settled that the "Yankee" was to become the flagship of the whole fleet,
our captain made Lord High Admiral, and the whole Spanish nation swept
off the face of the globe, in about thirteen and a half seconds by the
chronometer.


CHAPTER VII.

WE ENTER THE "THEATRE OF WAR."

The shrill pipe of the bosun's whistle, followed by the order "All hands
to muster," reached our ears a day or two out from New York. We were
enjoying an hour of well-earned leisure, so it was with reluctance that
we obeyed and went aft on the gun deck. All hands are seldom called to
muster, so we knew that something of importance was in the wind.

After the three-sided hollow square had been formed, the captain
appeared. The small men stood on tip-toe, and the tall men craned their
necks.

"We are about to enter the theatre of war," said the captain, in his
sharp, decisive way, "and I expect every man to do his duty, to redouble
his efforts to preserve discipline, to perfect drills. Drills will, of a
necessity, be frequent and hard. I would have you understand that our
best protection is the fire from our own guns. The more rapid and
accurate our fire, the safer we shall be. Pipe down."

After we had been dismissed, the men formed little groups and discussed
the captain's speech.