ve got my glasses with me."

In a few minutes they were at this point of vantage in a sort of
unfrequented public park, and the three men took turns in looking at
the distant wrecks through the captain's field-glass.

"It was a great victory, wasn't it?" said Sam.

"Well, perhaps it was," answered Foster; "but the fact is, that those
old boats could hardly float and their guns couldn't reach our ships.
We just took our time and blew them up and set them on fire, and the
crews were roasted or drowned, that was all there was of it. I don't
think much of naval men anyway, to tell the truth. They don't compare
with the army. They're always running their ships aground if there's
any ground to run into."

"Anyhow, if it had been a strong fleet we'd have wiped it out just the
same, wouldn't we?" said Sam.

"Undoubtedly," said Foster. "It's a pity, tho, that the fight didn't
test our naval armaments better. It didn't prove anything. If we'd only
used our torpedo-boats, and they'd got out their torpedo-boat
destroyers, and then we'd had some torpedo-boat-destroyer destroyers,
and----"

"Yes," interrupted Cleary, "it is a pity."

"But it wasn't Admiral Hercules's fault," said Sam. "His glory ought to
be just as great."

"Hercules! Hercules!" shouted Foster. "What had Hercules to do with it?
He's a first-class fraud. It was Slewey who won the battle. You don't
mean to tell me that you are Hercules men?"

Sam and Cleary tried in vain to explain their position, but Foster
would not listen to them. The breach evidently was irreparable. He
magnanimously turned over the cab to them, and went back to the city in
another vehicle.

"Well, this is strange," said Sam. "I liked everything about Captain
Foster, but I don't understand this."

"Oh, you will tho, old man," said Cleary. "I've found out this morning
that it's the same thing all through the army and navy here. They're
hardly any of them on speaking terms. If it isn't one thing it's
another. It's the Whoppington fashion, that's all. The general of the
army won't speak to the adjutant-general there, and they're always
smuggling bills into Congress to retire each other, and that spirit
runs all the way down through both services. I'm a civilian now, and I
can see with a little perspective. I don't know why military people are
always squabbling like the women in an old ladies' home. No other
professions do; it's queer. It's getting