“FIRE!”
“Oliver, you went at him in great style,” observed Dan, when the
excitement was over and we found ourselves alone. “After this you’ll be
the cock of the walk.”
“I don’t want to be cock of the walk, Dan. I simply want to be left
alone.”
“But you pitched into him like a prizefighter. It was--well, simply
immense, it was indeed.”
“I am glad I can use my fists when it becomes necessary. I hope he’ll
let me alone in the future.”
“Let you alone? I’ll wager he won’t come within a hundred feet of you
unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“He’s a fool to be angry with me. If he had taken things in good part
at first there would have been no trouble.”
“Oh, there are lots of pig-headed men just like him, Oliver. But I
reckon you’ll have no further trouble with him.”
There was no room for us at the guns, so both Dan and I were placed,
for convenience’ sake, among the sailors. But on such a steam vessel
as the _Boston_ there is little or nothing for sailors to do, and our
time was, as before, our own.
We lay in Mirs Bay for several days longer. But early one day some
special dispatches were received, and half an hour later the _Olympia_
flew the signal: “Up anchors and follow the flagship,” and all hands
knew we were off at last.
The three cruisers, _Olympia_, _Baltimore_, and _Boston_, were the
first to steam away, and they were shortly followed by the gunboats
_Concord_, _Petrel_, and _McCulloch_, and two colliers, the latter
loaded to the rail with coal for the six warships.
“What a splendid sight!” I said to Dan, as we stood on deck watching
the column of vessels sweeping out swiftly to sea. “If we meet those
Dons there will be fun.”
“Pretty serious fun, Oliver, to my way of thinking. Killing
fellow-beings isn’t much play.”
“That’s right, Dan; but if we have got to have war I hope we come out
on top.”
“Oh, so do I!”
The day was an ideal one, and we remained on deck until the intense
heat drove us below. Here we found a great state of confusion, for
orders had been passed around to “clear ship for action,” and all hands
were tearing down unnecessary woodwork, preparatory to heaving it
overboard.
“It won’t do to have splinters around, you see,” explained Bob
Roundstock, the gunner. “We want everything clear for action, just as
the order says.”
The woodwork disposed of, ammunition was passed around and fire tubs
were filled with water. Then the great guns, fore and aft, were loaded,
and kept in readiness for instant use.
Several days passed without anything unusual happening. The weather
remained fair, although the wind blew so strongly that the colliers
were in danger of being swamped, so heavily were they loaded. We might
have run at a greater rate of speed, but the colliers and the _Petrel_
could not keep up, and Commodore Dewey thought it advisable, now we
were in the enemy’s waters, to keep his squadron and supply boats
together.
“I wonder where we will find this Admiral Montojo?” I said one evening,
as Dan and I lounged on deck. “Was he at Manila when we were there?”
“I don’t know, I’m sure. He must be somewhere among the Philippine
Islands.”
“That’s saying a good deal, when the islands number over a thousand.”
“Oh, he must be near one or another of the principal cities, Oliver. At
a second-rate place he would have nothing to protect but a collection
of bamboo huts.”
“Has he much of a fleet?”
“Supposed to have eight or nine vessels, so Roundstock told me. He is
one of Spain’s best admirals, too, I was told.”
“Then we won’t have a walk-over. If we--hark!”
A sudden cry from below reached our ears. Both of us listened intently,
but could make out only a confusion of voices.
“Something is wrong,” cried Dan. “Let us see what it is,” and he ran
for the stairs.
We met half a dozen gunners coming up. “Fire! fire!” yelled one of the
number. “There is a fire between decks!”
“A fire!” The cry was instantly taken up on all sides. “Whereabouts?”
“Near Jackson’s gun. It caught from some straw that was in a crockery
barrel Gumpers was emptying. It’s close to a lot of ammunition!”
“Man the fire hose!” put in an officer. “Lively, boys, or we’ll have an
explosion!”
The cry of fire had by this time aroused the entire ship, and men came
hurrying to the scene from all directions.
At first all was confusion, but soon discipline reigned supreme, and
the fire drill was put into execution.
Would they subdue the flames before it reached the loose ammunition
which had just been sent up from below?
This was the all-important question that I asked myself as I stood by,
watching what was going on.
I wanted to help and so did Dan, but we could do nothing.
Presently a dull explosion was heard, followed by another.
“The ammunition is going up!”
“Are the steel covers to the magazines closed?”
Several other cries rang out. In the meantime the firemen continued to
pour two heavy streams of sea water on the flames.
Thick volumes of smoke rolled up the companion ways, and I felt that
those below were in danger of being choked to death.
“This is awful!” murmured Dan. “I hope we don’t blow up, as did the
_Maine_.”
“We won’t, for she blew up from the outside, not the inside,” I
answered grimly.
“Well, one way would be just as bad as the other, Oliver.”
“I suppose that is so, as far as we are concerned.”
The work continued and all watched the labor nervously.
At last the fire captain came up, blinking his eyes and shaking the
water from his clothing. He looked as black as a negro.
“It’s out, sir,” he reported, saluting the officer of the deck.
“All out?”
“Yes, sir, although we had better watch for sparks when the half-burned
stuff is removed.”
“Yes, be very careful. We’ll pitch it overboard at once.”
Extra men were sent below, and they soon came up, carrying the burned
and wet straw in their arms. In ten minutes all was cleared away, and
then followed such a scrubbing and cleaning up as I had never seen
before.
“The carpenter will have a day’s work here,” observed Dan, as we
surveyed the scene of the fire. “But we can thank God that it was no
worse.”
“So say I,” was my answer. “I don’t want any more sunken ships in mine.
The _Dart_ was sufficient.”
The day to follow was uneventful. It was clear and hot, so hot in fact
that, during the noon-day hours, nobody could remain on deck. In the
turrets and conning tower it was suffocating.
“I feel as if I was half baked,” said Dan, as we lay in a shady corner
on the third day out. “I wonder how far we are from Luzon?”
“I heard an officer say that we would sight land to-morrow or the day
after.”
“Did he say where?”
“He said we were steering for Subig Bay. They think Admiral Montojo may
be found there with his fleet.”
“I hope they do find him, and give him a good thrashing.”
“You say they, Dan. Don’t you expect to take a hand in fighting?”
“To be sure. But then we are not regular sailors you know.”
“Well, I consider myself a sailor boy,” I answered warmly.
“Do you? All right, then. Here’s to the sailor boy under Dewey!” cried
my chum, and drank my health in what was left of a glass of lemonade he
had brought up with him. Lemons were plentiful, and in those hot days
everybody spent a good deal of time in making something palatable to
drink.
In the afternoon, when the sun was low, the squadron was called
together and was put through a number of naval maneuvers by the
commodore. This was both an interesting and instructive sight, and I
watched it from start to finish.
I had just retired for the night when I heard the sounds of numerous
footsteps on the gun deck. I aroused myself and sat up in my hammock.
“What’s up?” I asked of Dan.
“I don’t know,” was his answer. “But something is the matter, that’s
certain.”
“Let us go and see,” I went on, and hopped to the floor. We soon had
our clothing on, and then we hurried to where Bob Roundstock was
getting his gun crew into order to man the eight-inch monster under his
command.