men who were manning them, two men in each
boat to attend to making fast the falls for hoisting and riding up to
the decks in the little craft.

The drill was ended without a mishap, save that which had occurred when
Hickey tried to lean against the ship's rail and failed.

Lights, red, white and blue, were twinkling from the masts of the
various ships at anchor in the bay, while officers on the bridge of the
"Long Island" were reading them.

"Is signalman there?" called the captain from the bridge.

"Aye, aye, sir," came the response.

"Signal the flagship that the 'Long Island's' crew abandoned ship in
four minutes and twenty seconds."

The signalman did so, working the keyboard of his signal
apparatus--that somewhat resembled a typewriter machine--causing
colored lights to flash and twinkle far up on the forward mast of his
own ship.

"'Good work, sir,' the admiral says."

"Ask him for the best time."

"Flagship signals that the 'Long Island' has made a record for
abandoning ship. Five minutes best time in previous record.
To-night's second-best record, four minutes and fifty seconds."

"Mr. Coates, will you pass the word to the men by megaphone?" asked the
captain.

"Aye, aye, sir. Battleship crew, there!"

"Aye, aye, sir," roared a hundred or more voices.

"The 'Long Island' beats all competitors in abandoning ship by thirty
seconds, and has broken all previous records."

A roar went up that fairly shook the ship; then two hundred voices were
raised in song:

"Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?"

The strains of the inspiring song floated out over the waters of the
bay until one verse had been sung, the officers offering no objection
to the jollification. But, ere the men could begin on the second
verse, the bugle blared loudly, piping all hands back to hammocks. Ten
minutes later the battleship was silent and the decks deserted. The
"Long Island's" crew, almost to a man, was sound asleep.

CHAPTER XXIII

THE ACT OF A HERO

"All hands prepare for torpedo practice," was again the command on the
following morning.

At least six torpedoes were to be fired that day, to complete the
practice required of each ship. The "Long Island" got up steam and
pulled away to a remote part of the bay, so as not to be bothered by
the other ships of the fleet. In fact, every ship in the bay was doing
the same thing--