"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 the officer, turning to the lads.
As he left them for his interview with the admiral, another officer approached.
"Should say that this was irregular," he said, looking keenly at Hal and Gerald. "Two prisoners left unguarded! But you'd be amazin' clever, I reckon, to do us much harm. Hallo! What's this? I've a kind of recollection 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 aboard a Spanish craft?"
This needed another explanation, which was barely completed when Admiral Sampson, the commodore of the squadron of American ships, came up.
"Congratulations, young gentlemen," he said, extending his hand in welcome. "I have heard part of the story, and shall be glad to learn more. Meanwhile, I fancy that a bath and some clean clothes will be more in your line than anything else. Mr. Perkins, I'll be obliged if you will hurry next time something turns up. This time it's different, for they're excellent young fellows."
The officer saluted, and at once descended the gangway, and entered a boat which had been lowered, bestowing a wink on Hal and Gerald as he did 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 dinner to-night."