Then he resumed aloud:—
“I have been much pleased with the conduct of you lads on this cruise and with you particularly, Strong. Your gunnery at night practice was excellent. You, too, Taylor, have done good work and both your names will be sent in to Washington for promotion.”
“Oh, thank you, sir!” blurted out both boys, scarlet with pleasure and with shining eyes.
“That is all, except something that the consul ashore wanted me to give you, Strong.”
He handed Ned an envelope; and then resuming his “quarter-deck” voice told the boys they could “carry on.”
They saluted and left the sacred precincts of the commander’s cabin. When they got forward, Ned opened the envelope. It contained a pink slip of paper and a note on official stationery.
“It’s a check!” cried Herc. “For five hundred dollars! Wow!”
The note explained that the government had forwarded the check to Gibraltar so that Ned might get it on his arrival there. It was the longstanding federal reward for the capture of Schmidt and the ring of San Francisco tea smugglers.
Two days later anchors were shipped, and the great fleet with booming of guns and blaring of bands got under way. They were homeward bound. From the peak of each leviathan fluttered the long “homeward-bound pennant.” As the shores of Europe sank below the horizon, the Jackies broke into song.
“Hoist up the flag, boys!