CHAPTER XVI
THE BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES
"Now, you fellows can just sit right down there and let me have everybit of the tale," said the American officer cheerfully, motioning Haland Gerald to two seats which were fixed against the side of the tinycabin of the torpedo boat. "I'm dying to hear all about your adventure,and let me ask you to be particularly slippy, for as soon as the admiralis informed that you've dropped in with the fleet, he'll be wanting you,so as to get all possible information. Come now; the grub will be alongin a very few minutes, so you may as well fill in the time. I can tellyou, sirs, that I'm right glad to meet you."
He stretched across the narrow swinging table, and shook both heartilyby the hand; then he shouted to a steward, and himself helped to placefood before the lads.
"Beg pardon, sir, but the admiral aer a-waggin' ter yer ter send 'emaboard," said someone at this moment, calling down the companion.
"The dickens! Signal right back that they're famishing, and will be allthe better for a square meal," the officer exclaimed. "It's the truth,after all," he added, with a smile. "I should be uncomfortably hungry ifI had taken nothing but thin air since the sun came up."
Some pressed beef, bread and butter, and hot tea were placed upon thetable, and Hal and Gerald needed no second bidding to fall to. The keennight air had indeed given them an appetite, to which long hours ofsuspense and excitement had only added zest. They fell upon the viands,therefore, with a will, and made the food disappear with great rapidity.
"My! There's no doubt that you were hungry," remarked the officer, witha smile. "Don't stop. Go right on, for there is plenty more if you needit."
At last they managed to satisfy their hunger, and then they gave a roughoutline of their adventures. They were in the act of completing thestory when the same voice called to them again.
"Them signals aer a-waggin' fit ter split theirselves," the man cried."Reckon it erd be jist right ter send 'em aboard."
"So; then we'll get under way. Get to your post."
The torpedo boat quivered and throbbed from stem to stern as the screwsrevolved in the water.
"Say," said the officer, "there's steam and plenty of it in that old tubof yours. Suppose we go aboard the flagship in it; it'll be thehandier."
Hal and Gerald acquiesced, and at once stepped into the launch. A manwas left in charge of the wheel of the torpedo boat. Then two were sentaboard the launch, one of whom dived into the engine-room; the lashingswere cast off, and they steamed alongside the huge vessel which flew theadmiral's flag.
A monster she looked, too, for the _New York_ was one of the largest ofarmored cruisers afloat.
"Down below there! Hook on, and we'll bring you flyin' up," someoneshouted, and the tackle of the two falls began to descend, a sailorclinging to the lower block of each. Hal was no seaman, and it was arevelation to him to see the way in which the hooks were made fast, andthe launch, engines, and all, whisked aloft. A minute later he andGerald, together with the officer, were standing on the white decks ofthe magnificent flagship _New York_.
"Admiral's compliments, and will ye sthep below?" an Irish marine said,saluting.
"To be sure I will! Stay here till I come up again," replied theofficer, turning to the lads.
As he left them for his interview with the admiral, another officerapproached.
"Should say that this was irregular," he said, looking keenly at Hal andGerald. "Two prisoners left unguarded! But you'd be amazin' clever, Ireckon, to do us much harm. Hallo! What's this? I've a kind ofrecollection of one of you. Now, where have we met?"
"And I remember you; I saw you aboard the _Maine_," replied Hal quietly.
"Why, the _Maine_! That you did, certainly. Are you not the Britisher?You are, of course, but what are you doin' with this young fellow aboarda Spanish craft?"
This needed another explanation, which was barely completed when AdmiralSampson, the commodore of the squadron of American ships, came up.
"Congratulations, young gentlemen," he said, extending his hand inwelcome. "I have heard part of the story, and shall be glad to learnmore. Meanwhile, I fancy that a bath and some clean clothes will be morein your line than anything else. Mr. Perkins, I'll be obliged if youwill hurry next time something turns up. This time it's different, forthey're excellent young fellows."
The officer saluted, and at once descended the gangway, and entered aboat which had been lowered, bestowing a wink on Hal and Gerald as hedid so.
"Mr. Billing, you'll do me the favor of looking after our guests,"proceeded the admiral. "Fix them up, and bring them along to dinnerto-night."
"Thankee, sir, I will," was the reply; then he turned to Hal and Gerald,and led them below.
"You've had a good square meal, I understand," he said, "so we'll seeright away what's to be done about togs. Come along here."
He led them into a cabin, and began to ransack various drawers,producing, after a long hunt, undergarments and a spare suit for each.
"Perhaps you won't mind telling us what's going on?" said Hal. "We knowno more than that war was declared a few days ago."
"Then I fancy that you are as well primed with information as we are. Ican tell you that this is a very queer war--in fact, quite the strangestI have ever heard of. The truth is, that neither the Dons nor my countryare prepared for fighting; for, you see, ships are not sufficient toenable a nation to carry on hostilities. An army to invade is wanted,and where is ours to come from? Mind you, sir, I've not a morsel ofdoubt that we shall raise all the troops we want, and that very quicklytoo, for all America is buzzin' with enthusiasm at this very moment. Butyou must understand that men who have not been trained to work togetherstand a very poor chance when confronted with regulars. Then, again,where would our supply department be? I can inform you right now thatthere would be terrible confusion when it was found that a hastilyraised arm of the service was called upon to feed, say, twenty thousandmen, perhaps in Cuba, or elsewhere.
"So it comes to this, that we must wait till all is ready ashore.Meanwhile, the navy will have to do all the fighting, and, if only theDons show the spirit for which their ancestors were famous, we shallhave some very ticklish brushes with them.
"After our forces are ready to move, and the various departments havegot into thorough working order, we shall want ships to carry them toCuba, or even to Spain, for all I know; and then I have a notion thatthere'll be a heap of fun, and a mighty lot for all of us to do."
"Then there is no chance of an invasion taking place yet a while?" Halasked.
"No, that's just how it stands. But how does it interest you,Mr.--er--er--oh, I can't remember your name. Anyhow, you're a Britisher.How do you come into the quarrel?"
"It did not interest me greatly till a few days ago," said Hal. "Now itdoes. You see, these Spaniards have given us a very bad time. I mustadmit that the greater part of the trouble has arisen through one Don inparticular, who is a very bad specimen of humanity. He attacked ourhacienda, and the next day did his utmost to have us shot as spies. Infact, if matters had not turned out otherwise, you may take it that hewould be gloating over our deaths at this very moment."
"George! That is most uncomfortable to think of!"
"We had a precious near squeak for it," continued Hal; "and now you askhow it concerns me. I am going back to the island, and, if I find thatall is secure at the hacienda, I shall join the invading forces."
"Just to make matters even, I suppose?" laughed the officer. "I caneasily follow you. These Dons have given you and the youngster a warmishtime, and have roused you into a temper. You Britishers have thereputation of being as easy-going as possible, and of being able to putup with a heap; that is, up to a certain point. After that, we all knowthat the old bull-dog nature comes to the fore, and then there's goingto be trouble. And so you've got to that point? Well, I am not a morselsurprised, for there are few who would stand what you have gone through,and forget in a hurry. In fact, I reckon that the majority would havefailed to come
through at all. There's no doubt that you youngsters werein an almighty mess. Say, sir, what was the name you mentioned?"
"Hal Marchant."
"Ah! So that is it. Well, sir, I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Billing;Lieutenant aboard the _New York_. Lieutenant Samuel K. Billing."
He held out his hand, which Hal took and shook with enthusiasm.
"And so you have decided to join the boys?" continued the officer. "It'sthe kind of thing that a lad of your sort would do, and I don't supposethat you'll have much difficulty about the matter. But in case you have,apply to me. I haven't forgotten how you came to the fore and helped todowse the magazines aboard the poor old _Maine_, and, if I can, I'll dosomething to repay you. Come, think the matter over right now."
He motioned both the lads to seats, and threw himself into anotheropposite.
"There," he said pleasantly. "Now, fire away."
"You have asked me how you can help us," said Hal, after some moments ofsilence. "It is very kind of you, and if you will arrange to have uslanded somewhere near Santiago, we shall be most grateful to you."
"Can't be done. It is out of the question altogether," replied theofficer, leaning back in his chair, and shaking his head emphatically."See here, Mr. Marchant, you'll admit that we Amurricans have areputation for smartness. Well, whatever the Dons may be in ordinarycircumstances, they are fully alive to the situation just now, and havetheir eyes very wide open. Christopher, man! the coast is bristling withguns and men, and it is no exaggeration to state that you could hardlyfloat a piece of bread ashore without its being discovered. That willgive you an idea of the vigilant watch that is being maintained."
"But we must return to the hacienda. The safety of our friends demandsit!" exclaimed Hal hotly.
"Is that so? What friends, may I ask, sir? Relatives, by any chance?"
"Well, not exactly in my case," Hal answered, in some confusion."Gerald's father and sister live at the hacienda."
"You don't say so!" the officer answered quizzingly. "You don't fearthat your pa's in danger, do you, Mr. Gerald?"
"Yes, I fancy he is," replied Gerald. "You see, we are anxious about himwith those rascally irregulars about. Besides, there's Dora."
"Oh, ho; there's Dora!" repeated the officer, smiling at Hal. "And soyou have determined to rush into all sorts of dangers, Mr. Marchant,just on the chance of rescuing your friends from some scoundrels who,after all, may never have been near the hacienda of which you speak.Well, it's a fix, for you can't exactly fly ashore, and you'll be shotso sure as you attempt to get there in a boat."
"Then I'll swim," said Hal quietly. "I'll go overboard some day when youare close inshore."
"Yes, and what about the sharks? Those loathsome brutes are justjostlin' one another round here."
"I'll swim for Cuba all the same," replied Hal steadily. "I'll chancethe sharks, for I am convinced that real danger threatens our friends."
"So bad as that, is it?" the officer exclaimed, lifting his eyebrows."Well, if you are set upon it, I'll do a trifle for you, but it won't beyet a while. We're bound elsewhere, and will be cruising up the otherside of the island. But when the chance comes you shall go, and you cantrust Samuel K. Billing to help you."
The young American officer, whom Hal had first met beside the magazineson board the ill-fated _Maine_, and who had so miraculously escaped thedisastrous results of the explosion, had not exaggerated matters whenhe declared that America was not ready for war.
True, her people, the nation as a whole, and the newspapers for the mostpart, had asked for war--nay, demanded it. Sympathy for the miserablepeople in the concentration camps had first stirred them into action,but the awful calamity on board the _Maine_, and the particularcircumstances in which the explosion had occurred, had roused theiranger and indignation. At their very door thousands of poor helplesspeople were dying of sheer starvation, and of the hundred and onediseases which follow inevitably where want and destitution haveundermined the constitution. That in itself was an offense against theirfeelings of humanity. And there was no error in this case, for no lyingtales had reached their ears, but only the truth. They had not been toldstories innumerable of awful misery existing in Cuba when such was notthe case. No. There was no doubt that there was reason for interventionbetween oppressor and oppressed, and America had espoused the cause ofthe latter with great earnestness.
She had insisted on war, and had embarked upon it, as the reader knows.But under what conditions? Her navy was one of which she was justlyproud; her army, on the other hand, was far too small to undertake thetask which America had set herself--namely, the expulsion of Spain fromthe Island of Cuba. Twenty-seven thousand officers and men were,roughly, the army of this great country; but, though few in numbers,they were, indeed, men to be proud of, for all were picked, and manywere accomplished in that most important branch of war--scouting.
In addition, America possessed militia, though few of the battalionswere in an efficient state; and the reason of this was that a reactionhad followed the fierce civil war between North and South. There was nolonger need for soldiering, and trade occupied the attention of thepeople instead. Had it been otherwise, the lads of the States are toomuch like our own to have done otherwise than throw their hearts andenergy into the army, and fight for their country. And in this emergencythey came to the fore with a zeal and impetuosity which warranted thestatement of Hal's naval friend, to wit, that the whole of the Americannation was roused to enthusiasm.
The sons of the States came forward in their thousands. Those of themilitia battalions who were still of the right age, and medically fit,volunteered for active service almost to a man, and within a very shortspace of time America found herself with a hundred thousand men added toher regular army. The latter was sent down to the department of theSouth, to Tampa in Florida, and the remaining volunteers weretransferred from the various departments into which the States aredivided, to certain training camps, from which they were to be sent toChickamauga in Tennessee, and from there, when efficient, to Tampa.
And now, having hinted at the manner in which the army of invasion wasraised, we will turn to the navy, and to events in and around Cuba.
"There, sir, that's just about where we are," said the Americanlieutenant, who had introduced himself as Samuel K. Billing, throwinghimself back in his chair. "As I've hinted to you, the boys ashore aredrilling their boots off, and up to this it has been a naval war. OnApril the 21st hostilities commenced, and America made a haul, for wecaptured the _Cataluna_, with a cargo of mules, about to sail from NewOrleans to Cuba. Then Admiral Sampson--that's the commodore, you'llunderstand--flew his signals, and out the fleet sailed from Key West. Westeamed to sea with orders to blockade the coast of Cuba from Cardenasto Cienfuegos, that is right along east of Havana. Next day we fell inwith the _Buenaventura_, and captured her, sending her along home with aprize crew aboard. That, sir, is all the news. Here we are, and here weshall stay till the troops are ready. Lucky for you both that wehappened to put in an appearance! It was by the merest chance that wecame cruising down this way."
No doubt it was remarkably fortunate for Hal and Gerald; but, thoughSantiago with the neighboring coast was, from this day, efficientlyblockaded, the failure to carry the movement out before had allowed the_Montserrat_, a Spanish liner, to approach the southern part of theisland, and land troops, ammunition, and stores at Cienfuegos, whencethey were conveyed to Havana. Beyond this nothing of importance hadoccurred in the neighborhood, while thousands of miles away, in thePacific Ocean, an American fleet lay at anchor in Mirs Bay, on theChinese coast, ready to make an attack upon the Philippines, Spain'sstronghold in those waters. The fleet of which Spain boasted had gone toSt. Vincent in the Cape Verde Islands, and awaited events there.
"And what will happen now?" asked Hal. "Are you likely to be sailing inclose to Santiago? If you are, I shall take my chance and hop overboard.Besides, I'd forgotten, there's the launch. The commodore would allow usthat."
"So he would, Marchan
t, and what would happen to you? Why, sir, thatlittle tub would be sucked up by a Spanish gunboat before you couldwink. And then----Phit! man, it would be all over with you! It is out ofthe question, and you'll have to get the idea out of your mind for atime. In the first place, we're not for cruisin' close in. We're boundfor Havana, and when we get there you will see some fun. There's a talkof bombarding Matanzas, a coast town that comes next in size toHavana."
"Then you will have some fighting," said Hal. "I should like to bethere."
"And so you shall, sir. You're guests aboard this ship, and if you wantto stay, say the word. The commodore is not the man to stop you."
"Thanks, very much," answered Hal. "Until I can see a chance of beinglanded near Santiago, I should certainly like to remain on this ship.But why not attack Havana? It is the chief Spanish port."
"And get badly knocked about!" exclaimed the lieutenant. "George, man!There are mines to be thought of, and, besides, where should we be if wegot into the harbor? Fifty thousand Spanish troops would be confrontingus. No, Marchant, it is not to be thought of."
No one could quarrel with this decision. Had America possessed thenecessary land forces, an attack might have been attempted; but, eventhen, to try to enter a harbor over live mines would have been hazardousin the extreme.
Admiral Sampson, however, had decided to attack Matanzas, for it wasnecessary to do something to calm the clamor of the American public.Almost two weeks had already passed since the declaration of war, and nosuccess had been achieved, save the capture of a few merchant vessels.In consequence, the people of the States were roused to anger, for theyhad expected great things on the outbreak of war.
But, meanwhile, the ship upon which Hal and Gerald were receivinghospitality was steaming along the coast.
"It'll be two days before we get right round," said Lieutenant Billing,"so I propose that you young fellows get some sort of togs. The tailoraboard will measure you for coats and things, and if we chaps weren'table to dig out the unders, why, we wouldn't be any good. As you standyou'll do for the commodore to-night, for on active service there is nodressing for dinner. Come along with me, and I'll see what the tailorman has to say."
Hal and Gerald did as they were asked, and were very glad that theirnaval friend had thought of it, for they were absolutely destitute ofbelongings when they escaped from Santiago. Naturally, their flight fromprison, and their subsequent adventures, had not helped to improve theirclothes, so that, when they stepped aboard the _New York_, it wascoatless and bootless, and with only the remains of very dirtyplantation suits. Indeed, Hal was more like a coal-heaver than anything,and the heat of the little stoke-hole had been so great that he had evendiscarded his shirt, and kept on only trousers and vest.
"New suit for two Britishers?" exclaimed the ship's tailor, who was atypical Yankee. "Say, where on airth did yer get hold of them ere togs?Oh, from the lieutenant? Wall, I'll fix yer up as good. That aer theway. Hold yer arm out, so, and I'll take yer measure."
He soon obtained all the necessary particulars, after which thelieutenant led Hal and Gerald to the _New York's_ gunroom, where theywere introduced to the other officers.
"Say, Mr. Marchant, sir," said one of them, "our friend here, thelieutenant, has got the better of us. How was it that you came to beaboard that old tank of a launch? Spin the yarn, like a good fellow, andwe'll feel obliged."
There was nothing for it but to recount again how they had escaped fromthe Morro Castle; and that same evening the commodore also insisted uponhearing all the particulars of their adventures, and probed Hal soastutely with questions that he drew from him the tale of Josed'Arousta's attack upon the hacienda, and the manner in which it hadbeen foiled.
"You never let on about that, sir," said Samuel K. Billingreproachfully, "and the admiral has scored one. Say, Mr. Marchant, youseem unusually concerned about that Spaniard, and I don't wonder at all,for he's a low-down sort of beggar; but how did it happen that you firstknocked up against him? Now, no hanging back, if you please, for if youdon't feel inclined to oblige me, there's Admiral Sampson, who won't letyou off."
"Indeed, no. Come, Mr. Marchant, I trust you will give us the story,"chimed in the commodore. "This Spaniard seems to have some special spiteagainst you. If I remember rightly, he and his rascally accomplice wouldhave shot you in cold blood when the hacienda was taken. What was thequarrel between you?"
Nothing loath, for the officers seemed genuinely interested, Hal toldhow Jose d'Arousta had first come across his path, and how, on threesuccessive occasions, he had been able to thwart him.
"There's luck, they say, in the number three," remarked the admiral."Young, sir, I consider that you have done very well, and that you havebeen ably helped by your friend. But luck may pull you through danger onone occasion, while on another it leaves you in the lurch. Pluck andstrength of purpose are of far more use in difficulties, and whencombined with luck make the issue less doubtful. So, you see, I take itthat you both have a very good allowance of what we in the States call'grit.' But for that I reckon you would have been shot this verymorning, for how else could you have succeeded in escaping from theMorro Castle? As for that fellow of a Spaniard, I am not in the leastsurprised that you feel uneasy about him. Beware of the man, is thecaution I would impress upon you. Three, I have said, is considered alucky number. Take care when you run up against him for the fourth time,that he does not shoot you at sight. No amount of good fortune willpreserve a man when a revolver is fired at point-blank range. But there,what am I doing? Giving advice to a youngster who, in spite of his fewyears, has seen more adventures than many a man of forty. You've beenalmighty spry, my lad, and will pull through, whatever the danger."
"You may put it at that," exclaimed the lieutenant, who seemed to havetaken a particular fancy to Hal. "I can tell you, sir, that this youngguest of ours is as smart and as full of pluck as they make them."