+him admiringly.
+
+"I wouldn't wonder if you had considerable sand in you, Teddy Dunlap,"
+he said, musingly. "An' even though it seems a queer thing for a grown
+man to do, I'm minded to give you a lift along what's goin' to prove a
+mighty hard 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 over to the
+police in order to prevent your makin' a fool of yourself, I'll see
+the game out so far as I can. What have you got by way of an outfit?"
+
+"I don't need any."
+
+"You must have food and water."
+
+"I ain't broke, an' it won't be any great job to buy as much grub as
+will keep me goin' for a spell."
+
+"That's the same as all stowaways figger, an' the consequence is that
+they have to show themselves mighty soon after the ship sails. I ain't
+advisin' you to try the game; but if you're set on it, I says, says I,
+take all you'll need for a week, an' then perhaps there'll be a turn
+in affairs that'll help you out of a bad hole. Here are my pails;
+they're yours an' welcome. Fill 'em both with water, or perhaps cold
+tea would be best; buy whatever will be most fillin', an' walk aboard
+as bold as a lion within the next hour. Them as see you are bound to
+think you're waitin' upon some of the workmen, an' not a word will be
+said. The hidin' of yourself is easy enough; it's the comin' out
+that'll be rough."
+
+"Say, you're what I call a dandy!" and Teddy laid his hand on the
+man's knee approvingly. "I was mighty lucky to come across one of your
+kind."
+
+"I ain't so certain about that. Before twenty-four hours have gone by
+you may be wishin' you'd never seen me."
+
+"I'll risk that part of it, an' if you really mean for me to have the
+pails, you'll see me go aboard the steamer mighty soon."
+
+"They're yours, my boy, an' I only hope you'll come out of the scrape
+all right."
+
+"Don't worry 'bout that; it'll be a terrible spry captain that can
+make me cry baby when I'm headin' toward where dad is. Be good to
+yourself!"
+
+Teddy took up the pails, and as he turned to go out of the yard his
+new acquaintance asked, solicitously:
+
+"Got money enough to buy what'll be needed? If you haven't there's
+some odd change about my clothes that--"
+
+"I'm well fixed, an' that's a fact. Ever since the idea came to me of
+huntin' dad up, I've kept myself in shape to leave town on a hustle.
+You're mighty good, just the same."
+
+"I'm makin' an old fool of myself, that's what I'm doin'," the man
+replied, angrily, and then turned resolutely away, muttering to
+himself, "It's little less than sheer cruelty to let a lad like him
+stow away on a collier. There ain't one chance in a thousand of his
+findin' the father he's after, an' the odds are in favour of his
+havin' a precious hard time before gettin' back to this town."
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+Then a whistle sounded as a warning that the labourers must return
+to their tasks, and a moment later the building was 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 battened down. A
+second was being fastened in place, and the final preparations being
+made told that the enormous hold had been nearly filled with the black
+fuel needed by the war-ships.
+
+Every man, whether a member of the vessel's crew, or one of the
+labourers employed for the lading, was intent only on his own
+business, and among all that throng it is probable that but one gave
+any heed to a small boy who came rapidly down through the yard
+carrying two tin pails in his hands, and a large paper parcel under
+his arm.
+
+That single workman, who was giving heed to other than his own special
+work, nodded in the most friendly fashion as the lad passed near where
+he was standing, and whispered, gruffly:
+
+"God love you, lad!"
+
+The boy winked gravely, and then, setting his face seaward, marched
+boldly up on the steamer's deck, glancing neither to the right nor the
+left, lest it should be observed that he was not familiar with his
+surroundings.
+
+The man, who a few moments previous had been the possessor of two
+dinner-pails, watched carefully as the small lad walked rapidly
+forward, and only when the latter was lost to view did he give heed to
+his own work, saying half to himself as he took up the task once more:
+
+"I've half a mind to blow on the boy even now, for it's a cruel shame
+to let him take the chances of stowin' away with 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 just when he
+believes he's workin' his plan so smooth. Better let him go his own
+course, an' trust that them he comes across will remember the time
+when they were lads."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+KEEP IN.
+
+
+Teddy Dunlap's father was formerly a coal-passer on a steam-tug, and
+many times had the lad, while spending the day with his parent, seen
+an ocean-going steamer at close range, while the small craft went
+alongside the larger one for business purposes.
+
+At such times the boy seldom lost an opportunity of boarding the big
+vessel, and thus it was that he had a general idea of where he might
+the most readily find a hiding-place this day when he was venturing so
+much in the hope of meeting his only relative.
+
+The dinner-pails and the parcel under his arm would have done much
+toward warding off suspicion as to his purpose, had any one observed
+him; but every person on deck, whether member of the crew or
+temporarily employed to make the ship ready for sea, was so intent on
+his duties as to have no thought for a lad who appeared to 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 to deliver the parcel and
+pails to one of the workmen, and so long as the boy had been permitted
+to come over the rail, it was reasonable to suppose he had due
+authority for being there.
+
+Teddy knew full well that his chances for successfully stowing away in
+the vicinity of the main cabin, the engine-room, or the deck-houses,
+were exceedingly slight, for such places were visited by many; but
+down in the very eyes of the ship, where were located the quarters for
+the seamen, was more than one dark, out-of-the-way hole into which he
+could creep with but little fear of being discovered.
+
+Turning his head neither to the right nor the left, and moving rapidly
+as if it was his desire to be ashore again as soon as possible, the
+boy went into the forecastle--the sailors' parlour.
+
+The dark, ill-ventilated place, filled with noisome odours, had at
+that moment no living occupants save the rats who had grown bold
+through long tenancy. The crew were all on deck, for at this time,
+when quick despatch was necessary, no skulking would be allowed, and
+had Teddy's friend 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 was little likelihood
+any would come to learn the cause of the uproar until after the
+steamer had left the coal-sheds to begin her long voyage straight
+toward the enemy's islands.
+
+Being in a certain degree aware of this last fact, Teddy set about
+making his arrangements for the ticketless voyage in a methodical
+fashion, there being no reason why he should allow himself to be
+hurried.
+
+The crew on board the good steamer _Merrimac_ had neither better nor
+worse quarters than those to be found on any other craft of her class;
+but to a lad whose experiences of seafaring life had been confined to
+short excursions around the harbour, this "sea parlour" was by no
+means inviting, and save for the incentive which urged him forward,
+Teddy Dunlap might have allowed himself to become disheartened even
+before it had been proven that he could take passage secretly.
+
+"It ain't so _awful_ 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 failing courage,
+and straightway he set about searching for a hiding-place where he
+might remain concealed until the steamer should come alongside
+Commodore Schley's flag-ship, the _Brooklyn_, whereon was his father.
+
+Then--but there would be time enough to form plans for showing himself
+when he had nothing better with which to occupy his attention.
+
+The forecastle was well filled with sea-chests, bedding, which as yet
+had not been put in place, and such like goods as seamen would
+naturally bring with them on a reasonably long voyage, therefore Teddy
+found it difficult to judge as to what might be the general
+arrangements for stowage after the steamer should be under way; but he
+had good reason to believe it was necessary to find some place so
+small that it could not well be utilised by the men.
+
+When, after some search, he came upon a narrow, dark, doorless
+closet, partially filled with coils of rope, bolts of canvas, and what
+appeared to be a general assortment of odds and ends, it seemed as if
+he had indeed found that for which he was looking.
+
+There was little chance this small den would be required for other
+than what it was then used, and he had only to fear that some of the
+articles it contained might suddenly be needed, when he must of a
+necessity be discovered by whosoever should be sent to overhaul the
+goods.
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+"I'll have to take the chances," Teddy said to himself, having
+considered well this possibility of discovery. "It ain't likely
+they'll want anything out of here till after the steamer is at sea,
+an' then it'll be too late to send me ashore."
+
+Once having decided that this was to be his abiding-place during the
+time he could remain in hiding on board the _Merrimac_, Teddy set
+about making such bestowal of the goods as would best serve to his
+comfort, arguing with himself that he might not have another
+opportunity for putting the new quarters into decent shape.
+
+Understanding that once the steamer was at sea she would be tossed
+about by the waves until it might be difficult for him to remain in
+whatever place he pleased, the boy's first care was to make of the
+rope and canvas a barricade to hold the remainder of the goods in
+proper position, and, this done, there was little else possible, save
+to unroll a bolt of the sail-cloth that it should serve as a bed.
+
+"It's a good deal snugger than I expected, an' the dark part of it
+don't count," he said to himself, contentedly, as he wedged the two
+tin pails filled with water, and his store of provisions, inside the
+largest coil of rope. "When there ain't too much noise I can hear the
+crew talkin', and that'll help out big if a feller happens to get
+lonesome. Them signs on the coal-yard said 'keep out,' an' I come in;
+now I ought'er put up one that says 'keep in,' an' perhaps I'll go out
+quicker'n I'm countin' on. Anyhow it's a case of keepin' in mighty
+snug, 'less I want to run up against that captain once more, an' I'm
+thinkin' he'd be an ugly customer."
+
+Teddy Dunlap was well content. He believed his store of provisions and
+water was sufficient to keep both hunger and thirst at a distance
+during such time as it might be necessary for him to remain there in
+hiding, and when the short term of imprisonment should come to an end,
+he would be with his father.
+
+What more could any twelve-year-old boy ask for?
+
+It was while counting up his reasons for being thankful that the
+stowaway fell asleep, the heat, the darkness, and the comparative
+quiet all contributing to make his eyelids heavy, and he was yet
+unconscious when two noisy, bustling little tugs, one either side of
+the big vessel, towed her down the harbour.
+
+The voyage had begun, and, apparently, there was no suspicion in the
+minds of the officers that the _Merrimac_ had on board other than her
+regularly shipped crew.
+
+When Teddy awakened he felt comfortable both in mind and body; the
+steamer was rising and falling on the ocean swell, but not to such a
+degree as inconvenienced him in the slightest, and the many odours
+with which his nostrils were assailed passed almost entirely
+unnoticed.
+
+He believed, because of the pounding of the waves, that the _Merrimac_
+was rushing through the waters at a sharp pace, and this supposed fact
+was in itself sufficient to counterbalance any defects he may have
+discovered in his hiding-place, for the greater the speed the sooner
+he might see his father.
+
+Not until after he had been awake several moments was it possible to
+distinguish, amid the varied noises, the sound of human voices; but he
+was finally able to do so, and became 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, 'cause it won't be a big job to
+crawl out far enough to hear the men talk, an' a feller couldn't be
+better fixed, not if he'd paid two prices for a ticket."
+
+Then the idea came to Teddy Dunlap that he was hungry, and he laughed
+gently at the thought that it was only necessary to stretch out his
+hand in order to satisfy the desire.
+
+"Talk 'bout your palace-cars! They ain't a marker 'longside this way
+of travellin'. I don't have to wait for any tousled-headed nigger to
+bring my order, 'cause here it is!"
+
+Straightway the boy began to satisfy his hunger, doing it in an
+economical fashion, for he was not minded to exhaust his supply on the
+first day of leaving port.
+
+He drank sparingly of the water, but yet taking sufficient to quench
+his thirst, and when the meal was come to an end lay back on the
+canvas bed luxuriously, congratulating himself again and again, upon
+his determination to go in search of his father.
+
+The motion of the steamer grew more violent; but Teddy was proof
+against such rolling as the _Merrimac_ was indulging in then.
+
+There remained the same buffeting of the waves which told of progress;
+told that the distance between himself and his father was rapidly
+being lessened, and this was sufficient for the stowaway.
+
+The plunging of the steamer was to Teddy Dunlap no more than the
+violent rocking of a cradle would be to an infant; it prevented him
+from remaining quiet as would have been pleasant, but did not drive
+slumber from his eyelids.
+
+In less than ten minutes after having partaken of the meal he was
+again wrapped in slumber, and during a full twenty-four hours he
+alternately slept and ate; but at the end of that time was more than
+ready for a change of programme.
+
+Then it was that his eyes refused to close; the folds of canvas, which
+at first had seemed as soft as any fellow could have asked for, became
+hard as iron, and he suddenly discovered that he was sore and lame
+from having been flung about when the vessel rolled.
+
+The hardships of a stowaway's life suddenly became a reality, and
+instead of congratulating himself upon being on board the _Merrimac_,
+he began to speculate upon the probable length of the voyage.
+
+He hungered to hear the voices of the men more distinctly, and spent
+full two hours gently moving the dunnage around so that he might crawl
+out near the entrance to this seeming cave.
+
+When he had gotten so far into the forecastle that no more than two
+coils of rope hid him from view of the watch below, and understood it
+would be dangerous to advance any farther, he learned that it was
+impossible to hear any more than such words as were spoken in the
+loudest tone. There was little hope of being able to realise what
+might be going on around him by such means.
+
+Then came a most dismal twenty-four hours, when the _Merrimac_, met
+full in the teeth by a gale of wind, staggered, plunged, and rolled
+her way along, every wave striking the iron hull with a force that
+caused Teddy to wince, and then came that deathly sickness which
+those who sail upon the sea are sometimes forced to endure.
+
+There were many hours when the stowaway believed the steamer was about
+to go to the bottom, and he fancied death was the only relief from his
+agony. He even ceased to think of his father, and considered no person
+save himself, wondering why he had been so foolish as to believe it
+might be wise to search for Commodore Schley's flag-ship.
+
+More than once while the malady had a firm hold upon him, did he
+decide to throw himself upon the mercy of whosoever might chance to be
+in view when he emerged from the hiding-place, and perhaps if the
+sickness had been less severe, his adventures would have ended as do
+the greater number of such exploits.
+
+Once having recovered, however, his heart became braver, even though
+he learned that nearly all the water had been spilled while the
+steamer was tossing about so wildly, and his store of provisions,
+which had seemed so large when he came on board, was nearly exhausted.
+
+After this the hours passed more slowly, and each moment the
+imprisonment seemed more irksome.
+
+It was only with difficulty he could force himself to remain screened
+from view, and more than once did he venture dangerously near the
+entrance to his floating cave in the hope of seeing a human face, but
+yet he kept 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 his father, but
+thought only of how long he could endure the pangs of hunger and
+thirst, and even the fear of the commander's possible brutality faded
+away as he dwelt upon the pleasure of having sufficient to eat and
+drink.
+
+And finally, as might have been expected, the moment arrived when he
+could no longer hold his courage against the suffering, and he made
+preparations to discover himself.
+
+How long he had been cooped up in that narrow place it was impossible
+for him to so much as guess; he did not try to compute the number of
+hours that had elapsed since he last tasted food or water; there was
+only in his mind an intense desire to receive the punishment for
+having stowed away, in order that he might the sooner satisfy the
+cravings of his stomach.
+
+"It's no use to hold on any longer; the voyage ain't comin' to an end
+for weeks an' weeks, an' I'll be dead in another day if I don't have
+somethin' to eat. I'll go out this minute, an' take whatever they give
+me in the way of a floggin', for waitin' won't make things any
+better."
+
+Having arrived at this decision, Teddy Dunlap began to attack the
+cordage which screened the entrance to his retreat as if each strand
+of rope was a deadly enemy to be overcome without loss of time, and
+when he had thrown down the last obstacle he stood blinking and
+winking in the not overly strong light of the forecastle, confronted
+by a short, round-faced sailor, who surveyed him in mingled fear and
+astonishment.
+
+"Where--who--what--oh, a stowaway, eh?" the little man cried, after
+having expressed on his glistening face, in rapid succession, fear,
+astonishment, and bewilderment. "Well, I'll eat my hat if I ever heard
+of a lad stowin' away on a collier what's out on an errand like ours!"
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+"Yes, I'm a stowaway, an' I don't care who knows it!" Teddy cried, in
+a tone of desperation. "I held in just as long as any feller could,
+an' it seems as if I was next door to bein' dead, I'm so thirsty an'
+hungry!"
+
+"You won't count triflin' things like that after you've come face to
+face with the captain, lad," and the little man appeared as truly
+sorrowful as any one of a like jolly countenance ever can, however
+saddening the situation.
+
+"Will he let in to me pretty tough?"
+
+"I'm thinkin' that anything else you've had in that line will seem a
+good deal like a joke, alongside of what he'll deal 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 to turn you over to the first
+cruiser we meet, for extra punishment. I don't know how Uncle Sam
+treats them as stows away on his vessels, but I'll go bail it ain't
+with any very tender hand."
+
+Teddy Dunlap looked around the forecastle, searching for some one to
+whom he could appeal, for he believed this jolly-looking little sailor
+was trying to play upon his fears; but the sea-parlour was empty.
+
+If he had waited forty-eight hours for an opportune time in which to
+make his appearance, he could not have come at a better moment.
+
+"What's the use tryin' to scare a feller almost to death?" 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 the solemn truth.
+While I never saw the captain of this 'ere steamer till I came aboard,
+I'll eat my hat if he ain't a tartar 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 the scrape."
+
+"I'd go back into my hole if I had somethin' to eat an' drink."
+
+"Where'd you come from?"
+
+Teddy pointed to his late place of concealment, and the jolly little
+man said, quite cheerfully:
+
+"That's the very thing for you to do, my son. I don't want to see you
+abused, an' it'll be hard lines if between us you can't be got off
+this bloomin' steamer without everybody's knowin' that you've cheated
+Uncle Sam out of a passage."
+
+"Can you get me somethin' to eat?" Teddy asked, imploringly.
+
+"I will if it takes every cent that's comin' to me in the way of
+wages, to square the cook. Tell me what brought you 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 could be no doubt,
+and without hesitation Teddy told him the whole story, neither adding
+to nor taking therefrom, and saying, 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 give it to me very rough
+while he was around."
+
+"An' your father is aboard the _Brooklyn_, eh?"
+
+"Yes; he shipped as coal-passer."
+
+"Well, I don't rightly know what he'll be able to do for 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
+bigger commission."
+
+"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 proof we'll come across
+him. This 'ere cargo of coal is goin' where it's most needed, an' we
+may never find any of Schley's fleet."
+
+"But we're goin' right where the war-vessels are."
+
+"See here, my son, Commodore Schley's fleet ain't the only squadron in
+this war by a long chalk, an' we might work at coalin' the navy from
+now till we're gray-headed without comin' across him. I'm afraid the
+chances of findin' your father are slim; but I'm bound to help you
+out'er the snarl that bloomin' longshoreman got you into, if it so be
+I can. Get back into the hole, an' I'll see what can be found in the
+way of grub."
+
+Teddy, more disheartened because of the doubt expressed as to the
+possibility of finding his father, obeyed the little man's order
+without remonstrance, and once alone again, gave himself up to the
+most disagreeable thoughts, absolutely forgetting for the moment that
+he had supposed himself on the verge of starvation a short time
+previous.
+
+As yet he had not absolutely divulged his secret, save to the little
+sailor who had promised to be his friend, and it might be possible
+that at some port he could slip on shore without the knowledge of any
+save this one man.
+
+But all such counted for nothing at the moment, in view of the
+possibility that he had, perhaps, made the venture in vain.
+
+There was another and yet more alarming view to be taken of the
+situation. He might be forced to go ashore in a strange harbour, for
+it was hardly within the range of probability that he could return in
+the _Merrimac_ to the home port, and then there was the ugly chance
+that possibly there would be great difficulty in finding his way back.
+
+"I've made the biggest kind of a fool of myself!" he wailed, very
+softly; "but I won't let anybody know that I'm willin' to agree to it.
+When a feller gets into a muss he'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 certain but I'd better go straight on deck an' take my dose; the
+captain won't be likely to kill me, an' the sooner it's over the
+easier I'll feel."
+
+It is not certain but that Teddy Dunlap might have put this new
+proposition into execution at once, had it not been for the coming of
+the little sailor, who said, in a cheery tone:
+
+"Here you are, my hearty, salt horse an' tea! I reckon you can worry
+along on that for a spell, an' meanwhile I'll keep my weather eye
+liftin' for you. Things may not be more'n half as bad as they look,
+an' even that'll be tough enough."
+
+"I've been thinkin' I'd better have it out with the captain now, an'
+then I wouldn't be dreadin' it."
+
+"What's the sense of picklin' a rod for your own back when you may run
+away from it? Hold on here for a spell, an' I'll get the lay of the
+land before anything foolish is done."
+
+"You're mighty good to me," Teddy murmured, softly, as he took the
+hook-pot of tea and strip of cold meat from the sailor's hands.
+"What's your name?"
+
+"Bill Jones--Snippey, some of the hands call me when they want to be
+funny. I reckon we'd best not do any more chinnin', for the port watch
+will be in here precious soon, an' there's more'n one man who'd make
+life hot for you if he had the chance. I know what sailors are, lad,
+seein's I've been one myself, man an' boy, these thirty years, an'
+their foolin' is pretty tough play 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
+within the week, then it'll be time enough to let the old man have a
+whack at your hide."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+OFF SANTIAGO.
+
+
+It was really wonderful how changed everything appeared to Teddy
+Dunlap after his interview with Bill Jones.
+
+As a matter of course there had been no enlargement of his
+hiding-place, and yet it seemed as if he could move about more freely
+than before. He was forced to remain in quite as cramped a position,
+but it no longer seemed painful.
+
+Although the sailor had given him no encouragement that 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 at hand when he would be clasped once more in his father's
+arms.
+
+He had come out from his hiding-place weak and despairing, choosing
+the most severe punishment that could be inflicted rather than longer
+endure the misery which had been his constant companion during so many
+days, and now, even before partaking of the meat and tea, all was
+forgotten in the belief that he would soon be with his father.
+
+It was as if some other boy had taken Teddy Dunlap's place, and this
+second lad was strong where the other had been weak.
+
+He made a hearty meal, rearranged his bed so that he might be nearer
+the entrance to the hiding-place in case the sailor found it necessary
+to communicate with him hurriedly, and then indulged in more
+refreshing sleep than had visited his eyelids during the past
+forty-eight hours.
+
+When Teddy awakened, however, much of this new courage had vanished,
+and again he allowed himself to look forward into the future,
+searching for trouble.
+
+He had no means of knowing whether it was day or night, for the
+sunlight never came into this hole; but, because of the silence in the
+forecastle, it seemed probable the crew were on deck.
+
+The steamer rode on an even keel, save for a sluggish roll which told
+she was sailing over calm seas, and the air had suddenly grown
+stifling hot.
+
+Creeping so near the entrance that there was great danger of being
+discovered by such of the men as might come that way, Teddy waited
+with feverish impatience for some word from Bill Jones, and it seemed
+as if a full day must have passed before the voice of the jolly little
+sailor was heard.
+
+"Well, my hearty, you're in great luck, an' no mistake. I wouldn't
+have believed things could have gone so nearly your way, if I hadn't
+seen 'em with my own eyes."
+
+Before the sailor ceased speaking, Teddy had come out from his
+hiding-place regardless of possible discovery, and appeared to be on
+the point of rushing up the narrow companionway.
+
+"Hold on, you young rascal! Do you count on jumpin' right into the
+captain's arms?" and Bill Jones seized the lad by the shirt collar,
+pulling him backward with 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 firm clutch.
+
+"Time? I reckon not, unless you're achin' for a taste of the rope's
+end. Our skipper ain't any very mild tempered man at the best of
+times, an' this is one of his worst days, for everything has been
+goin' wrong end foremost jest when he wants to see the ship in
+apple-pie order."
+
+"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 the _Merrimac_ for some time to
+come, though you're nearer to him this minute than I ever allowed
+you'd be in this part of the world."
+
+"What do you mean?" and Teddy literally trembled with the impatience
+of anticipation.
+
+"Sampson's fleet is dead ahead. His vessels are the very ones we've
+come to coal, an' if that ain't luck enough for a stowaway, I'd like
+to know what you could call it?"
+
+"Is the _Brooklyn_ anywhere near?" and Teddy did his best to speak
+calmly.
+
+"Dead ahead, I tell you."
+
+"Will we run right alongside of her?"
+
+"I don't allow you've any claim to count on luck like that; but we're
+hard by Sampson's fleet, and it'll be strange if we can't find a
+chance of lettin' your father know where you are."
+
+"Find a chance? Why, I'll go right on deck an' yell to him. He's bound
+to come out when he hears me."
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+There was in this remark something which struck Bill Jones as being so
+comical that he burst into a hearty laugh, and then, realising that
+his messmates on deck might come down to learn the cause of such
+unusual mirth, he partially checked himself, gurgling and choking in
+the efforts to suppress his merriment, until it appeared that he was
+on the point of being strangled.
+
+"Go on deck an' yell to him," he muttered in the intervals between
+what appeared to be spasms. "Say, lad, it's precious lucky the weather
+is so hot that the crew have 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 you
+think it's only a case of goin' on deck an' yellin', to bring your
+father right over the rail!"
+
+"He'd come if he heard me," Teddy replied, sharply.
+
+"I ain't so certain 'bout that, for coal-passers don't have the choice
+of promenading a battle-ship's deck. The officers generally have
+somethin' to say about capers of that kind. Besides, you might yell
+yourself black in the face, even if the _Merrimac_ was layin' close
+alongside the _Brooklyn_, an' he'd never be any the wiser. You seem to
+have the idee that one of Uncle Sam's vessels is built something after
+the pattern of a tugboat."
+
+"But I've got to get at him somehow," Teddy said, in perplexity, the
+new and great joy which had sprung up in his heart dying away very
+suddenly.
+
+"True for you, lad; but it ain't to be done in the way you're
+figgerin' on, an', besides, havin' come along so smooth this far, I'm
+not countin' on lettin' you run your nose against such a thistle as
+the captain is like to be. It ought'er be enough that we've struck
+into the very fleet you wanted to find, an' a boy what can't wait a
+spell after 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 tell me to come
+out," Teddy said, meekly, understanding full well what his plight
+would be should this friendly sailor turn against him.
+
+"Now you're talkin' sense," Bill Jones said, approvingly. "I was
+countin' on cheerin' you up a bit, by tellin' of where the _Merrimac_
+had fetched up, an' didn't allow to set you off like a wild Injun. Hot
+down here, eh?"
+
+"It's kind'er warm, an' that's a fact."
+
+"So much the better, because the crew will stay on deck, 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' you out."
+
+"How will you let him know where I am?"
+
+"There'll be plenty of show for that if we come alongside the
+_Brooklyn_; I can manage to send him word, I reckon."
+
+The conversation was brought to an abrupt close by the appearance of a
+sailor's feet as he descended from the deck, and Bill Jones turned
+quickly away, pretending to be overhauling his sea-chest, while Teddy
+made all haste to regain his "hole."
+
+Now it was that the stowaway had every reason to congratulate himself
+upon the fair prospects which were his, when it had seemed positive
+that much trouble would come before the venture was ended, and yet the
+moments passed more slowly than at any time since he had voluntarily
+become a prisoner.
+
+With each hour his impatience increased, until it was with difficulty
+he could force himself to remain in hiding.
+
+While he believed his father was very far away, there appeared good
+reason for remaining hidden; but now, with the _Brooklyn_ close at
+hand, it seemed as if he must make his whereabouts known without loss
+of time.
+
+Fear as to what terrible punishment the captain of the _Merrimac_
+might inflict, however, kept him in his proper place, and before many
+hours passed Bill Jones brought him further intelligence.
+
+"The _New York_ is to take on the first of the coal," he said, leaning
+over the barricade of rope, and whispering to the impatient prisoner.
+"I'm thinkin' we'll get around to the _Brooklyn_ before all the cargo
+is gone, an' then this game of hide will come to an end--if your
+father is a smarter man than the average of us."
+
+The jolly little sailor had no time to say more, for one of the petty
+officers interrupted the stolen interview by calling loudly for "Bill
+Jones," and while obeying the summons the sailor muttered to himself,
+"I wish the boy was well clear of this steamer; it seems as if he was
+under my wing, so to speak, an' I can't make out how any man, lower in
+rank than a full-fledged captain, can take him 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 the world for him to
+step on board the _Brooklyn_ as a guest, and the possibility that a
+coal-passer might not be allowed to invite his friends to visit him
+never entered the lad's mind.
+
+Bill Jones, however, was seriously troubled as to the outcome of the
+affair, as has been seen.
+
+He had promised to aid the stowaway, as he would have promised to aid
+any other lad in trouble, for the jolly little sailor was one ever
+ready to relieve the distress of others, no matter how great might be
+the cost to himself; and now, having taken the case in hand, his
+anxiety of mind was great, because he was by no means as certain of
+his ability to carry it through successfully as he would have Teddy
+believe.
+
+Within four hours after the sailor reported that the _Merrimac_ would
+speedily begin to take out her cargo, the prisoner in the forecastle
+became aware that the steamer was at a standstill.
+
+For the first time since leaving port the screw was motionless, and
+the absence of that pounding which marked the revolutions of the shaft
+caused a silence that for a few moments seemed almost painful.
+
+Shortly afterward, when Bill Jones came to bring a fresh supply of
+provisions and water, he reported that the _New York_ was taking on
+coal.
+
+"The other ships are certain to need a supply, an' we're bound to come
+alongside the _Brooklyn_ sooner or later," he said, cheerily, and
+Teddy replied, with a sigh:
+
+"It seems like a terribly long while to wait; but I s'pose I can stand
+it."
+
+"I reckon it's a case of havin' to, lad, unless you're willin' to take
+the captain's medicine, an' that's what I wouldn't like to tackle."
+
+"It's as if I'd been here a full month, an' accordin' to what you say
+I'm mighty lucky if I have to stay only two or three days more."
+
+"You're lucky if you get out in a week, so don't go to countin' the
+minutes, or time will be long in passin'."
+
+Twice during the next twenty-four hours did Teddy have an opportunity
+of speaking with his friend, and then he knew that the _Merrimac_ was
+alongside the _Massachusetts_.
+
+"You see we're goin' the rounds of the fleet, an' it's only a question
+of the coal holdin' out, to finally bring us to the _Brooklyn_," Bill
+Jones said, hurriedly, for there was no opportunity of lengthy
+conversations while the crew were engaged in transferring the fuel.
+
+Another long time of waiting, and Bill Jones appeared at the entrance
+to the hiding-place in a state of the greatest excitement.
+
+"Somethin's got to be done right away, lad, an' I'm clean beat as to
+how we'll figger it out. This 'ere steamer is goin' to be sunk!"
+
+"Sunk!" Teddy cried in alarm, clutching Bill frantically by the arm,
+as if believing the _Merrimac_ was even then on the point of going
+down.
+
+"That's jest it, an' we're to be shifted to the other vessels, gettin'
+a berth wherever one can be found."
+
+"What will make her sink?"
+
+"She's to be blowed up! Wrecked in the harbour of Santiago de Cuba, so
+the Spaniards who are inside can't get out!"
+
+Teddy looked around him in bewilderment and alarm, understanding not
+one word of the brief explanation.
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+"You see the Spanish fleet is inside the harbour, and the mouth of
+it ain't more'n three hundred feet wide. This steamer will be blowed
+up right across the channel, an' there the Spaniards are, bottled up
+tight till our fleet gets ready to knock 'em into splinters."
+
+"But what'll become of me? I'll have to face the captain after all!"
+
+"I reckon there's no help for it, lad, because it don't stand to
+reason that you want to go down with the ship."
+
+"How long before you'll sink her?"
+
+"_We_ sha'n't have anything to do with it, lad. It's what you might
+call a precious fine job, an' 'cordin' to the way everybody looks at
+it, them who do the work ain't likely to come back again."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Look here, lad, if you was goin' on deck an' set off three or four
+torpedoes under your very feet, what do you think would be the show of
+gettin' ashore alive?"
+
+Teddy made no effort to weigh the chances; his own affairs were in
+such a precarious condition that there was no room in his mind for
+anything else.
+
+"I'd better have gone to the captain when I first made up my mind that
+it had to be done, an' it would be over by this time," he said, with a
+long-drawn sigh.
+
+"It wouldn't have been over till you got ashore, because pretty nigh
+every sailor thinks it his bounden duty to make things lively for a
+stowaway. You've saved yourself from bein' kicked an' thumped jest so
+many days as I've been coddlin' you up, an' there's a good deal in
+that."
+
+"Are we anywhere near the _Brooklyn_?"
+
+"She was five or six miles away when I saw her last--"
+
+"Five or six miles!"
+
+"Yes; did you allow she laid within hail?"
+
+"I thought from what you said that we was right among the fleet."
+
+"So we are, lad; but these big ships don't huddle very close together,
+an' ten miles off is called bein' mighty near at hand. I can't stop
+here chinnin' much longer, so listen sharp. When the time comes, an'
+it's precious near at hand now, you'll have walk up to the
+medicine-box like a little man, so kind'er be bracin' yourself for
+what's sure to happen. I'll watch till the captain appears to be in
+good humour, an' out you pop."
+
+Teddy nodded his head; there was too much sorrow and disappointment in
+his heart to permit of speech, and Bill Jones was so pressed for time
+that he failed to give due heed to the boy's mental condition.
+
+"Be ready when I come back next time!" the sailor whispered,
+warningly, and then ran on deck, leaving the stowaway in a most
+unenviable frame of mind.
+
+When Teddy's mouth was parched with thirst, and his stomach craving
+for food, he had brought himself to believe that he could submit
+without a murmur to whatever punishment the captain might see fit to
+inflict; but now it seemed different. During a very long time he had
+been cheering himself with the belief that before the close of this
+hour or the next he would be with his father, and such a sudden and
+startling change in affairs caused him deepest despair.
+
+Crawling into the narrow hiding-place, he gave full sway to the grief
+which had come upon him like a torrent, for once Captain Miller knew
+of his having stowed away, so he argued to himself, there would no
+longer be any hope of communicating with his father.
+
+To his mind he had not only failed in the purpose set himself, but
+would be more widely separated from his father than ever before, and
+it is little wonder, with such belief in his heart, that the boy
+ceased longer to battle against his sorrow.
+
+He was lying face downward upon the canvas when Bill Jones came to
+announce that the moment had arrived when he should brave the ordeal
+of facing Captain Miller, and the sailor was forced to speak several
+times in a loud tone before the lad realised that his friend was near
+at hand.
+
+"Come, Teddy," the little sailor said, soothingly, "it'll be over
+after awhile, an' perhaps won't be so bad as we've figgered, for the
+old man ain't tearin' 'round dreadful mad. Let's get on deck in a
+hurry, so's not to think about it too long, an' I'll stand right by
+your side till matters are settled one way or the other."
+
+"I might as well stay right here, an' be sunk when the steamer goes
+down," the boy wailed.
+
+"Nonsense, lad; after havin' the pluck to come thus far in search of
+your father, you mustn't lose heart now. Be a man, Teddy, an' count on
+me for a friend so long as the trouble lasts."
+
+It was not possible for Bill Jones to arouse the boy to a proper show
+of courage until after fully half an hour had passed, and then the two
+came out into the sunlight, both looking much as if having just been
+detected in the most heinous of crimes.
+
+The dazzling sunlight nearly blinded the boy, who had been shrouded in
+darkness so many days, and forced him to cover his eyes; therefore he
+failed to see the look of surprise and bewilderment on Bill Jones's
+face immediately they came on deck.
+
+During several moments he was in such a daze as to be virtually
+unconscious, and then he heard his companion ask:
+
+"Where is the _Merrimac's_ crew?"
+
+"They've been set aboard the _New York_ for a spell, seein's how this
+ain't likely to be a very pleasant craft to sail in after we get
+through with her," a strange voice replied, and Teddy opened his eyes.
+
+The deck of the collier appeared to be thronged with sailors in naval
+costume, all of whom were apparently bent on doing the greatest amount
+of destruction in the shortest possible space of time.
+
+Not far away to windward was a huge war-vessel, looking more like some
+submarine monster than anything built by man, and in the distance
+others of the same kind, cruising to and fro, or lying quietly upon
+the ocean, rising and falling with the heavy swell.
+
+All this picture Teddy took in with a single glance, and then his
+attention was diverted by Bill Jones, who said to the sailor with whom
+he had first spoken:
+
+"Ain't we to take our dunnage out?"
+
+"I reckon that'll be done after a spell; but just now it's a case of
+hurry, an' what a few old shellbacks like you may consider dunnage,
+ain't taken into account."
+
+"Where is Captain Miller?"
+
+"I saw him goin' toward the flag-ship. It seems he's got the biggest
+kind of a bee in his bonnet because Lieutenant Hobson is to be given
+the chance of killin' himself an' his crew, when he claims the right
+because of havin' been in command of this 'ere collier."
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+Teddy was wholly at a loss to understand the meaning of the
+conversation, and he looked at the little sailor, who now appeared
+perplexed rather than jolly, until the latter said, speaking slowly,
+as if in a maze of bewilderment and doubt:
+
+"I'm all at sea, lad, about this 'ere business; but it begins to look
+as if you wouldn't have any very hard time with the old man to-day.
+He's got somethin' else on his mind that's of more importance than a
+worthless little stowaway like you."
+
+"He'll come back, won't he?" Teddy asked, yet unable to gather any
+clear idea of the situation.
+
+"Unless he comes soon, there won't be anything left of the _Merrimac_,
+an' that's a fact," Bill Jones replied, pointing here and there to
+where a hundred men or more were busily at work, seemingly trying to
+make a wreck of the collier. "I s'pose they're bent on gettin' out of
+the old hooker all that's of any value, before sinkin' her, an' it
+looks as if they'd finish the job in a jiffy."
+
+"Where's the _Brooklyn_?"
+
+"See here, my son, we've no time to bother our heads about her just
+now. It's enough for you that we can't get speech with your father,
+an' unless I'm way off my reckonin', here's the chance to pull out of
+what promised to be a bad scrape for you."
+
+Teddy remained silent, for the very good reason that he was at a loss
+for words, and after a short pause, Bill Jones exclaimed, as if a
+happy thought had at that instant come into his mind:
+
+"Hark you, lad, our men have gone over to the _New York_, an' so long
+as we don't follow them it'll be plain sailin'. We'll watch our
+chance, go aboard the nearest ship, so it ain't the admiral's
+flag-ship, as bold as lions, an' it'll be believed that you belong to
+our crew. Unless Captain Miller shows himself, you'll be livin' on
+the fat of the land."
+
+"But when he comes?"
+
+"We won't bother our heads about anything of the kind. It's enough for
+us to know you've slipped out of the smallest kind of a hole without a
+scratch, and we'll take all the enjoyment that comes our way, at Uncle
+Sam's expense."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+THE MERRIMAC.
+
+
+There was no good reason why, as Bill Jones had suggested, Teddy could
+not successfully pose as one of the _Merrimac's_ crew.
+
+The undertaking in hand was so important, with such great advantages
+to be derived from its accomplishment, that for the time being it was
+as if every officer and man in the American squadron had no thought
+save concerning the work upon the steamer to be sunk.
+
+That the situation may be made more plain, as it was to Teddy before
+he had been on board the _Texas_ two hours, the following description
+of the daring venture is quoted from an article written the very day
+Bill Jones and his protégé sought shelter on the battle-ship:[1]
+
+"The mines in the narrow, tortuous channel, and the elevation of the
+forts and batteries, which must increase the effectiveness of the
+enemy's fire, and at the same time decrease that of our own,
+reinforced by the guns of the Spanish fleet inside, make the harbour,
+as it now appears, almost impregnable. Unless the entrance is
+countermined it would be folly to attempt to force its passage with
+our ships.
+
+"But the Spanish fleet is bottled up, and a plan is being considered
+to drive in the cork. If that is done, the next news may be a
+thrilling story of closing the harbour. It would release a part of our
+fleet, and leave the Spaniards to starve and rot until they were ready
+to hoist the white flag.
+
+"'To drive in the cork,' was the subject nearest Rear-Admiral
+Sampson's heart, and he at once went into consultation with his
+officers as to how it could best be done. One plan after another was
+discussed and rejected, and then Assistant Naval Constructor Richmond
+Pearson Hobson proposed that the big collier _Merrimac_, which then
+had on board about six hundred tons of coal, be sunk across the
+channel in such a manner as to completely block it.
+
+"The plan was a good one; but yet it seemed certain death for those
+who should attempt to carry it out as proposed. Lieutenant Hobson,
+however, claimed that, if the scheme was accepted, he should by right
+be allowed to take command of the enterprise.
+
+"The end to be attained was so great that Admiral Sampson decided that
+the lives of six or seven men could not be allowed to outweigh the
+advantage to be gained, and Lieutenant Hobson was notified that his
+services were accepted; the big steamer was at his disposal to do with
+as he saw fit."
+
+This was the work which had been begun when Bill Jones brought Teddy
+Dunlap on deck that he might confess to being a stowaway, and it is
+little wonder that matters on board the collier were in seeming
+confusion.
+
+On the night previous Lieutenant Hobson had received the notification
+that his services were accepted, and at an early hour next morning the
+work of making the _Merrimac_ ready for destruction had begun.
+
+A dozen boys would have attracted no attention just then, and the lad,
+who had mentally nerved himself to meet the captain of the steamer,
+failed in finding any one to hear his confession.
+
+Bill Jones, however, was quick to see the possible advantage to be
+gained, and Teddy had not fully recovered from his bewilderment before
+the little sailor was forcing him over the rail into one of the
+_Texas's_ boats, which had just come alongside.
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+"Turned out of house an' home, eh?" one of the sailors asked, with a
+laugh, and there was no question but that the boy, as well as the man,
+had a right to be taken aboard the battle-ship.
+
+The officers had all left the boat, therefore the two were not
+subjected to any searching examination, and once on board the big
+vessel, it was supposed, as a matter of course, that they had been
+regularly detailed to that ship.
+
+Strange as it may seem, these two who had but just come from the
+_Merrimac_ knew less regarding her proposed ending than any other,
+and, therefore, were most deeply interested in such information as was
+to be picked up from the crew.
+
+Before having been on board an hour they knew as much as has been set
+down at the beginning of this chapter, and, for the time being at
+least, they, like all around them, had little thought save for the
+daring adventure which was to be made by Lieutenant Hobson and six
+men.
+
+"It's a mighty brave thing to do," Bill Jones said confidentially to
+Teddy as the two were on the gun-deck, having concluded a most
+satisfactory repast; "but I wouldn't want a hand in it."
+
+"Why not?" Teddy asked, in surprise, for he had been turning the
+matter over in his mind until having come almost to envy those who
+were to brave death in the service of their country.
+
+"Because I ain't what might rightly be called a fightin' man; owin' to
+my bein' undersized, most likely. I take real pride in the deeds of
+others, but can't seem to get my own courage where it belongs. I'm
+only what you might call a plain, every-day sailor, with no fightin'
+timber in me, else I'd been in the navy long before this."
+
+"Do you think they will live to sink the _Merrimac_?" Teddy asked,
+thoughtfully.
+
+"There's no doubt in my mind but that they'll hold on to life long
+enough to do the work, but it's afterward that the trouble will begin.
+Every Spanish gun within range will open fire on 'em, an' what chance
+have they got of comin' out alive?"
+
+"When will they start?"
+
+"It'll be quite a spell before they get the steamer ready to make the
+dive, 'cordin' to my way of thinkin'. In the first place, as I'm told,
+there are to be plenty of torpedoes put in position inside the old
+hooker, an' it'll take some time to made them ready. Anyway, you're
+snug as a bug in a rug now--"
+
+"Until Captain Miller comes aboard," Teddy interrupted.
+
+"Have no fear of him," the little sailor said, as if the subject was
+not worthy of consideration. "When he comes, if he ever does, it isn't
+to this part of the ship that he'll pay a visit. Officers spend their
+time aft, an' small blame to 'em. It may be, Teddy Dunlap, that he'll
+see you; but the chances are dead against it, so take all the comfort
+you can--"
+
+"I ought to be huntin' for daddy."
+
+"Well, you can't, leastways, not while we're aboard this craft, but
+you can count on comin' across him before this little scrimmage is
+ended off Santiago, an' then I warrant 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 allowed to 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 our heads. You might live to be a thousand
+years old without strikin' another job as soft as the one we've got on
+our hands this blessed minute, so I say, make the most of it."
+
+"It's different with you; but I'm only a stowaway, an' stand a good
+show of gettin' into a heap of trouble when the officers of this ship
+find out that I've no business to be here."
+
+"I don't figger that way," Bill Jones replied, with a light and airy
+manner. "It doesn't stand to reason you should have been left aboard
+to go down with the steamer, eh?"
+
+"They might have set me ashore."
+
+"An' had a precious good job doin' it. Look ye, Teddy Dunlap, are you
+countin' yourself of so much importance that a battle-ship is to leave
+her station for no other reason than to put you ashore?"
+
+"I didn't mean it that way. You see they ought to do somethin' with
+me--"
+
+"Then wait till they get ready, an' don't borrow trouble. This
+crossin' of bridges before you come to 'em is likely to 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 seemed reasonable Bill Jones
+knew what it was proper he should do, and from that moment he resolved
+to "take things easy," as his friend advised, rather than fret over
+what couldn't be mended.
+
+Therefore it was he ceased to worry, although at the same time
+keeping a sharp watch over the _Brooklyn_, and by such a course saw
+very much of what happened off Santiago during those months of June
+and July, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight.
+
+Surely the stowaway had no cause to complain of his treatment by the
+crew of the _Texas_.
+
+Every man did his best to make these waifs from the doomed steamer
+feel perfectly at home, and when Bill Jones brought his sea-chest
+aboard, as he did the day following their abandonment of the
+_Merrimac_, there was not a man on the battle-ship who did not suppose
+Teddy's dunnage was in the same capacious receptacle.
+
+Rations were served to the stowaway the same as to any member of the
+crew, and then he and Bill Jones were called upon for some trifling
+duty, but as the latter said, there was no more work than was good for
+them by way of exercise.
+
+In the most pleasant fashion possible the time passed until the
+_Merrimac_ was made ready for her doom, and these two comrades, for it
+can well be supposed they were become fast friends, saw all the
+preparations without being obliged to do any of the disagreeable work.
+
+There was hardly an hour during these days of labour when the two did
+not hear Lieutenant Hobson's plans discussed, and they knew to the
+slightest detail all he proposed to do.
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+"Here is the way he'll sink our craft, 'cordin' to all I've heard,"
+Bill Jones said to Teddy when the two were alone for a short time on
+the afternoon after it had been reported on board the _Texas_ that
+everything was ready for the desperate venture. "He'll run at about
+ten-knot speed until four hundred yards or less past the Estrella
+battery, or, in other words, till he's in the narrowest part of the
+channel. Then he'll put the helm hard aport, stop the engines, drop
+the anchors, open the sea connections, touch off the torpedoes, an'
+leave the old hooker blockin' up the entrance to Santiago Harbour."
+
+"He can't do all that alone," Teddy suggested.
+
+"Of course he can't, else why is he takin' a crew with him? I'm told
+that this is the exact way he counts on workin' it. There'll be four
+men on deck besides himself, an' two in the engine-room; all of 'em
+will be stripped down to their underclothes, an' with revolvers an'
+ammunition strapped in water-tight packin' to their waists. One will
+be forward with an axe to cut the lashings of the anchor when the word
+is given. Of course Hobson signals the engineers to stop the engines,
+then the fellow forward cuts the anchor loose; some one below smashes
+the sea connections with a sledge-hammer when the machinery stops, and
+all hands jump overboard, countin' on swimmin' to the boat that's
+bein' towed astern. The lieutenant himself touches the button that
+explodes the torpedoes, an' then over he goes; it's a case of every
+man for himself once the work is begun. The steamer is bound to go
+down athwart the channel, an' there you have the entrance to Santiago
+Bay shut up as tight as Admiral Sampson can wish."
+
+Teddy did not venture any criticism. He had heard the subject
+discussed so often that there was nothing new he could suggest, and it
+seemed wisest to hold his tongue.
+
+On the close of this day word was passed among the crew of the _Texas_
+that the venture would be made during the coming night, and the two
+visitors from the _Merrimac_ were on deck from sunset until sunrise.
+
+The work of preparing the big collier was continued throughout the
+entire night, and just at daybreak she got under way, as if to begin
+the voyage which it seemed certain could end only with the death of
+all; but before the men on the battle-ship had time to give her a
+parting cheer, she put back to her station, because, as some of the
+men declared, the admiral had given positive orders for her to wait
+until another night.
+
+Twenty-four hours of additional preparation; as many of speculation
+and discussion among those who were refused an opportunity to offer
+their lives as a sacrifice, and then came the moment when Teddy was
+awakened from his sleep by Bill Jones, who said, as he shook the lad
+roughly:
+
+"Get on deck, my hearty, get on deck! This time there'll be no mistake
+as to the sailin', an' if you want to see the last of the _Merrimac_,
+now's your chance!"
+
+The stowaway did not wait for a second invitation, and a moment later
+he formed a small portion of the human fringe which overhung the
+_Texas's_ rail, peering out across the waters where, by the pale light
+of the moon, could be seen the doomed steamer.
+
+It was even possible to distinguish the forms of her crew as they
+stood well forward, much as though taking a last look at the fleet,
+and, near at hand, the tiny launch from the _New York_, which was to
+follow the collier in with the hope of picking up some of her brave
+crew when they leaped into the water.
+
+Among all that throng of men on the _Texas_ hardly a word was spoken
+as the _Merrimac_ slowly got under way. Every one remained silent as
+if under the spell cast by the bravery of those who were literally
+taking their lives in their hands that the starry flag might wave
+triumphant.
+
+Boldly the collier steamed in toward the coast, being lost to view
+immediately she got under the shadow of the high hills at the entrance
+of the bay, and a mile or more astern the tiny launch puffed her way
+along as if conscious that this morning's work was of extreme
+importance.
+
+Then both craft were swallowed up by the gloom, and yet that throng of
+men overhanging the _Texas's_ rail remained motionless, waiting with
+an anxiety that was most intense for some sign which would give token
+of their shipmates' fate.
+
+During half an hour every man waited in keenest suspense, never one
+venturing to so much as speak, and then from the heights at the
+entrance of the harbour the flash of a gun streamed out.
+
+It came almost in the nature of a relief, for every one knew that the
+_Merrimac_ was nearing her destination at last.
+
+The suspense was at an end, whatever might be the result, and even
+Teddy Dunlap believed he could predict the close of that most
+desperate venture.
+
+Within ten seconds after the first flash, another was seen, then a
+third, and a fourth, until it was no longer possible to count them.
+
+The heights guarding the channel appeared to be ablaze; but yet not a
+sound could be heard.
+
+The blockading squadron were so far away that the reports were lost in
+the distance.
+
+Then the eager men found tongue, and it was as if each spoke at the
+same instant, giving no heed as to whether his neighbour replied.
+
+During full twenty minutes these silent flashes could be seen in the
+distance, and then they died away just as the gray light of the coming
+dawn appeared in the eastern sky.
+
+"It's all over!" Bill Jones said, as he laid his hand on Teddy's
+shoulder. "I reckon the old _Merrimac_ is layin' in the channel to
+keep the Spaniards from sneakin' out; but them as carried her in so
+bravely are past all troubles of this world's makin'. It's great to be
+a hero; but the glory of it is soon over!"
+
+"Do you suppose they've all been killed?" Teddy asked in a whisper,
+for it was much like speaking in the presence of the dead.
+
+"There's little doubt of it, lad. Think you a craft like the
+_Merrimac_ could stand the storm of shot and shell that was poured on
+her from the time we saw the first flash? Just bear in mind that every
+puff of flame betokened a chunk of iron large enough to sink this 'ere
+battle-ship, if it struck her fairly, an' you can have a fair idee of
+how much chance those poor fellows stood."
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+Among all the crew there was hardly one who did not share this opinion
+with Bill Jones. To them, the heroes who went smilingly to their death
+had left this world for ever, and yet the men continued to overhang
+the rail, awaiting the return of the launch, with the idea that when
+she arrived they might hear something of importance.
+
+Not until three hours later did the little craft show herself, and
+then she came out from under the shadow of the land followed by a
+shower of missiles from the big guns ashore.
+
+The men on the _Texas_ were forced to wait some time before learning
+what information she brought, for the launch went directly to the _New
+York_, as a matter of course, and several hours elapsed before the
+crew heard all that could then be told.
+
+This was to the effect that the tiny boat followed the collier until
+fire was opened upon the doomed steamer, and she was so enshrouded by
+smoke as to be lost from view. Then the launch was headed in under the
+batteries, where she remained until daylight on the lookout for a
+swimmer.
+
+At five o'clock in the morning no sign of life had been seen, and the
+little craft made for the fleet, followed by a rain of shot from the
+shore batteries.
+
+While crossing the harbour entrance one spar of the _Merrimac_ was
+seen sticking out of the water, and thus it was known that the little
+band of braves had done their work faithfully, at whatever cost to
+themselves.
+
+There was neither jest nor careless word among the crew of the
+battle-ship during this forenoon; even Bill Jones remained almost
+absolutely silent. It seemed that they stood in the presence of death,
+and more than one acted as if believing he was taking part in the
+funeral services of those who had so lately been among them.
+
+Teddy had seen every man who went to make up that devoted crew, and to
+him it was as if his personal friends had met their death; but in such
+a brave fashion that it would have been almost a crime to mourn their
+taking off.
+
+Then, like a flash of lightning from a clear sky, came the joyful news
+that every man among that band who had devoted themselves to death,
+was yet among the living, and comparatively uninjured.
+
+It was almost incredible information, and yet, because of its source,
+no one could doubt it.
+
+At two hours past noon, while the men of the _Texas_ were sheltering
+themselves from the burning rays of the sun and discussing for the
+hundredth time the last probable moments of their shipmates, a
+steam-launch, carrying a white flag, put out from the harbour, making
+directly for the flag-ship _New York_.
+
+At the time no one fancied for a single moment that the coming of this
+craft could have any connection with those who had left the station to
+wreck the _Merrimac_, but there were some who suggested that the
+Spaniards were ready to surrender, and, in support of this theory,
+cited the fact that the royal squadron was bottled up so tightly it
+could never be used against the United States.
+
+Others declared that the Spanish admiral was about to make an offer of
+compromise, and not a few believed the flag of truce had to do with
+the capitulation of the city of Santiago de Cuba.
+
+Not a man was prepared for the news which floated from ship to ship,
+no one could say exactly how; but in less than an hour from the time
+the launch made fast alongside the _New York_, it was known that she
+brought a message from Admiral Cervera, commander of the Spanish
+fleet, to the effect that the crew of the _Merrimac_ had been
+captured, and were held as prisoners of war.
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+Lieutenant Hobson was uninjured, and only two of the party had been
+wounded slightly.
+
+It seemed too good to be true, but when the men realised that this
+information must be correct, that it had been sent by a generous
+enemy, they spent a good five minutes cheering alternately for those
+who had escaped after having gone down into the very jaws of death,
+and for that gallant Spaniard who, recognising bravery even in his
+foe, had taken the trouble to announce the safety of those who were
+battling against him.
+
+"It's what I call a mighty fine thing for the old admiral to do," Bill
+Jones said, as he held forth to a gun's crew with whom he and Teddy
+messed. "It ain't every officer as would go out of his way to send
+such news as that, an' if Admiral Cervera should ever fall into my
+hands as a prisoner of war, he can count on bein' treated like a white
+man."
+
+There was a roar from Bill's auditors at the intimation that the
+commander of the Spanish fleet might ever be captured by that sailor,
+for by this time all had come to know him as a "plain, every-day
+sailor, with not a fightin' timber in him;" but not a man within sound
+of his voice cared to contradict him.
+
+On that night, after the subject of the venture and its sequel had
+been discussed until worn threadbare, the little sailor said to Teddy,
+as if telling him some important truth:
+
+"You'll see great doin's now, lad, an' it wouldn't give me such a
+terrible surprise to know that the war was ended within the next
+twenty-four hours, for them bloomin' Spaniards in Santiago must
+understand by this time that the sooner they give in whipped, the less
+of a lickin' they're like to get."
+
+And Teddy, thinking more of his own condition than the glory of the
+country, asked, with no slight distress of mind:
+
+"If it should come to a stop as soon as that, how could I ever get
+word to father? Of course the _Brooklyn_ would go right home, an' I'd
+be left here."
+
+"I'll take care of that, lad," Bill Jones replied, in a tone of
+assurance. "Never you have a fear but that I'll see she don't leave
+this station till you've had a chance to go on board long enough to
+sort out the coal-passers."
+
+FOOTNOTE:
+
+[Footnote 1: "The Boys of '98."]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE CHASE.
+
+
+Bill Jones found time to change his opinion as to the speedy
+termination of the war after the _Merrimac_ had been sunk at the
+entrance of Santiago Bay.
+
+Instead of displaying any anxiety to surrender, the Spaniards on the
+island appeared to be making every preparation for a stubborn defence,
+and the fleet of war-vessels had little opportunity to do much more
+than blockade duty.
+
+Teddy Dunlap, looked upon by the crew of the _Texas_ as a lad who had
+every right to be among them, might have enjoyed this cruising to and
+fro, keeping watch over the entrance to the harbour, now and then
+overhauling a suspicious-looking vessel that ventured too near, and at
+times throwing shells ashore from the big guns, but for the fact that
+he burned with impatience to be with his father.
+
+The _Brooklyn_ remained in view nearly all the time, now so close at
+hand that it seemed as if the two ships must immediately come within
+hailing distance, and again so far away that she appeared only as a
+tiny speck against the white sky, yet the stowaway was as completely
+separated from his father as if they were thousands of miles apart.
+
+"If only the captains couldn't talk with those little flags, it might
+be that the ships would come side by side!" he said, with a long-drawn
+sigh, to Bill Jones. "There'll never be any need for them to sail
+nearer than within sight, an' I won't get a chance to speak to
+father,--perhaps not this year."
+
+"The prospect don't look very encouragin' just at the present time,
+an' that's a fact," Bill said, thoughtfully, filling his pipe with
+unusual care. "Two or three days ago it seemed as if the war was
+mighty nigh at an end; but now there 'pears to be a good deal of fight
+left in the Dagoes."
+
+"An' while we're loafin' 'round here, Captain Miller will 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, no matter how much you fuss, so
+why not save the wear an' tear of thinkin'?"
+
+"See here," and Teddy leaned forward to look the little sailor full in
+the eyes, "do you believe I'll ever have a chance of lettin' daddy
+know where I am?"
+
+"It stands to reason there must be a show for it in course of time."
+
+"When?"
+
+"Now you're askin' me a question I ain't in condition to answer. It
+may be two or three weeks, or, then again, the show might come sudden,
+within an hour. At sea you can't ever tell what's goin' to happen,
+Teddy Dunlap, an' there's nothin' for it but to keep your ears an'
+eyes open 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 this should be set
+down, save that it is similar to a hundred others which were held
+between the two comrades during the weeks which followed the sinking
+of the _Merrimac_, when Teddy Dunlap, without effort on his part, was
+transformed from a stowaway to a lad apparently in the employ of Uncle
+Sam.
+
+Never for a single moment did he lose sight of the possible fact that
+either the _Brooklyn_ or the _Texas_ might be ordered away from this
+particular station, in which case it was reasonable to suppose that
+many months must elapse before he could inform his father of his
+whereabouts.
+
+There was grave danger the two might be separated so widely that
+months, perhaps years, would elapse before they could meet again, and
+Teddy was never comfortable in mind, but, despite all the good advice
+given by Bill Jones, continued to look out into the future, searching
+for trouble.
+
+Meanwhile both he and the little sailor were kept at work on board the
+_Texas_ exactly as if they had been regularly enlisted; but the duties
+were so light among such a large number, that he who complained of the
+work must indeed have been an indolent fellow.
+
+And while Teddy worried over his own seeming troubles, the two
+nations continued at war, killing and wounding men at every
+opportunity, and ever striving to strike some decisive blow.
+
+As a matter of course Teddy and Bill Jones took their small part in
+the bombardment of the batteries at the entrance to Santiago Harbour
+two days after the _Merrimac_ had been sunk.
+
+The _Texas_ was the third vessel in the first column, headed by the
+_Brooklyn_, when, shortly after sunrise, the fleet steamed inshore and
+opened fire with the heavy guns.
+
+It was to the boy as if he went into action almost by the side of his
+father, and he worked with a will at whatsoever was set him to do,
+although at times the terrific roar literally stunned him, while the
+heat was so great that it seemed as if he was on the verge of
+suffocation during every moment of the four hours the bombardment
+continued.
+
+Then the squadron steamed back to its blockading station, and at no
+time had the _Brooklyn_ and _Texas_ been so near each other as to have
+rendered it possible for Teddy to see his father, even though the
+latter had stood on the battle-ship's deck every moment.
+
+Again and again, as the days passed, did the _Texas_ go into action,
+and at no time were the little stowaway and his small comrade remiss
+in their duties.
+
+They did their full share of the work, despite Bill Jones's assertion
+that he was only a "plain, every-day sailor with no fightin' timber
+about him," and as the weeks wore on these two became more and more
+closely identified with the battle-ship to which chance had sent them.
+
+When the ship was sent to bombard the works at Matamoras, and a
+Spanish shell struck near the stern on the port side, passing through
+the hull three feet below the main-deck line, and exploding on the
+berth-deck, killing one man and wounding eight, Teddy's search for his
+father nearly came to an end.
+
+A fragment of the shell passed within ten inches of the boy's head,
+striking down a sailor just beyond him, and Teddy won the admiration
+of every man on board by springing to the relief of the poor fellow
+whose leg had been shattered, instead of taking flight, as might quite
+naturally have been expected.
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+Later, when the _Texas_ had withdrawn from the action, man after man
+congratulated the lad upon his behaviour, predicting that he would in
+time prove himself worthy of serving under such a commander as Captain
+Philip, and otherwise bestowing so much praise that at the first
+opportunity he said confidentially to Bill Jones:
+
+"It makes me ashamed to have them say so much about how I acted. It
+wasn't different from what any other feller would have done, because
+I forgot all about the danger 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 thousand who'd handled himself as
+well as you did. Now I'm no fightin' man, as I've said before, but
+your keepin' such a stiff upper lip, when there was precious good
+chance of bein' killed, did me solid good. I knew you had sand, from
+the first minute of settin' eyes on you, but never suspected there was
+so much of it."
+
+"You're talkin' worse than the others, even when I'm tellin' the truth
+about not knowin' there was any danger. I only saw poor Baker, an'
+thought I might help him."
+
+"It ain't what you thought, lad, but what you did, that counts, an'
+now if Captain Miller comes aboard I'm willin' to guarantee he won't
+be allowed to kick up any row because of your stowin' away on the
+_Merrimac_. The crew wouldn't allow any funny business with you, after
+this day's work. Don't you see how much nearer your father we are than
+we were this mornin'?"
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"Just what I say, lad. You've made for yourself a standin' on board
+this ship, an' now when the time comes right I'm goin' to tell your
+story to one of the petty officers, askin' him to see it reaches
+Captain Philip's ears. Once that's been done, Teddy Dunlap, we'll be
+hailin' the _Brooklyn_ with signals flyin' to tell the coal-passers
+that one of 'em has got a son on board this craft."
+
+"Do you suppose any such plan might work?" Teddy asked, breathlessly.
+
+"There ain't a shadow of doubt about it in my mind."
+
+"Why don't you do it now? I've given up hopin' this war is pretty near
+at an end, an' am hungry to see daddy."
+
+"Better wait awhile longer, my boy. It's a little too soon to show
+ourselves very big, 'cause it ain't no ways certain 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 many words of praise
+which were showered upon him by the men, Teddy Dunlap believed, as he
+had several times before, that the hour was very near at hand when he
+would be with his father once more; but, as in the past, he was doomed
+to disappointment during more days than he cared to count.
+
+The "signs" never came so nearly right as to give Bill Jones courage
+to take the responsibility of telling Teddy's story to those who would
+repeat it to Captain Philip, and these two refugees from the
+_Merrimac_ remained aboard the _Texas_, 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 of Santiago, and at
+frequent intervals the big vessels steamed toward the land, in this
+direction or that, to shell the Spanish camps; but they were at such a
+distance from the scene of action that such work had little the
+appearance of warfare.
+
+In fact, the air of plain, every-day business about the operations
+rendered it difficult to believe the huge shot and shell which were
+hurled landward carried in their wake death and destruction to many.
+
+When one of the _Texas's_ big guns was discharged, Teddy could hear
+the roar, and feel the concussion, as a matter of course; he could
+also see the missile as it sped through the air; but he had no means
+of knowing where it struck, neither did he have a view of the
+desolation and ruin it caused, therefore, like many another man aboard
+the battle-ship, he came to look upon this work of war as nothing more
+than harmless practice.
+
+The day was near at hand, however, when the stowaway and his little
+comrade were to have all too good a view of the butchery and
+inhumanity of war.
+
+It was on Sunday morning, the third day of July.
+
+The crew of the _Texas_ had been mustered for religious services, and
+while Bill Jones and Teddy waited in their proper places for the
+coming of the chaplain, the sailor whispered:
+
+"To-morrow mornin' I'm goin' to start in on your business, lad. So far
+as I can see, the fleet is likely to be here a year or more before the
+Spaniards are ready to surrender Santiago, and if I don't bring you to
+the captain's notice soon, all your good behaviour when the shot came
+aboard will have been forgotten."
+
+"I'm afraid we've waited too long already," the lad replied, with a
+sigh, for the hope had been so long deferred that his "heart was sick"
+indeed for a sight of his father.
+
+"I reckon not, Teddy; but if I've made a mistake in holdin' off, it
+was done through fear I might speak too soon."
+
+"Don't think I'm blamin' you," the boy replied, quickly, pressing his
+comrade's arm in a friendly fashion. "If you never did anything more,
+I'd feel as if you'd been mighty good to me, for I couldn't have run
+across many sailors who'd lay themselves out to help a stowaway."
+
+"That part of it is--"
+
+Bill Jones was interrupted by a shout,--Teddy will never know who
+uttered it, or what the words were,--and instantly, without the
+slightest apparent cause, all was 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, the _Texas_ seemed to leap forward
+with a bound, huge clouds of black smoke suddenly pouring out of her
+stacks.
+
+"The Spaniards! The Spaniards!" Bill Jones yelled in the lad's ear, at
+the same time pointing toward the entrance to the harbour, from out of
+which could be seen the dark hull of an enemy's ship.
+
+It was as if in that small fraction of time very much took place.
+
+Teddy saw long lines of signal-flags run up to the _Brooklyn's_
+masthead; he heard the roar of a 6-pounder as the _Iowa_ fired the
+first shot at the foe, and understood, rather than saw, that every
+vessel in the squadron was under a full head of steam almost
+immediately.
+
+At one instant the blockading squadron lay motionless and apparently
+lifeless off the harbour, rocking lazily on the long 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 it is little wonder
+Teddy and Bill Jones stood transfixed with astonishment until the
+chase was well under way.
+
+One after another of the Spanish cruisers came at full speed out of
+the harbour which it had been believed was closed by the hull of the
+_Merrimac_, and as each ship rounded the point her guns were
+discharged at the Yankee squadron. The dense smoke pouring out of
+their stacks; the clouds of spray from their bows, glistening like
+diamonds in the sunlight of that Sabbath morning as it was thrown aft
+by the fierce impetus of the huge vessels to mingle with the smoke
+that came from every gun; the roar and thunder of the discharges; the
+shrieking of the missiles, 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 armoured cruiser dashing
+forward at the full speed of their engines; the heavy reverberations
+of guns; black clouds and white of smoke from coal and from burning
+powder; men stripped to the waist and working at the pieces with a
+fury, haste, and energy that could not have been increased had each
+individual member of the crew been fighting against a personal foe,
+and words of command, encouragement, or hope, which were heard on
+every hand, thrilled the boy who had trembled before the supposed
+wrath of a collier's captain, until each nerve was tingling with
+excitement,--each pulse bounding with the hot blood that leaped in
+feverish throbs from artery to artery.
+
+Teddy Dunlap was in the very midst of what but few had ever seen,--a
+sea-battle with the mightiest ships in the world as combatants.
+
+It was while the lad and his elderly comrade stood like statues,
+gazing at the wondrous, terrible sight around them, that the former
+saw a huge shell leave the turret of the _Iowa_, rise on the arc of a
+circle in the air, cleaving its way directly toward the _Teresa_, the
+foremost of the fleeing ships.
+
+Teddy was still following the missile with his eyes when it struck the
+Spaniard's hull, cutting its way through as if no resistance was
+offered, and it seemed that the huge mass had but just disappeared
+when great volumes of smoke and flame burst from the aperture made by
+the shell, telling that the first of the enemy's fleet was already
+vanquished.
+
+Then came a mighty yell from every man aboard the _Texas_ as well as
+the _Iowa_, for the gun had been aimed with a precision worthy a
+Yankee gunner whose forefathers, perhaps, had been forced to shoot
+accurately in order to save their scalps from the lurking Indian.
+
+This cry of satisfaction had not yet died away when the _Maria Teresa_
+was headed for the beach, with smoke and flame enveloping all her
+after part,--a wreck before she had more than cleared the harbour's
+mouth.
+
+"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 to hear it, because of the cheers of
+triumph which came from every vessel in the American fleet.
+
+The enemy had counted on cutting his way through the blockading
+squadron, but the first of his vessels had come to grief before the
+chase was fairly begun.
+
+As the _Teresa_ swung round in order to gain shoal water before the
+fire should completely envelop her, Teddy saw two small, swift,
+low-lying steamers come out from behind her with a speed which seemed
+like that of the wind, and the little sailor cried, in tones nearly
+resembling fear:
+
+"There are the destroyers! The _Pluton_ and _Furor_! Our ships are not
+speedy enough to keep out of their way! Now is the Spaniard's chance
+to pay for the loss of the _Teresa_!"
+
+Teddy had heard of these torpedo-boats, and knew what it was possible
+for them to do unless, perchance, they might be checked at long range,
+and yet the commanders of the Yankee battle-ships apparently gave no
+heed to the dangerous enemies which had been designed for the sole
+purpose of destroying such as they.
+
+Straight toward the _Brooklyn_ these formidable craft were headed, and
+the stowaway involuntarily cried aloud in terror, for was not his
+father on board that vessel which appeared to be in such peril?
+
+Then, coming up swiftly, as a hawk darts out upon its prey, the lad
+saw the little yacht _Gloucester_ swim directly inshore to meet these
+mighty engines of destruction, when one well-directed shot from their
+guns would have sent her to the bottom, crushed out of all semblance
+of a vessel.
+
+At that moment Teddy and Bill Jones saw what much resembled the attack
+of a fly upon two huge spiders.
+
+The tiny _Gloucester_ steamed straight down upon the destroyers,
+cutting them off from their intended prey, and pelting them with
+shells from her small 6-pounders, but doing the work with such
+accuracy and precision of aim that it seemed as if the battle was no
+more than begun before these two mighty machines turned toward the
+shore to follow the _Teresa_, but sinking even while one could say
+they were beaten.
+
+"Hurrah for Wainwright! Bully little _Gloucester_!"
+
+Two hundred voices rose high with shouts of triumph and exultation
+that the Yankee gunners had not only done their work well, but with
+bravery such as could not be excelled, and meanwhile the big ships
+went tearing madly on lest the _Vizcaya_, the _Cristobal Colon_, and
+the _Almirante Oquendo_, all that were left of the Spanish fleet,
+should escape them.
+
+The _Iowa_ and the _Texas_ had selected the _Vizcaya_ as their prey,
+and while the remainder of the fleet stretched away in pursuit of the
+other ships, these two cut off the big Spaniard, forcing her to fight
+whether she liked or not.
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+Teddy and Bill Jones stood on the port side of the _Texas_, all
+unconscious that they were exposed to any chance shot the Spaniard
+might send aboard, and realising nothing save the fever of battle. The
+odour of burning powder was in their nostrils, and life or death,
+danger or safety were alike the same.
+
+The _Texas_ literally reeled under their feet as her big guns were
+discharged full at the _Vizcaya_, which ship was hurling shot and
+shell with reckless rapidity and inaccuracy of 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, now shutting off all view, and
+again lifting to reveal the enemy in his desperate but ill-directed
+flight.
+
+"Can we sink her?" Teddy asked once, when the two comrades were so
+closely enveloped by the pungent vapour that it was impossible to
+distinguish objects five feet away, and the little sailor cried, in a
+delirium of excitement:
+
+"Sink her, lad? That's what we're bound to do!"
+
+"She is workin' her guns for all they are worth, an' I've heard it
+said that even a ship like this would go down if a big shell struck
+fairly."
+
+"Ay, lad, an' so she would, I reckon; but we'll have yonder Spaniard
+under the water before her gunners can get 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 the _Texas's_ forward
+turret was discharged. The smoke rolled aside at the same instant, and
+the two watchers saw a huge shell dart forth, speeding directly toward
+the ship that had so lately been a friendly visitor in the harbour of
+New York.
+
+It struck its mark fairly, crashed through the iron plating as if
+through paper, and then Teddy saw the mighty vessel reel under her
+death-stroke when the shell exploded.
+
+Another howl of triumph; half naked men danced to and fro in their
+excitement; the gunners rushed out from the turrets gasping for
+breath, but yelling with savage joy, and the _Vizcaya'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 in the distance, from the
+smoke-stacks of which poured forth long rolls of black smoke, flecked
+with sparks and burning brands, that told of the desperate efforts
+being made to escape.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+TEDDY'S DADDY.
+
+
+The _Maria Teresa_ and the _Vizcaya_ were in flames, heading for shoal
+water that they might not carry down with their blackened hulks the
+men who had defended them, although feebly, and there was no longer
+any reason why the _Texas_ should remain in that vicinity.
+
+The _Iowa_ swung inshore to make certain the ruin was as complete as
+it appeared from the distance, and when the royal ensign was hauled
+down that a white flag might be hoisted on the _Vizcaya_, Captain
+Philip gave the word which sent the _Texas_ ahead in chase after the
+survivors of what had, less than half an hour previous, been a mighty
+fleet.
+
+As one who witnessed the battle has already written concerning this
+particular time and the wonderfully one-sided engagement, his words
+had best be quoted:
+
+"Huge volumes of black smoke, edged with red flame, rolled from every
+port and shot-hole of the _Vizcaya_, as from the _Teresa_. They were
+both furnaces of glowing fire. Though they had come from the harbour
+to certain battle, not a wooden bulkhead, not a partition in the
+quarters either of officers or men had been taken out, nor had trunks
+and chests been sent ashore. Neither had the wooden decks or any other
+wooden fixtures been prepared to resist fire. Apparently the crew had
+not even wet down the decks."
+
+It was the experience of a full lifetime, to witness the destruction
+of these four fighting-machines, and yet Teddy Dunlap and his little
+comrade almost forgot what they had seen in the excitement of the
+race, as their ship leaped forward in that mad chase which was to end
+only with the wrecking of all those vessels that had sailed out of the
+harbour to make their way past the Yankee fleet.
+
+The two comrades were conscious of nothing save the throbbing and
+quivering of their own ship, as, under press of every ounce of steam
+that could be raised, the _Texas_ dashed onward, overhauling first
+this Yankee vessel and then that, flinging the spray in showers over
+her deck, and rolling from side to side in the heavy swell as she tore
+onward at a rate of speed that probably she had never before equalled.
+
+It was a race to the death; now and then the hatches were opened that
+some one of the engineer's crew, exhausted by almost superhuman
+efforts and the excessive heat, might be brought up from those fiery
+depths below, while others took the place of him who had fallen at the
+post of duty, and the speed was never slackened.
+
+On, on, over the long swell, every man aboard in the highest possible
+state of excitement, eager that the _Texas_ should be in at the death,
+and ahead, straining every nerve as it were, fled the Spaniards,
+knowing full well that there could be but one ending to such a race.
+
+"It's Yankee grit an' Yankee skill that's winnin' this fight!" Bill
+Jones cried, excitedly, forgetting that he was only a "plain,
+every-day sailor, with no fightin' timber about him," and at every
+onward leap of the ship his body swayed forward as if he was eager for
+a fray.
+
+But neither Bill Jones nor any man aboard the _Texas_, save those
+brave souls in the very bowels of the gallant ship, had any
+opportunity to display personal bravery.
+
+The fight ended when the chase did, for then nothing was left of those
+mighty Spanish ships save blackened hulks.
+
+The _Oregon_ was sending 13-inch projectiles after the _Oquendo_ at
+every fair opportunity, and the _Texas_, more than holding her own
+with the other vessels, was coming up astern with a speed that
+threatened to bring the long race to a speedy conclusion.
+
+Then, suddenly, although all had been expecting it, the _Almirante
+Oquendo's_ bow was headed toward the shore,--she saw the uselessness
+of further flight,--and all the pursuers, save the _Texas_, hauled off
+in pursuit of the _Cristobal Colon_.
+
+Standing with a group of _Texas_ men, Teddy and Bill Jones saw the
+Spaniard near the line of surf, and as their vessel's speed was
+checked there came a roar mightier than when the battle was first
+opened; the doomed ship rocked to and fro as if she had struck a
+sunken reef, there was an uprending of the iron decks, and then came a
+shower of fragments that told of the tremendous explosion within the
+hull of the _Oquendo_.
+
+Now it was the Yankee crew burst once more into shouts of triumph; but
+before the first cheer arose on the morning air Captain Philip cried:
+
+"Don't cheer; the poor devils are dying!"
+
+Then it was that every man realised what had, until this moment, been
+absolutely forgotten: the game in which they were such decided victors
+was one of death! While they were triumphantly happy, scores upon
+scores of the enemy were dying,--mangled, scalded, drowning,--and on
+the instant, like a flash of light, came the terrible fact that while
+they rejoiced, others were suffering a last agony.
+
+"Don't cheer; the poor devils are dying!"
+
+At that instant Teddy Dunlap understood what might be the horror of
+war, and forgetting the joy and exultation which had been his an
+instant previous, the lad covered his eyes with his hand,--sick at
+heart that he should have taken even a passive part in that game which
+could be ended only by suffering and death.
+
+Later, after the men were sufficiently calm to be able to discuss
+intelligently the doings of that day when the full Spanish fleet was
+destroyed by Yankee vessels who throughout all the action and chase
+sustained no injury whatsoever, it was learned that more than six
+hundred human beings had been sent out of the world in less than four
+hours, and nearly eighteen hundred men were taken prisoners by the
+American vessels.
+
+Teddy Dunlap was like one in a daze from the instant he realised what
+all this thrilling excitement meant, until Bill 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, shaking the boy vigorously
+as he pointed seaward, and Teddy, looking in the direction indicated
+by his outstretched finger, but without seeing anything, asked,
+hesitatingly:
+
+"Is it the _Cristobal Colon_?"
+
+"Of course it isn't, my lad! That vessel is a wreck off Tarquino
+Point, so we heard half an hour ago. Don't you see the ship here
+almost alongside?"
+
+"Oh, yes, I see her," Teddy replied, with a sigh of relief. "There's
+been so much that is terrible goin' on around us that it's like as if
+I was dazed."
+
+"An' that's what you must be, lad, not to see that here's the
+_Brooklyn_ nearer alongside than she's like to come again for a year
+or more."
+
+"The _Brooklyn_!" Teddy cried, now aroused from the stupefaction of
+horror which had come upon him with the knowledge of all the suffering
+caused that day. "The _Brooklyn_!"
+
+"Ay, lad, an' her launch is alongside makin' ready to transfer some of
+the prisoners. Now's our chance, when such as we don't amount to a
+straw in view of the great things that have been done this day, to
+slip over on a little visit to your daddy!"
+
+Probably at no other time could such a thing have been done by two
+members of the crew; but just now, when every man and officer was
+overwhelmed by the fever of victory, little heed was given to the
+movements of any particular person.
+
+Therefore it was that Teddy Dunlap and the little sailor had no
+difficulty in gaining the _Brooklyn's_ deck without question or check,
+and the first person they saw on clambering aboard was a coal-passer,
+stripped to the waist and grimy with dust and perspiration, who stared
+with bulging eyes at the boy who followed close behind Bill Jones.
+
+"Teddy!"
+
+"Daddy!"
+
+"I reckon this is no place for me," Bill Jones muttered as 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 at such a time, surely we should show ourselves equally
+considerate.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It is enough to say that Teddy's troubles were at an end after a short
+visit with his father, and that he did not leave the _Texas_
+immediately.
+
+Captain Philip came to hear the boy's story, and an opportunity was
+given him to enlist for so long a term as his father was bound to the
+_Brooklyn_.
+
+Since the purpose of this little story was only to tell how the
+stowaway found his father, there is no excuse for continuing an
+account of Teddy's experience off Santiago with Sampson; but at some
+future time, if the reader so chooses, all that befell him before
+returning home shall be set down with careful fidelity to every
+detail.
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Off Santiago with Sampson, by James Otis
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43420 ***