"Aye, aye, sir," roared a hundred or more voices.
"The 'Long Island' beats all competitors in abandoning ship by thirty seconds, and has broken all previous records."
A roar went up that fairly shook the ship; then two hundred voices were raised in song:
"Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?"
The strains of the inspiring song floated out over the waters of the bay until one verse had been sung, the officers offering no objection to the jollification. But, ere the men could begin on the second verse, the bugle blared loudly, piping all hands back to hammocks. Ten minutes later the battleship was silent and the decks deserted. The "Long Island's" crew, almost to a man, was sound asleep.
CHAPTER XXIII
THE ACT OF A HERO
"All hands prepare for torpedo practice," was again the command on the following morning.
At least six torpedoes were to be fired that day, to complete the practice required of each ship. The "Long Island" got up steam and pulled away to a remote part of the bay, so as not to be bothered by the other ships of the fleet. In fact, every ship in the bay was doing the same thing—getting off by itself.