ved that the officers had
taken in the situation and were astonished at the boldness and audacity of
the attempt. The boats appeared to be from the fleet, a fact to the
lieutenant's satisfaction, as he felt more like trusting to the tender
mercies of a Spanish sailor than of a soldier. At this point we let him
take up the narrative again.

"When daylight came a steam-launch full of officers and marines came out
from behind the cliff that hid the fleet and harbor and advanced towards
us. All the men on board were looking curiously in our direction. They did
not see us. Knowing that some one of rank must be on board, I waited till
the launch was quite close and hailed her.

"My voice produced the utmost consternation on board. Every one sprang up,
the marines now crowded to the bow, and the launch engines were reversed.
She not only stopped, but she backed off until nearly a quarter of a mile
away, where she stayed. The marines stood ready to fire at the word of
command when we clambered out from under the float. There were ten of the
marines, and they would have fired in a minute had they not been
restrained.

"I swam towards the launch, and then she started towards me. I called out
in Spanish, 'Is there an officer on board?' An officer answered in the
affirmative, and then I shouted in Spanish again, 'I have seven men to
surrender.' I continued swimming, and was seized and pulled out of the
water.

"As I looked up when they were dragging me into the launch, I saw that it
was Admiral Cervera himself who had hold of me. He looked at me rather
dubiously at first, because I had been down in the engine-room of the
'Merrimac,' where I got covered with oil, and that, with the soot and
coal-dust, made my appearance most disreputable. I had put on my officer's
belt before sinking the 'Merrimac,' as a means of identification, no
matter what happened to me, and when I pointed to it in the launch the
admiral understood and seemed satisfied. The first words he said to me
when he understood who I was were, '_Bienvenida sea usted_,' which means
'You are welcome.' My treatment by the naval officers, and that of my men
also, was courteous all the time I was a prisoner. They heard my story, as
much of it as I could tell, but sought to learn nothing more.

"Sharks? No, I did not have time to think of them that night," was
Hobson's reply to a question. "We saw a great many things, though, and
went through a great many experiences. Whe