Such eager hope shone on the faces of Frank and Ned Arden on hearing the
news that the battleship was ordered to South America, that the sailor
who had given them the information remarked:
"Say, you fellows must be glad of it!"
"We are!" declared Frank. "Why, aren't you?"
"I should say not!" was the emphatic reply.
"You don't mind because we may be mixed up in some fighting, do you?"
asked Ned, in some surprise.
"Of course not! It's the climate I object to. It'll be hot down there--as
hot as blazes, and if we have to go into action, and use the big guns,
why being inside of the turrets will be worse than being in a
teakettle."
"Oh, I guess we can stand it," returned Frank.
"Huh! Wait until you try it once," went on the blue-jacket. "I was down
in the tropics once when we had some evolutions, and say! I haven't got
rid of all the blisters yet. That's what makes me wonder when I see you
fellows showing all sorts of signs of joy!"
"Well, some of our money is invested down in that little republic, and
we want a chance to see what it looks like," Frank explained.
"Come off! What sort of talk are you giving me?" demanded the sailor.
"Money invested, and you working for Uncle Sam? Tell me something easier
to believe," and he laughed in a good-natured way.
Frank and Ned exchanged meaning looks, and tacitly agreed that perhaps
it would be better not to go into any explanation of the matter. It
would be hard to convince the ordinary blue-jacket that the two
battleship boys once possessed a considerable fortune that was now tied
up because of political troubles in Uridio. It sounded more like a tale
from a book, than the real thing, as Frank admitted to his brother
later.
"So we'd just better keep still about it, I think," he said. "Of course
if we get a chance to do a good turn for Uncle Phil, and, incidentally
ourselves, we will. We can speak to the captain or some of the officers
about it, and we have papers that prove what we say is true. Only there
is no use in going into all this to any of the sailors."
"I guess you're right," admitted Ned. The two lads did have certain
documents that would establish the truth of what they had said, namely,
that their fortune, as well as that of their uncle, was tied up in
investments in the "banana republic," as the small countries of Central
and South America are often called.
Matters regarding Mr. Arden's affairs had not changed of late, according
to the last advices received by the boys. They had not, as they had
hoped, been able to visit him at Atlanta.
Their life at the naval training station had been more fully occupied
than they had expected, and there was no time to take the trip to
Georgia. They had regretted the matter very much at the time, and Mr.
Arden was greatly disappointed at not seeing his nephews. But he knew it
could not be helped. Now, however, there might be a chance to do him a
much greater service than would have resulted from a mere visit.
"Heat isn't the only thing that's disagreeable down in the tropics,"
went on the sailor the next time he saw Frank and Ned.
"No?" asked Ned.
"I should say not! There's no telling what sort of disease you may
catch."
"Well, I'm not going to try and catch any," laughed Frank. "If some
disease wants to catch me I'll do my best to get away, too."
"And there's all sorts of bugs and crawling things," continued the
blue-jacket, making a wry face.
"Oh, don't listen to him!" exclaimed Hank Dell, who, of late, had become
quite chummy with Frank and Ned. "He's a regular calamity-howler, he
is!"
"Yes, and you'll be a howler, too, when some of those South American
chiggers get after you and burrow under your skin," predicted the other
as he went below.
The news that the _Georgetown_ had been ordered to South American waters
where there was a prospect of some real fighting, soon spread all over
the ship. As boat after boat returned from the drill, and was hoisted to
the davits, the sailors discussed the wireless message that had been
received. Of course the enlisted men did not know any of the
particulars, merely being told that the rather aimless cruising about,
which had thus far marked the voyage, was at an end, and that orders had
come to start South.
Now the _Georgetown_ had a definite object in view, and it was rumored
throughout the ship that hereafter drills would be stricter and that
drills with the big guns would be more frequent.
"Of course we won't stop for any target practice, though," reasoned Ned.
"Hardly," agreed Frank. "I guess, too, they won't fire away many of the
big, expensive projectiles. We may need them for Uridio."
"Yes, we may have a run-in with their navy," his brother said.
"Navy!" laughed Hank. "Say, I don't believe they have any more navy than
Switzerland has, and all that country can put out is a motor boat on
Lake Constance."
"Well, I guess there won't be any waste of ammunition if there's a
prospect of some real work," another sailor remarked.
As has been said, the word for the _Georgetown_ to proceed to Uridio had
come by wireless, and later it was learned that the battleship was to
stop at Havana for sealed orders, and also to take on board certain
stores--ammunition and supplies that would be waiting for her.
"It means business all right," said Frank to Ned, as they were talking
the matter over before turning into their hammocks for the night. "I
wonder if we shall be able to go ashore and get any sort of a line on
that business of Uncle Phil's?"
"We'll make a good try, anyhow," declared Ned. "I guess the captain or
some of the executive officers will give us help and advice if we ask
them."
"That's a good idea," Frank added.
As soon as all the boats had returned, the course of the battleship was
changed, and now, with black smoke pouring from her funnels, she was
rushing away through the night toward Cuba, there to stop, and as soon
as possible afterward to take up her journey again toward South America.
A totally different spirit and feeling was on board now, at least among
the younger enlisted men. It was the nearest any of them had yet come to
conditions of actual warfare, though probably the matter of proceeding
to regulate matters in a small republic, such as Uridio was, and looking
after the interests of United States' citizens there, was really a small
affair in the minds of the higher officers, some of whom had been with
Dewey at Manila when the Spanish fleet was defeated.
A change was made the next day in the nature and manner of holding the
drills. For some time the lighter forms of evolutions had been the order
of the day. But after the wireless orders were received there was more
big gun drill and more, too, of infantry and light artillery tactics
insisted on.
The United States blue-jackets often have to perform the services of a
soldier in time of war, and that they may be familiar with those duties
special drills are devised. Often, when a ship is in port, the men will
be landed and go through these drills on shore. But now, in the case of
the _Georgetown_, they took place on the big decks.
The manual of arms was gone through with again and again, and the light
artillery was brought up and put into action against an imaginary enemy,
blank charges being fired. Frank, Ned and their chums greatly enjoyed
this drill.
"If you do as well when you're ordered ashore to proceed against a
howling mob, you'll be all right," remarked one of the officers at the
conclusion of some snappy work one day.
"Oh, we'll do it!" said Ned, to his brother.
While it was not for a moment thought that the _Georgetown_ would be
endangered from the shots of any hostile ship, or from the guns of a
fort on shore, still drills were held that would enable the men to
repair any possible damage in such a contingency.
These drills were collision, fire-quarters, general-quarters, and
clearing ship for action.
The signal for collision drill was unexpectedly sounded one day when
they were but a short distance from Havana. At once all the water-tight
doors in the battleship were closed by machinery, and Frank, Ned and the
others rushed to the various stations that had previously been assigned
to them.
It was the work of the squad, or division, that included Frank and Ned
to put over the side a thick, heavy collision mat, which was lowered to
cover an imaginary hole, supposed to have been blown in the ship below
the water-line or near it by a torpedo or projectile. The object of the
collision mat is to stop the inrush of water until the water-tight doors
can be made fast, or dropped into place.
In order to give as many as possible practice at this drill it was gone
through with a number of times, several collision mats being used. It
was hard work, for the mats were heavy, and Frank and Ned were not sorry
when it was over.
Havana was reached in due season, and shore liberty was allowed to all
in turn, for the ship was to remain there two days. Frank and Ned
greatly enjoyed the novel sights ashore, and were rather sorry when they
were under way again. But they were also eager for the work ahead of
them, and anxious about the prospect of aiding their uncle, and saving,
if possible, their own fortunes.
The night after leaving Havana Frank was awakened by a violent pitching
and tossing. He heard Ned, next to him, moving about restlessly, and
asked:
"What's up?"
"I don't know, unless it's a storm," was the reply.
"That's it, we've run into some heavy weather," said an older sailor.
Though there was a violent pitching and tossing, which motion was
imparted to the _Georgetown_ in spite of her great size, still our two
heroes were not made greatly uncomfortable. The swaying hammocks did not
take all the motions through which the vessel went, though the "beds"
did sway more than usual. But the recruits had gotten their sea-legs
some time before, and none was made seasick. This malady had not
bothered Ned and Frank at all, for they had gone through their
initiation in that regard years before, on Great South Bay and the
adjacent ocean.
In the morning the _Georgetown_ was plowing her way through a stormy
sea, a heavy gale was blowing and sending the salt spray across her
decks.
"It's like the time we were out in our motor boat," remarked Ned.
"Yes," agreed Frank, and he thought regretfully of the _Ellen_. "And
maybe we'll have the same pleasure some time later, if we get back the
money from the revolutionists," he added.
"Why, are you going to quit the battleship?" asked Ned.
"Oh, no, I haven't any idea of that sort, but if we get back our money
we might apply for a leave of absence. Or after our four years are up,
we can take a furlough."