p hove to against the dark background, until this man's
face, young, strong, and cheery then, appeared behind a white
life-buoy; and he heard again the panting voice of his rescuer: "Here
ye are, Mr. Blake; boat's comin'."

He whistled down the speaking-tube, and when answered, called: "Send an
opened bottle of whisky into the conning-tower--no glasses."

"Thankee, sir."

The captain resumed his position at the peep-hole, and Finnegan busied
himself with his troubles until a Japanese servant appeared with a
quart bottle. The captain received it, and the Jap withdrew.

"Help yourself, Finnegan," said the captain, extending the bottle;
"take a good drink--a last one." Finnegan took the equivalent of three.
"Now, up with you." The captain stood the bottle under the binnacle.
"Upper top. Report to Mr. Bates."

"Cappen, please send me down to the turret where I b'long, sir. I'm all
right now. I don't want to go up there wi' the sogers. I'm not good at
machine-guns."

"No arguments. Up with you at once. You are good for nothing but to
work a lever under the eye of an officer."

Finnegan saluted silently and turned toward the stairs.

"Finnegan!"

He turned. The captain extended his hand. "Finnegan," he said, "I don't
forget that night, but you must go; the eternal fitness of things
demands it. Perhaps I'll go, too. Good-by."

The two extremes of the ship's company shook hands, and Finnegan
ascended. When past the quartermasters and out of hearing, he grumbled
and whined: "No good, hey? Thirty years in the service, and sent up
here to think of my sins like a sick monkey. Good for nothin' but to
turn a crank with the sogers. Nice job for an able seaman. What's the
blasted service a-comin' to?"

The two fleets were approaching in similar formation, double column, at
about a twelve-knot speed. Leading the left column was the _Lancaster_,
and following came the _Argyll_, _Beaufort_, and _Atholl_, the last
two, like the _Lancaster_, armored cruisers of the first class. On the
_Lancaster's_ starboard bow was the flag-ship _Cumberland_, a large
unarmored cruiser, and after her came the _Marlborough_, _Montrose_,
and _Sutherland_, unarmored craft like the flag-ship, equally
vulnerable to fire, the two columns making a zigzag line, with the
heaviest ships to the left, nearest the enemy.

Heading as they were, the fleets would pass about a mile apart. Led
by a black, high-sided monster, the left column of the enemy was ma