CHAPTER IV.
THE MERRIMAC.
There was no good reason why, as Bill Jones had suggested, Teddy couldnot successfully pose as one of the _Merrimac's_ crew.
The undertaking in hand was so important, with such great advantagesto be derived from its accomplishment, that for the time being it wasas if every officer and man in the American squadron had no thoughtsave concerning the work upon the steamer to be sunk.
That the situation may be made more plain, as it was to Teddy beforehe had been on board the _Texas_ two hours, the following descriptionof the daring venture is quoted from an article written the very dayBill Jones and his protege sought shelter on the battle-ship:[1]
"The mines in the narrow, tortuous channel, and the elevation of theforts and batteries, which must increase the effectiveness of theenemy's fire, and at the same time decrease that of our own,reinforced by the guns of the Spanish fleet inside, make the harbour,as it now appears, almost impregnable. Unless the entrance iscountermined it would be folly to attempt to force its passage withour ships.
"But the Spanish fleet is bottled up, and a plan is being consideredto drive in the cork. If that is done, the next news may be athrilling story of closing the harbour. It would release a part of ourfleet, and leave the Spaniards to starve and rot until they were readyto hoist the white flag.
"'To drive in the cork,' was the subject nearest Rear-AdmiralSampson's heart, and he at once went into consultation with hisofficers as to how it could best be done. One plan after another wasdiscussed and rejected, and then Assistant Naval Constructor RichmondPearson Hobson proposed that the big collier _Merrimac_, which thenhad on board about six hundred tons of coal, be sunk across thechannel in such a manner as to completely block it.
"The plan was a good one; but yet it seemed certain death for thosewho should attempt to carry it out as proposed. Lieutenant Hobson,however, claimed that, if the scheme was accepted, he should by rightbe allowed to take command of the enterprise.
"The end to be attained was so great that Admiral Sampson decided thatthe lives of six or seven men could not be allowed to outweigh theadvantage to be gained, and Lieutenant Hobson was notified that hisservices were accepted; the big steamer was at his disposal to do withas he saw fit."
This was the work which had been begun when Bill Jones brought TeddyDunlap on deck that he might confess to being a stowaway, and it islittle wonder that matters on board the collier were in seemingconfusion.
On the night previous Lieutenant Hobson had received the notificationthat his services were accepted, and at an early hour next morning thework of making the _Merrimac_ ready for destruction had begun.
A dozen boys would have attracted no attention just then, and the lad,who had mentally nerved himself to meet the captain of the steamer,failed in finding any one to hear his confession.
Bill Jones, however, was quick to see the possible advantage to begained, and Teddy had not fully recovered from his bewilderment beforethe little sailor was forcing him over the rail into one of the_Texas's_ boats, which had just come alongside.
"Turned out of house an' home, eh?" one of the sailors asked, with alaugh, and there was no question but that the boy, as well as the man,had a right to be taken aboard the battle-ship.
The officers had all left the boat, therefore the two were notsubjected to any searching examination, and once on board the bigvessel, it was supposed, as a matter of course, that they had beenregularly detailed to that ship.
Strange as it may seem, these two who had but just come from the_Merrimac_ knew less regarding her proposed ending than any other,and, therefore, were most deeply interested in such information as wasto be picked up from the crew.
Before having been on board an hour they knew as much as has been setdown at the beginning of this chapter, and, for the time being atleast, they, like all around them, had little thought save for thedaring adventure which was to be made by Lieutenant Hobson and sixmen.
"It's a mighty brave thing to do," Bill Jones said confidentially toTeddy as the two were on the gun-deck, having concluded a mostsatisfactory repast; "but I wouldn't want a hand in it."
"Why not?" Teddy asked, in surprise, for he had been turning thematter over in his mind until having come almost to envy those whowere to brave death in the service of their country.
"Because I ain't what might rightly be called a fightin' man; owin' tomy bein' undersized, most likely. I take real pride in the deeds ofothers, but can't seem to get my own courage where it belongs. I'monly what you might call a plain, every-day sailor, with no fightin'timber in me, else I'd been in the navy long before this."
"Do you think they will live to sink the _Merrimac_?" Teddy asked,thoughtfully.
"There's no doubt in my mind but that they'll hold on to life longenough to do the work, but it's afterward that the trouble will begin.Every Spanish gun within range will open fire on 'em, an' what chancehave they got of comin' out alive?"
"When will they start?"
"It'll be quite a spell before they get the steamer ready to make thedive, 'cordin' to my way of thinkin'. In the first place, as I'm told,there are to be plenty of torpedoes put in position inside the oldhooker, an' it'll take some time to made them ready. Anyway, you'resnug as a bug in a rug now--"
"Until Captain Miller comes aboard," Teddy interrupted.
"Have no fear of him," the little sailor said, as if the subject wasnot worthy of consideration. "When he comes, if he ever does, it isn'tto this part of the ship that he'll pay a visit. Officers spend theirtime aft, an' small blame to 'em. It may be, Teddy Dunlap, that he'llsee you; but the chances are dead against it, so take all the comfortyou can--"
"I ought to be huntin' for daddy."
"Well, you can't, leastways, not while we're aboard this craft, butyou can count on comin' across him before this little scrimmage isended off Santiago, an' then I warrant there'll be all the chance youneed."
"But what am I to do on board here?" Teddy asked, anxiously. "It don'tstand to reason that we'll be allowed to loaf around as if we ownedthe whole vessel."
"That's the way you look at it; but my idees are different. Uncle Samwill keep us for a spell, that's certain, an' until he gets tired ofthe job we needn't worry our heads. You might live to be a thousandyears old without strikin' another job as soft as the one we've got onour hands this blessed minute, so I say, make the most of it."
"It's different with you; but I'm only a stowaway, an' stand a goodshow of gettin' into a heap of trouble when the officers of this shipfind out that I've no business to be here."
"I don't figger that way," Bill Jones replied, with a light and airymanner. "It doesn't stand to reason you should have been left aboardto go down with the steamer, eh?"
"They might have set me ashore."
"An' had a precious good job doin' it. Look ye, Teddy Dunlap, are youcountin' yourself of so much importance that a battle-ship is to leaveher station for no other reason than to put you ashore?"
"I didn't mean it that way. You see they ought to do somethin' withme--"
"Then wait till they get ready, an' don't borrow trouble. Thiscrossin' of bridges before you come to 'em is likely to make lifemighty hard for a young chap like yourself, an' considerin' all you'vetold me, I wonder at it."
Teddy could say nothing more. It surely seemed reasonable Bill Jonesknew what it was proper he should do, and from that moment he resolvedto "take things easy," as his friend advised, rather than fret overwhat couldn't be mended.
Therefore it was he ceased to worry, although at the same timekeeping a sharp watch over the _Brooklyn_, and by such a course sawvery much of what happened off Santiago during those months of Juneand July, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight.
Surely the stowaway had no cause to complain of his treatment by thecrew of the _Texas_.
Every man did his best to make these waifs from the doomed steamerfeel perfectly at home, and when Bill Jones brought his sea-chesta
board, as he did the day following their abandonment of the_Merrimac_, there was not a man on the battle-ship who did not supposeTeddy's dunnage was in the same capacious receptacle.
Rations were served to the stowaway the same as to any member of thecrew, and then he and Bill Jones were called upon for some triflingduty, but as the latter said, there was no more work than was good forthem by way of exercise.
In the most pleasant fashion possible the time passed until the_Merrimac_ was made ready for her doom, and these two comrades, for itcan well be supposed they were become fast friends, saw all thepreparations without being obliged to do any of the disagreeable work.
There was hardly an hour during these days of labour when the two didnot hear Lieutenant Hobson's plans discussed, and they knew to theslightest detail all he proposed to do.
"Here is the way he'll sink our craft, 'cordin' to all I've heard,"Bill Jones said to Teddy when the two were alone for a short time onthe afternoon after it had been reported on board the _Texas_ thateverything was ready for the desperate venture. "He'll run at aboutten-knot speed until four hundred yards or less past the Estrellabattery, or, in other words, till he's in the narrowest part of thechannel. Then he'll put the helm hard aport, stop the engines, dropthe anchors, open the sea connections, touch off the torpedoes, an'leave the old hooker blockin' up the entrance to Santiago Harbour."
"He can't do all that alone," Teddy suggested.
"Of course he can't, else why is he takin' a crew with him? I'm toldthat this is the exact way he counts on workin' it. There'll be fourmen on deck besides himself, an' two in the engine-room; all of 'emwill be stripped down to their underclothes, an' with revolvers an'ammunition strapped in water-tight packin' to their waists. One willbe forward with an axe to cut the lashings of the anchor when the wordis given. Of course Hobson signals the engineers to stop the engines,then the fellow forward cuts the anchor loose; some one below smashesthe sea connections with a sledge-hammer when the machinery stops, andall hands jump overboard, countin' on swimmin' to the boat that'sbein' towed astern. The lieutenant himself touches the button thatexplodes the torpedoes, an' then over he goes; it's a case of everyman for himself once the work is begun. The steamer is bound to godown athwart the channel, an' there you have the entrance to SantiagoBay shut up as tight as Admiral Sampson can wish."
Teddy did not venture any criticism. He had heard the subjectdiscussed so often that there was nothing new he could suggest, and itseemed wisest to hold his tongue.
On the close of this day word was passed among the crew of the _Texas_that the venture would be made during the coming night, and the twovisitors from the _Merrimac_ were on deck from sunset until sunrise.
The work of preparing the big collier was continued throughout theentire night, and just at daybreak she got under way, as if to beginthe voyage which it seemed certain could end only with the death ofall; but before the men on the battle-ship had time to give her aparting cheer, she put back to her station, because, as some of themen declared, the admiral had given positive orders for her to waituntil another night.
Twenty-four hours of additional preparation; as many of speculationand discussion among those who were refused an opportunity to offertheir lives as a sacrifice, and then came the moment when Teddy wasawakened from his sleep by Bill Jones, who said, as he shook the ladroughly:
"Get on deck, my hearty, get on deck! This time there'll be no mistakeas to the sailin', an' if you want to see the last of the _Merrimac_,now's your chance!"
The stowaway did not wait for a second invitation, and a moment laterhe formed a small portion of the human fringe which overhung the_Texas's_ rail, peering out across the waters where, by the pale lightof the moon, could be seen the doomed steamer.
It was even possible to distinguish the forms of her crew as theystood well forward, much as though taking a last look at the fleet,and, near at hand, the tiny launch from the _New York_, which was tofollow the collier in with the hope of picking up some of her bravecrew when they leaped into the water.
Among all that throng of men on the _Texas_ hardly a word was spokenas the _Merrimac_ slowly got under way. Every one remained silent asif under the spell cast by the bravery of those who were literallytaking their lives in their hands that the starry flag might wavetriumphant.
Boldly the collier steamed in toward the coast, being lost to viewimmediately she got under the shadow of the high hills at the entranceof the bay, and a mile or more astern the tiny launch puffed her wayalong as if conscious that this morning's work was of extremeimportance.
Then both craft were swallowed up by the gloom, and yet that throng ofmen overhanging the _Texas's_ rail remained motionless, waiting withan anxiety that was most intense for some sign which would give tokenof their shipmates' fate.
During half an hour every man waited in keenest suspense, never oneventuring to so much as speak, and then from the heights at theentrance of the harbour the flash of a gun streamed out.
It came almost in the nature of a relief, for every one knew that the_Merrimac_ was nearing her destination at last.
The suspense was at an end, whatever might be the result, and evenTeddy Dunlap believed he could predict the close of that mostdesperate venture.
Within ten seconds after the first flash, another was seen, then athird, and a fourth, until it was no longer possible to count them.
The heights guarding the channel appeared to be ablaze; but yet not asound could be heard.
The blockading squadron were so far away that the reports were lost inthe distance.
Then the eager men found tongue, and it was as if each spoke at thesame instant, giving no heed as to whether his neighbour replied.
During full twenty minutes these silent flashes could be seen in thedistance, and then they died away just as the gray light of the comingdawn appeared in the eastern sky.
"It's all over!" Bill Jones said, as he laid his hand on Teddy'sshoulder. "I reckon the old _Merrimac_ is layin' in the channel tokeep the Spaniards from sneakin' out; but them as carried her in sobravely are past all troubles of this world's makin'. It's great to bea hero; but the glory of it is soon over!"
"Do you suppose they've all been killed?" Teddy asked in a whisper,for it was much like speaking in the presence of the dead.
"There's little doubt of it, lad. Think you a craft like the_Merrimac_ could stand the storm of shot and shell that was poured onher from the time we saw the first flash? Just bear in mind that everypuff of flame betokened a chunk of iron large enough to sink this 'erebattle-ship, if it struck her fairly, an' you can have a fair idee ofhow much chance those poor fellows stood."
Among all the crew there was hardly one who did not share this opinionwith Bill Jones. To them, the heroes who went smilingly to their deathhad left this world for ever, and yet the men continued to overhangthe rail, awaiting the return of the launch, with the idea that whenshe arrived they might hear something of importance.
Not until three hours later did the little craft show herself, andthen she came out from under the shadow of the land followed by ashower of missiles from the big guns ashore.
The men on the _Texas_ were forced to wait some time before learningwhat information she brought, for the launch went directly to the _NewYork_, as a matter of course, and several hours elapsed before thecrew heard all that could then be told.
This was to the effect that the tiny boat followed the collier untilfire was opened upon the doomed steamer, and she was so enshrouded bysmoke as to be lost from view. Then the launch was headed in under thebatteries, where she remained until daylight on the lookout for aswimmer.
At five o'clock in the morning no sign of life had been seen, and thelittle craft made for the fleet, followed by a rain of shot from theshore batteries.
While crossing the harbour entrance one spar of the _Merrimac_ wasseen sticking out of the water, and thus it was known that the littleband of braves had done their work faithfully, at wha
tever cost tothemselves.
There was neither jest nor careless word among the crew of thebattle-ship during this forenoon; even Bill Jones remained almostabsolutely silent. It seemed that they stood in the presence of death,and more than one acted as if believing he was taking part in thefuneral services of those who had so lately been among them.
Teddy had seen every man who went to make up that devoted crew, and tohim it was as if his personal friends had met their death; but in sucha brave fashion that it would have been almost a crime to mourn theirtaking off.
Then, like a flash of lightning from a clear sky, came the joyful newsthat every man among that band who had devoted themselves to death,was yet among the living, and comparatively uninjured.
It was almost incredible information, and yet, because of its source,no one could doubt it.
At two hours past noon, while the men of the _Texas_ were shelteringthemselves from the burning rays of the sun and discussing for thehundredth time the last probable moments of their shipmates, asteam-launch, carrying a white flag, put out from the harbour, makingdirectly for the flag-ship _New York_.
At the time no one fancied for a single moment that the coming of thiscraft could have any connection with those who had left the station towreck the _Merrimac_, but there were some who suggested that theSpaniards were ready to surrender, and, in support of this theory,cited the fact that the royal squadron was bottled up so tightly itcould never be used against the United States.
Others declared that the Spanish admiral was about to make an offer ofcompromise, and not a few believed the flag of truce had to do withthe capitulation of the city of Santiago de Cuba.
Not a man was prepared for the news which floated from ship to ship,no one could say exactly how; but in less than an hour from the timethe launch made fast alongside the _New York_, it was known that shebrought a message from Admiral Cervera, commander of the Spanishfleet, to the effect that the crew of the _Merrimac_ had beencaptured, and were held as prisoners of war.
Lieutenant Hobson was uninjured, and only two of the party had beenwounded slightly.
It seemed too good to be true, but when the men realised that thisinformation must be correct, that it had been sent by a generousenemy, they spent a good five minutes cheering alternately for thosewho had escaped after having gone down into the very jaws of death,and for that gallant Spaniard who, recognising bravery even in hisfoe, had taken the trouble to announce the safety of those who werebattling against him.
"It's what I call a mighty fine thing for the old admiral to do," BillJones said, as he held forth to a gun's crew with whom he and Teddymessed. "It ain't every officer as would go out of his way to sendsuch news as that, an' if Admiral Cervera should ever fall into myhands as a prisoner of war, he can count on bein' treated like a whiteman."
There was a roar from Bill's auditors at the intimation that thecommander of the Spanish fleet might ever be captured by that sailor,for by this time all had come to know him as a "plain, every-daysailor, with not a fightin' timber in him;" but not a man within soundof his voice cared to contradict him.
On that night, after the subject of the venture and its sequel hadbeen discussed until worn threadbare, the little sailor said to Teddy,as if telling him some important truth:
"You'll see great doin's now, lad, an' it wouldn't give me such aterrible surprise to know that the war was ended within the nexttwenty-four hours, for them bloomin' Spaniards in Santiago mustunderstand by this time that the sooner they give in whipped, the lessof a lickin' they're like to get."
And Teddy, thinking more of his own condition than the glory of thecountry, asked, with no slight distress of mind:
"If it should come to a stop as soon as that, how could I ever getword to father? Of course the _Brooklyn_ would go right home, an' I'dbe left here."
"I'll take care of that, lad," Bill Jones replied, in a tone ofassurance. "Never you have a fear but that I'll see she don't leavethis station till you've had a chance to go on board long enough tosort out the coal-passers."
FOOTNOTE:
[Footnote 1: "The Boys of '98."]