s
act of treachery was Commodore Barron, formerly of the United States
Navy. He would have scorned to do such a thing while the old flag waved
above him, but when he threw off his allegiance to the government he had
sworn to defend, he threw off his manhood with it. But he gained nothing
by it. The battle was fiercely renewed by the Union forces, and the next
day Commodore Barron hoisted the white flag and surrendered himself and
his garrison unconditionally. In going off to the fleet he was obliged
to pass close under the guns of the _Wabash_, a fine vessel which, six
months before, he had himself commanded with honor.

While these events were taking place at Hatteras Inlet, Marcy and his
brother remained at home, waiting with as much patience as they could to
see how the battle was going to end. They knew there was a battle going
on, for they heard about it when they went to the post-office on
Thursday morning; and if they had believed all that was told them, they
would have gone home very much disheartened. One man assured them (and
he got his information from his papers) that the remnant of the fleet,
that is to say all the vessels that had not been wrecked when the
expedition left Fortress Monroe, had made its appearance in due time,
begun the assault in the most gallant manner, and the few that had not
been sunk or disabled by the seventeen heavy guns of the forts, had been
scattered by the gale. The flag of the Confederacy waved triumphant, and
Hatteras Inlet was yet open to blockade-runners.

When the two were on their way home, and each had read all he cared to
read in papers that did not give any reliable information, Marcy
inquired:

"How much of those stories do you believe?"

"Not quite half," replied Jack. "Perhaps some of the attacking fleet
were sunk; they are liable to be when they go into action. But I believe
that if our fellows were whipped, they were whipped by the gale and not
by the forts. We ought to hear something definite in the course of a few
days."

And they heard something the very next morning; but even then, to quote
from Jack, who was very much disgusted when he said it, they "didn't get
the straight of the story." Young Allison did not come out to greet them
when they drew up their horses at the hitching-rack (he objected to
being called a stay-at-home blow-hard), but Colonel Shelby and his
intimate friend, Dillon, were standing close by, and the boys noticed
that they looked very