will go by us in their final get-away," proposed Dan
Dalzell very soberly.

"Not if I'm seaman enough to read the compass by what's visible of the
sun," returned Midshipman Darrin.

"Then there's no help for it," answered Dan, choking slightly. "I wonder
if we could do anything for Hallam?"

"We won't do anything to bring him to, anyway," muttered Darrin. "Under
these circumstances I wouldn't do anything as mean as that to a dog!"

"Maybe he's dead already, anyway," proposed Dan, now hopefully.

"I hope so," came from Darrin.

Now they saw the not very distant battleships alter their courses and
steam slowly away.

All was now desolation over the angry sea, as the battleships gradually
vanished. The two conscious midshipmen were now resolved to face the end
bravely. That was all they could do for themselves and their flag.

CHAPTER X

THE GRIM WATCH FROM THE WAVES

By the time that little more than the mastheads of the departing
battleships were visible, Hallam opened his eyes.

It would have seemed a vastly kinder fate had he been allowed to remain
unconscious to the last.

Hallam had not been strangled by the inrush of water. In going
overboard, this midshipman had struck the water with the back of his
head and had been stunned. In the absence of attention he had remained a
long time unconscious.

Even now the hapless midshipman whose frollicking had been the cause of
the disaster, did not immediately regain his full senses.

"Why, we're all in the water," he remarked after a while.

"Yes," assented Darrin, trying to speak cheerfully.

Midshipman Hallam remained silent for some moments before he next asked:

"How did it happen?"

"Fell overboard," replied Dan laconically, failing to mention who it was
who had fallen over the stern.

Again a rather long silence on Hallam's part. Then, at last, he
observed:

"Funny how we all fell over at the same time."

To this neither of his classmates made any rejoinder.

"See here," shouted Hallam, after a considerable period of silent
wondering, "I remember it all now. I was fooling at the stern rail and I
toppled overboard."

Dan nodded without words.

"And you fellows jumped in after me," roared Hallam, both his mental and
bodily powers now beginning to return. "Didn't you?"

"Of course," assented Darrin rather reluctantly.

"And what became of the fleet!"

Dave and Dan looked at each other before the former replied:

"Oh, well, Hally