men on the stages; and the latter passed them
from one to the other, to the gun deck; finally, the gang on the vessel
carried the baskets to the bunker holes, and dumped them. The ship was
well provided with hoisting machines, but, for some reason, this help
was not permitted us.

It was a long, inexpressibly dreary day's work, and though undertaken
cheerfully and with less complaining than would have been believed
possible, the drudgery of it was a thing not easily forgotten. Before
the day had ended, all hope of getting ashore was lost, for we were
told that no liberty would be given.

The following day and half of our stay in New York harbor was spent in
the same way--shovelling, lifting, and carrying coal. The eyes of many
of us were gladdened by the sight of friends and relatives, who were
allowed aboard when mess gear was piped, and put off when "turn to"
sounded. We were pleased to see our friends, but our friends, on the
contrary, seemed shocked to see us. One dainty girl came aboard, and, as
she came up the gangway, asked for a forecastle man. The word was passed
for him. He had just finished his stint of coaling, and was as black as
a negro. In his haste to see his sister, he neglected to clean up, and
appeared before her in his coal heaver's make-up.

"You, Will? I won't believe it! I won't, I won't, I won't!" And for a
second she covered her face with her hands. Then she picked out the
cleanest spot on his grimy countenance and kissed him there, while we
looked on in envy.

The "Yankee" at last receiving orders to sail for the front, left
Tompkinsville May 29th. We passed out of the Narrows with a feeling of
relief. The work we had just finished was the hardest we had ever
experienced. It was particularly tantalizing because we were almost in
sight of our homes, but could not visit them. A starving man suffers
more from hunger if pleasant food is placed within sight, but beyond his
reach.

However, we were to go to the front at last, and we rejoiced at the
prospect of being really useful to our country.

The following day, Decoration Day, dawned pleasantly, both wind and
weather being all that could be desired.

Directly after dinner we were sent to quarters for target practice. The
target was dropped astern, and the ship steamed ahead to the required
distance. Word was given to the marines manning the six-pounders to
prove their skill.

The port forecastle six-pounder, using a shell containing cor