ng at his
watch. "It's twenty minutes since it has fired a shot."

"There goes one! And see! the gunboats are fighting each other now like
mad--again!" cries Gray. "They're all so wrapped in smoke you can hardly
see one of 'em."--Bang, bang, bang!--"Isn't it grand?"

"A shell burst right over Burnside's tug!" exclaims Frank. "It burst, and
sprinkled the water all around it!"

XXIII.

THE TROOPS DISEMBARK.--THE ISLAND.

At four o'clock the last of the transports had entered the inlet, and
rejoined the fleet. Soon after commenced preparations for the landing of
the troops. The boats were lowered and manned, and the soldiers,
descending from decks and spars, began to crowd into them. Knapsacks were
left behind; the men taking with them only their arms, overcoats,
canteens, haversacks, and cartridge-boxes, with three days' rations of
pork, beef, and hard bread, and forty rounds of ball cartridges. Down
both sides of the vessels they passed, in rapid regular files, pouring
into the boats. Their guns were taken as they stepped upon the stairs,
and passed down to them as soon as they were embarked. Some took places
at the oars; the rest filed in fore and aft. It must have been an amazing
spectacle to the enemy to witness these stirring and formidable
preparations for finishing the work the gunboats had begun. The troops
were jubilant, and eager for battle.

As fast as the boats were filled, they pushed from the stairs to make
room for others, and lay upon their oars watching for the signals. These
were telegraphed from the flag-ship of each brigade. At the instant, the
boats swarmed the water in miniature fleets, with oars flashing, flags
flying, and arms gleaming in the sun. Rowing to the flag-ship, or steamer
detailed for the purpose, they attached themselves under her stern in two
lines as they arrived, each boat taking the painter of the one behind it
Then, at a signal whistle, the steamers started for the shore, each
towing its double string of boats.

In the mean time the fight between the fleet and the battery was
continued,--rather languidly, however, on the part of the battery; and a
couple of light draught gunboats, running in close to the shore,
continued shelling the woods about Ashby's Harbor, to cover the landing
of the troops.

When the steamers towing in the boats had arrived as near as the depth of
water would permit, the signal whistles were s