I am, sir, very respectfully
Your obedient servant,
Frank Nelson,
Acting Master's Mate.
Acting Rear-Admiral D. D. Porter, U. S. N.,
Commanding Miss. Squadron.
While he was sealing the envelope the messenger boy entered and reported the cutter ready. Frank ran on deck, and, after giving the communication to the captain, with a request that it might be approved and forwarded to the Admiral, he sprang into the boat, and gave the order to shove off.
The old boatswain's mate, who was acting as the coxswain of the cutter, had rigged up a flag of truce. As they pulled toward the shore, Frank waved this above his head until he elicited a similar response from the bank; then, throwing down the flag, he seated himself in the stern sheets, and covered his face with his hands. The old mate, mistaking his emotion for sorrow at the death of so many of his men, said:
"Yes, it is a hard case. Not a few of us are left without our chums; but we all know it wasn't your fault. There would have been more of us left if you had been allowed to have your own way."
"Then I did not expose you needlessly, did I, Jack?"
"Why, bless you, no, sir. Who says you did, sir?" inquired one of the crew.
"But tell me one thing, Jack," said Frank, his face still covered with his hands, "Am I a coward?"
"No, sir," answered the mate, indignantly; "'cause if you was, you wouldn't have held on to them guns as long as you did, and you would not have pitched into that rebel atween the lines, as you did about a year ago, at this very place. In course you ain't no coward."