"So I understand."
"Do you know where we are going, sir?" questioned Dan.
"I cannot say. But you will see much."
"Yes, sir, we hope to."
"Yonder, off the starboard beam, lies the valley of the Nile."
"Shall we see it?"
"Not on this cruise, my lads. Some other cruise you may get shore leave when in Alexandria and take a short journey up the stream."
Night had set in before the ships of the fleet emerged from the canal into the Gulf of Suez, where lay the city of Suez. The moonlight glistened on the domes and minarets, making a picture long to be remembered by the Battleship Boys.
Lights twinkled off on the shore; strange sounds floated out across the waters, now a wailing cry, a ripple of laughter, then music and shouting.
Harsh and disturbing came the bugle's command, "Hammocks up."