t one of the boys who had been on deck ran in, saying
"the rudder has broken"--and apparently something _was_ broken, for the
boat seemed to heave all the more, and to take a zig-zag course. Once or
twice it made a complete circle, and we began to think that they had
lost all control of it, but three sturdy sailors were sent up in the
stern to handle it by means of large pilot wheels. Our company was
quartered just beneath the officers kitchen, and during the roughest
part, the plates and other dishes began to roll from their places on the
shelves, breaking upon the floor. This made a very unpleasant sound,
above the uproar of a thousand other noises. During the rough sea, the
mess line began to thin out somewhat. Some would come into the mess
hall, but at the sight of food, they would turn pale and make a hurried
exit.

Soon we ran into comparatively smooth water again, and one day our
boat's turn came for target practice. We drew away from the convoy, and
a buoy with a small flag on was dropped overboard. The gunners took
their turn shooting as the boat swung around, and once or twice they
came so close that we felt sure they had made a direct hit. The buoy was
knocked under the water, but the little thing soon appeared again. The
boys were naturally anxious to see them handle the guns, and they
crowded around as closely as possible, but after the first shot they
gave them more room. One fellow was standing directly behind the gun,
but upon the super-deck. He was so intent upon watching the operations
that when the gun fired its concussion knocked him off his feet. He got
up, took a wild look around and immediately left. Finally the big
six-inch gun in the stern sank the buoy. After cruising around all day,
and just as night was hovering over the sea, we again caught sight of
the convoy. We were certainly glad, too, for of course we felt more
comfortable with the other ships.

It was on board the ship that we first became acquainted with the
censorship rules. The officers did a slashing business on our first
letters, and only a few unconnected lines ever reached the folks back
home.

It was on the morning of May 29 that the news flew over the boat that
land was in sight. Although only 2 o'clock, day was breaking, and many
went on deck to see that which we had not seen for fourteen long days.
Upon reaching the deck, we could also see a number of little torpedo
destroyers darting here and there--small in size but pow