betray a
ship.

It was Tuesday night, and time hung heavy on our hands. Eight bells had
not sounded, and, though hammocks had been given out, neither watch
could turn in. It was with particular glee, therefore, that we welcomed
the news that "Steve" had composed an up-to-date verse to his "Tommy
Atkins" song. After some persuasion--for he is a modest chap--he
consented to sing it for us.

"The first two verses of this song were writ
Before we sailed away for Cuba's Isle;
And since that time the Spaniards we have fit,
And chased their gunboats many a weary mile.
We've heard the bullets whistling overhead.
We've heard the shells fly by and called it sport,
And down at Cienfuegos
We proved ourselves courageous
By tackling both a gunboat and a fort.

CHORUS.

"Now we'd _like_ to run a ferry,
All along the Jersey shore;
Fighting Spaniards, it is very
Nice, but we don't want--no more.
We would give our bottom dollar,
And of that you need not fear,
Just to hear the masthead holler
Brooklyn navy yard is here."

"That's very good, 'Steve,'" said Greene, "but I can't quite agree to
that line: 'Fighting Spaniards it is very nice, but we don't want--no
more.' I'd like to have a few more raps at 'em."

"You are such a bloodthirsty chap," said Flagg, "you slam the charges
into your old Number Seven as if you would like to wipe out the whole
enemy with one fell swoop."

"Well," replied Greene, thoughtfully, "a man does get awfully excited
when the guns begin to bark."

And every one of us knew exactly how he felt.

We maintained a close vigil until the sixteenth of June--two days
later--then sailed for Santiago. Shortly after entering port we were
informed that the Spanish gunboat with which we had been engaged off
Cienfuegos had sunk, sent to the bottom by our fire; a bit of news
highly appreciated.

Our stay in Santiago was short, the "Yankee" leaving for Guantanamo the
next day at eleven o'clock. On reaching the latter port we found
evidences of a considerable change in the condition of affairs. On our
former visit, as the reader will remember, we had engaged in an
interesting argument with a gunboat, a blockhouse, and a fort, driving
the boat back into the harbor and silencing the fort. The good work done
that day had borne fruit.

On entering the bay we found several of our vessels quietly riding at