"The King of France and his hundred thousand men
Drew their swords and put them up again."
The next morning we hove-to a Norwegian steamer, the "Marie," and before we realized what was being done, we found that we had a prize at last. A snug little steamer she was, well loaded down with coal for Cervera's fleet.
"Cutlets" went over in a whaleboat, with a prize crew of six men.
"Well, well! this is almost too good to be true," said an after guard. "This is great luck. We capture a prize and get rid of 'Cutlets' at the same time."
To which we all said, Amen.
We separated from the "Marie," and, as the "Yankee" was much the faster, she was soon lost to sight.
The anchor had no sooner been dropped in Guantanamo Bay than our captain went over to the "New York," and then signals began to be displayed, and soon after all hands were hauling on the "cat falls."
The skipper returned; the gig was pulled up to its place, and very soon we were ploughing the water in the open. As we went out, our prize came in.
It seems the encounter with the "Burton" was told to the admiral, and he at once ordered us to go out and get her.
We headed straight out. The black smoke poured out of the funnels; the ship shook with the pounding of the strained engines. The land faded from view.