'old man' playing a joke on us?" "Do you suppose Cervera has got over to
this side?" "Scully," overwhelmed with questions, put up his hands
protestingly.

"No, no; none of those things," said he. "What do you suppose we have
been doing for the last twenty minutes?"

We confessed we did not know.

"Chasing thunder claps--nothing more nor less than thunder claps! And
we'll see nothing worse on this coast," he added sententiously, as soon
as he could get his breath.

The wind rose, and while it blew away the fog in part, it kicked up a
nasty sea, in which the "Yankee" wallowed for hours, waiting for the fog
to clear enough to make the channel and enter New York harbor. It seemed
we had been heading for New York, and we did not know it. It was not the
custom aboard that hooker to give the men any information.

[Illustration: "THE 'YANKEE' DROPPED HER ANCHOR OFF TOMPKINSVILLE"]

When we learned for sure that we were bound for New York, our joy was
beyond measure.

Shore leave was the chief topic of conversation. And every man not on
duty went down into his black bag, fished out his clean blues, and set
to work sewing on watch marks and cap ribbons. For Jack must be neat and
clean when he goes ashore.

The mud-hook was dropped in the bay off Tompkinsville, Thursday, May