wo enormous funnels and only one mast and even the arched
roofs of their turrets could now be clearly distinguished.

"If I didn't know that our English friends owned the only ships of that
caliber, and that our own are unhappily still in process of equipment
at Newport News, I should say that those were two _Dreadnoughts_."

"I guess you've had a sunstroke," rang out the answer.

"Sunstroke or no sunstroke, those are two _Dreadnoughts_."

"But where can they come from?"

The three men examined the horizon in silence, till Lieutenant Wood
suddenly broke it by exclaiming: "There, do you see, to the left, just
appearing on the horizon, that's our transport fleet--eight--ten ships;
the one in front is probably the _Olympia_."

"Twelve ships," counted the keeper, "and if I may be allowed to say so,
the two in front are battleships."

"There they are then," said Ben Wood, "and now we'll get something to
eat in a jiffy, for we'll have our work cut out for us in an hour!"

"Where shall we eat?" asked Spencer, "I'll gladly dispense with the grub
at Signor Morrosini's to-day."

"I'll tell you what," said the other, "we'll go across to one of the
transport-steamers; or, better still, we'll go to the captain of the
_Marietta_--we'll be sure to get something decent to eat there."

"Right you are!" said Spencer, peering down over the edge of the
railing. "Our cutter is down there," he added.

At the foot of the light-house lay a small, white cutter with its brass
appointments glittering in the sunlight. Her crew, consisting of three
men, had crept into the little cabin, while the black stoker was resting
on a bench near the boiler.

"Ho, Dodge!" shouted Spencer, "get up steam. We're going over to the
transport-ships in ten minutes."

The firemen threw several shovels of coal into the furnace, whereupon a
cloud of smoke poured out of the funnel straight up along the
light-house. Lieutenant Wood telephoned over to Corpus Christi that the
transports with the troops on board had been sighted and that they would
probably arrive in the roads in about two hours.

"We're going over to one of the transport-ships meanwhile," he added,
"and will await the arrival of the squadron out there."

While Lieutenant Spencer was climbing down the narrow staircase,
Lieutenant Wood once more examined the horizon and suddenly started. The
thunder of a shot boomed across the water. Boom--came the sound of
another one!

The lieutenant cla