s than thunder claps! And
we'll see nothing worse on this coast," he added sententiously, as soon
as he could get his breath.

The wind rose, and while it blew away the fog in part, it kicked up a
nasty sea, in which the "Yankee" wallowed for hours, waiting for the fog
to clear enough to make the channel and enter New York harbor. It seemed
we had been heading for New York, and we did not know it. It was not the
custom aboard that hooker to give the men any information.

[Illustration: "THE 'YANKEE' DROPPED HER ANCHOR OFF TOMPKINSVILLE"]

When we learned for sure that we were bound for New York, our joy was
beyond measure.

Shore leave was the chief topic of conversation. And every man not on
duty went down into his black bag, fished out his clean blues, and set
to work sewing on watch marks and cap ribbons. For Jack must be neat and
clean when he goes ashore.

The mud-hook was dropped in the bay off Tompkinsville, Thursday, May
26th, seventeen days after we left the navy yard. It seemed seventeen
months.

An "anchor watch" of sixteen men was set for the night, and most of us
turned in early to enjoy the first good sleep for many weary days.

All hands were turned out at five o'clock. We woke to find a big coal
barge on either side of the ship.

After breakfast the order "turn to" was given. "All hands coal ship,
starboard watch on the starboard lighter, port watch on the port
lighter." From seven o'clock in the morning till twelve o'clock that
night, the crew of the "Yankee"--aforetime lawyers, physicians, literary
men, brokers, merchants, students, and clerks--men who had never done
any harder work than play football, or row in a shell--coaled ship
without any rest, other than the three half hours at meal times. About
the hardest, dirtiest work a man could do.

The navy style of coaling is different from that customary in the
merchant service. In the latter, the dirty work is done in the quickest,
easiest way possible. The ship is taken to a coal wharf and the coal is
slid down in chutes, or barges are run alongside and great buckets,
hoisted by steam, swing the black lumps into the hold or bunker.

The navy style, as practised on the "Yankee," was quite different. The
barges were brought alongside, the men divided into gangs--some to go in
the hold of the barge, some to go on the platforms, some to carry on the
ship herself. The barge gang shovelled the coal into bushel baskets;
these were carried to the