Spaniard would have trembled at the word 'Yankee'!"

"What are we doing all this clear ship, general quarters, fire drill,
and such business for?" said a forecastle man to Craven, who, besides
being on a deck gun, from which all that was occurring on the bridge
could be seen, was a messenger.

"Why, don't you know?" said the latter. "We have a war artist aboard,
and all this extra drilling is being done for his special benefit, so he
can work it up for his paper, I suppose."

"Well, if we ever get that artist aboard the old 'New Hampshire' we will
teach him a few things, so he can describe them from actual
experience," said "Hod" the husky. "He'll be able to describe scrub and
wash clothes, sweeping decks, washing dishes, and all the rest, most
vividly," he continued, vindictively. "We'll show him how we get under
the hose in the morning. Oh, we'll have a bully time with him, and I'll
wager that when we're through the honors of naval battles will seem too
trivial for him to draw!"

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE "YANKEE" ARRIVES OFF SANTIAGO

On the twenty-first of July the "Yankee" arrived off Santiago. The
"Brooklyn" was the only warship on guard, and the absence of that grim
line of drab-colored ships changed the whole appearance of the coast.
The "Brooklyn" seemed lonely, though she rode the seas proudly. "See,"
she seemed to say, "I am monarch of all I survey"; and she looked every
inch a queen, as she swayed slowly in the long ground swell, her ensign
snapping in the brisk breeze and Admiral Schley's flag standing out like
a board. From our proximity to the shore we were enabled to obtain a
better view than before. Old Morro Castle, perched above the mouth of
the channel, seemed battered and forlorn. The Stars and Stripes floated
on high exultingly from the very staff that formerly bore the Spanish
colors, and we thrilled when we saw it. The wreck of the "Reina
Mercedes" could be plainly made out, and beyond her could also be seen
the masts and stack of the "Merrimac"--a monument to American heroism.

With the U.S.S. "Yankton" (which had run out of coal) in tow, we
proceeded to Guantanamo. While entering the bay, the first fleet of
transports bearing troops for the invasion of Porto Rico was
encountered. Inside the harbor a vast squadron of American ships lay at
anchor--some forty vessels in all. The spectacle of such a mighty fleet
bearing our beloved colors was indeed inspiring.

We found the "Iowa," "Massachu