A Gunner Aboard the Yankee""

ut from New York. We were enjoying an hour of well-earned leisure, so it was with reluctance that we obeyed and went

rmed, the captain appeared. The small men stood

edouble his efforts to preserve discipline, to perfect drills. Drills will, of a necessity, be frequent and hard. I would have you und

e men formed little groups and

e frequency? Three times a day and once or more at night, allows us just about time enough to eat and do the necessary routine work, to say nothing about sleeping. Clear shi

tainly must know how to work the ship and the guns. For, a

her was magnificent and the climate delightful. It was full moon, and such a moon as few o

onditions we were now enjoying. We were sailing along in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream-the Gulf weed peculiar to that current slipping by as we forged through it. "Stump," "Dye," of Number Eight's gun crew, a witty chap and a good singer, "Hay," and

uld be, but where churned by the propel

s he joined the group, "that we co

uld have liked nothing better than to have s

short, sharp ringing of the ship's bell-a dozen or more strokes given

d not know whether it was drill or actual fire, but the skipper's talk of the night before gave us unusual energy, and the preparations were made in record time. The canvas hose was pulled along the deck with a s

port lanyards and pulled them to. Others battened down the

to tell it, and the men stood at their post

y ship's bread and canned meats to the boats-two cases of bread and two cases of meat for the large boats, and one case of each for the smaller. The crews and passengers of each bo

ad then been done in peaceful waters and in a perfunctory way. Now that we were entering "the theatre of war,

and the provisions returned to their places in hold and store room. The

ken up in getting the ship ready for

erboard, and the great cargo booms were either taken down and stowed safely a

, if we had not done so before, that this was real war that

for herself, the crew would get a large share of the credit; and if she failed to do the work cut out for her, on the crew would be laid the

. Before a man realized that he had done anything wrong, his name would be c

ne bright afternoon. "'Mac' and 'Hod Marsh' have gathered e

oing up there?"

ion is the better part of valor, I lined up with the r

w about the chaps that were 'pinched'?

other day. When the captain looked at him in that fierce way of his and asked what he had to say for himself, 'Lucky Bag' said he

from all sides as "Stum

ill' cleared his throat with a woof-you know how it sounds: the ship shakes and trembles when he does it-and the 'old man' fairly tottered under the blast. 'Big Bill' explained that he could not get

ing from below. Then we knew that "Big Bill" was telling his in

uts of glee rose to our ears. We had

e this afternoon, 'Stump'?" s

s extra duty each. One or two were there because they had clothes in the 'lucky bag'-they had left them round the decks somewhere, and

ut of it?" said I, when

, I vow. As I stood there in the sun I thought over the last few days, and made a confession to myself, but couldn't think of anything very wicked. Had I unintentionally blocked a marine sentry's way and thus interfered with him in the performance of his duty? I had visions at this point of myself in the 'brig,' existing on bread and water. Had I inadve

said "Dye." "We'll have t

d "Stump." "Ask the skipp

ly in the long swell and the turquoise wake boiled astern. We steamed for days without sighting a sail or a light; we were "alone on a wide, wide sea." At times schools of dolphins would race and shoot up out of the water alongside, much to our glee.

their loaded guns, one man of each crew always standing guar

ever, by the thought that soon we might be in the th

was. His good and bad qualities appeared so that all might see. Was he good-natured, even-tempered, thoughtful, his mates knew it at once and liked him. Was he

d stand together, and with a will do

ckading fleet? Were we destined for despatch and sc

r own satisfaction on the morning of June 2d, that

d, waving his cap.

he facetious Naval Reserves into "Cutlets," for reasons of th

bber! What in thunder do you

r," quavered

any conjectures of your own?" commented th

pay any attention to the "wigging" of the man at the masthead. We knew that the dun-hued streak

e squadron of Admiral Cervera was bottled up, and there was a deadly fear in our hea

like a grim giant above the strait, and outside, tossing and bobbing upon the swell of a restless sea, the mighty semicircle of drab shi

at eight bells in the evening the anchor was dropped off Mole St. Nicholas, a convenient port in the

ownson with impatience. The news he brought was reassuring, however. Nothing of moment had occurred sin

ape from below was on deck watching, waiting for the first glimpse of Admiral Sampson's flee

the base of which was the green-covered tableland fronting Santiago. The spots were tossing idly upon a restless sea, and, as the sun rose higher, each gradually assumed the shape of a marine engine o

launches and torpedo boats were dashing about between the ships, strings of parti-colored bunting flaunted from the signal hall

ump," jubilantly. "The fleet is getting re

inutes later, Captain Brownson, who had been watching the signals with a powerful

u will never

s happ

few words, but it was enough to send me scurrying aft