DAN BEFORE THE BOARD
The reports that the commanding officer received in his cabin were very
encouraging. No water was found in the hold forward, and there was no
indication that any damage had been done to the ship.
After finishing his lunch, the captain ordered the divers over to make
an examination of the ship's bottom from the outside. They reported
that the bottom was not even scratched by contact with the sand of the
bay.
"We will discontinue torpedo practice for the day, Coates. It will be
too late to do anything more. To-morrow we will go on with the work
where we left off. I shall be busy the rest of the afternoon making a
report to the Navy Department of the accident."
In his report the commanding officer told the full story, including the
warning that Seaman Daniel Davis had wig-wagged to the ship from far
out on the torpedo range.
In the early evening Dan was hunted out by the captain's orderly, who
told the lad that the captain wished to see him in the former's
quarters.
Dan was not sure whether he was in for a reprimand or not. But he
hastened below as fast as he could.
"Good evening, lad," greeted the captain in a kindly tone.
"Good evening, sir," answered Dan.
"You discovered the shoal spot on your way out to the range to-day, did
you not?"
"Yes, sir."
"How did you come to do that!"
"I try to observe everything, sir. The water there did not look like
the rest of the water of the bay, so I looked over and saw the bottom."
"Exactly. Why did you not notify the ship? You had reasons for not
doing so, eh?"
"Yes, sir."
"What were they?"
"In the first place, sir, it would have been presumptuous of me to have
done so. In the second place, I thought that, of course, the navigator
knew every inch of the bottom hereabouts."
"So did I," nodded the captain. "Your suppositions were wise. Knowing
of the shoal place, you kept watch of us?"
"Yes, sir."
"How did you discover our danger from where you were?"
"I took shore sights as I went out, so that I might be able to locate
the shoal if needed."
The eyes of the commanding officer gleamed with appreciation.
"You saw us heading on to it!"
"Yes, sir, I was watching you through the glass. When I saw that you
were going to strike it, if you kept your course, I took the great
liberty of warning you."
"Thank you, my lad. A board of inquiry will sit and pass upon the
accident. That will, no doubt, be done within the next twenty-four
hours. Other ships of the fleet will be in this afternoon, and the
court will probably sit early to-morrow morning."
"And now, my lad," continued the captain, "I wish to express my deep
appreciation for what you have done."
"I have done nothing, sir, except my duty, and I am not sure but that I
have exceeded the limits of good discipline in that."
"By no means. Had you not done as you did the 'Long Island' would have
driven full speed on the sand bar. She would be there still; she might
have been there for many days to come; in fact, it might have meant the
loss of the battleship. The Navy Department and the commanding officer
of this ship owe you a heavy debt of gratitude, Seaman Davis. I can
show my appreciation only by recommending you to the Department at the
present moment. They possibly may show theirs in another way, and then
I shall be able to do more for you."
"Thank you, sir. I am not looking for rewards. I am trying to do my
duty, to serve my country and my Flag to the best of my ability."
"Davis, you are a splendid fellow," said the captain, rising and
grasping the Battleship Boy by the hand impulsively. "Go on as you
have been going, and there is little doubt as to what the outcome will
be. Rest assured that I shall leave nothing undone that I can do,
consistently with good discipline, to further your interests. I hear
you have been chosen for the racing crew," added the commanding officer
with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Yes, sir; that is, I am to be tried out, myself, and also my chum, Sam
Hickey."
"I have no doubt that you will do well. It will be a splendid thing
for you, giving you a new viewpoint from which to look upon the life of
the sailor in Uncle Sam's Navy. I may have something further to say to
you later on. That will be all for the present."
Dan saluted and left the captain's quarters.
The boy said nothing of what had been discussed in the captain's cabin.
Not even to his own chum did he repeat a word of it.
On the following morning a board of inquiry which had been ordered at
once by the Navy Department convened on board the "Long Island" in full
dress. The court consisted of the captains and commanders of other
ships of the fleet.
The ship's company were in their best clothes for the occasion. As the
officers came over the side, sailors manned the gangway, two on each
side, as befitted the rank of the officers visiting the ship.
With this inquiry no one except the captain and his executive officer
had anything to do. The board of inquiry assembled in the reception
room at the stern of the ship below, where they went into executive
session, taking the evidence of the captain, the executive officer, and
later the testimony of the navigator, who, by his charts, proved that
the shoal had been indicated on none of them.
Dan was summoned to the court after the evidence had been taken. He
was a little excited, because he feared that his evidence would count
against the captain; but he entered the room with confident, easy
bearing and stood awaiting the command of the president of the court.
Dan gave his name and rating in the service. The officers were struck
with the clean-cut face, the intelligent eye and the steady nerve of
the young seaman. There was approval of his type in every face there,
but no one was more proud of the Battleship Boy than was the captain.
To all the questions put to him by the board of inquiry the lad gave
quick, comprehensive answers. He volunteered no information of his own
accord, merely answering the questions that were asked of him. He told
of having discovered the shoal water, and of measuring the depth with
his eye.
"How did you happen to discover that the water was shoal!" questioned
one of the officers.
"From the color of it, sir."
"How long have you been in the service, did you say?"
"Nearly a year, sir."
"Did you volunteer to testify before this court?"
"I did not, sir."
"It is at my suggestion to you that the lad has been called here,"
spoke up the captain. "He was unaware that he was to testify, until
you sent for him."
"You saw that the ship was headed directly for the shoal?" asked one of
the officers, addressing Davis.
"Yes, sir."
"And you signaled them of their danger?"
"Yes, sir."
"Could the shoal water not be seen from the bridge of the ship, do you
think?"
"I was not on the bridge, sir. I could not say. From the direction of
the sun I should say the whole bay looked alike, judging from my
observation when I have been up there, sir."
"Very good."
The officer was seeking to draw out the Battleship Boy to serve some
purpose of his own.
"Why did you not notify the ship at once of your discovery?"
"I did not feel at liberty to do so, sir. I considered that it would
be an impertinence to do so."
"That will be all, Davis. You may retire."
The court of inquiry closed soon after that, and the board took the
evidence into consideration, excluding all persons from the cabin,
including the captain.
The whole ship's company seemed to feel a sense of depression. They
did not believe their commanding officer had been at fault, but they
knew that Seaman Davis had saved the ship. Envious eyes were cast at
the lad during the rest of the day. Dan, however, appeared not to
observe this. He was more worried than any of his fellows, feeling
that perhaps had he acted upon his first impulse, and notified the
ship's officers of his discovery, all this might have been avoided.
After the inquiry the board lunched with the captain. Then they took
their departure from the ship with the same formality that they had
boarded it. It was noticed, after they had left, that the commanding
officer appeared much relieved. His face brightened considerably, and
the lines of worry that had appeared there after the accident seemed to
have disappeared.
"I guess the Old Man feels better," whispered Sam to his chum. "He
must have got a hunch."
They did not know it, but the board had held him blameless, subject to
the approval of the Navy Department.
"Don't use slang. And, besides, I do not like to hear you refer to our
captain as the 'Old Man.' It is not respectful."
"Everybody calls him that."
"Well, you are not everybody. Be different, for a change."
"Everybody in the Navy calls the captain the 'Old Man.'"
"You never heard me do so, did you?"
"Well, no," admitted Sam; "but you're not the whole Navy."
"I'm a very little part of it, but I have my ideas as to what is right
and wrong."
The captain was standing on deck watching the work that was going on.
The boatswain's mate was seen to come aft on the superstructure.
"Harper," called the captain.
"Aye, aye, sir."
"This will be a good opportunity to get out the racing gig."
"Now, sir?"
"No; not now. This afternoon, after four o'clock. The tide will not
be strong then and the weather is fine. Some of these lads are anxious
to get their try-out, too," with a glance at Dan Davis and Sam Hickey,
which brought a flush to the face of each of the Battleship Boys.
There was a stir among the crew as the captain made the announcement.
All their hopes were centered in the trim racing gig. To their way of
thinking there was not another boat in the fleet in the same class with
the "Long Island's" racing gig. Half a dozen men were instantly told
off to rub the boat down under the watchful eyes of Joe Harper. All
the rest of the afternoon they busied themselves about the gig, until,
at last, the command was given, "Get ready for practice spin."
The members of the racing crew hurried to their quarters, and, at four
o'clock sharp, appeared on deck, clad only in short trunks and shoes.
Each man carried an oar, which he stood butt down on the deck in front
of him.
The officers ran their eyes over the twelve muscular young men. The
glances of all finally dwelt on Dan Davis and Sam Hickey and murmurs of
surprise ran over the assemblage. Sam's arms were knotted with
muscles, as were his back and legs. But it was Seaman Davis who, of
the twelve, attracted the most attention.
Dan's muscles were not bunched like those of his companion; they were
rounded in beautiful curves, symmetrical like those of a well-groomed
race horse.
"No wonder Dynamite put a cauliflower ear on old Kester," laughed a
shipmate.
"He's in wonderful condition," confided the captain to one of his
officers. "That boy is a born athlete."
The gig was swinging over the side in a sling, being lowered by a big
crane.
"Stand by," commanded the boatswain's mate, who was the coxswain of the
gig.
The crew of the gig lined up at the rail.
"All over!"
They piled down the sea ladder, taking their places in the small boat.
"Toss!" The oars were raised upright. "Out oars!"
The oars were placed in the rowlocks.
"Cast off!"
The gig was shoved clear of the ship.
"Give way together!"
Eleven lusty sailors put their strength into the oars and the racing
gig shot away from the side of the battleship, sending up a shower of
white spray as it plunged into a rising swell.