CHAPTER XII
CAPTAIN GARCIA’S STRATEGY
Captain Garcia’s face showed the midshipmen his keen disappointment.
“You are denying my men and myself a rightful pleasure,” he answered after an appreciable silence. “They are acclaiming you their deliverers and I fear they will not observe my orders when I counsel secrecy. Señor O’Neil is already their idol; to a man they are wildly enthusiastic over his rough and ready ways, and unless I am much mistaken the praises for the three Americans will be sung in every house in La Boca a short time after we have returned.”
“But, Captain Garcia,” Phil replied hastily, a sudden fear in his voice, “you must tell the men that by speaking of our work on board the ‘Aquadores’ they will injure those to whom they wish well. Our future careers in the navy may be jeopardized.”
“Never fear them,” exclaimed the captain earnestly, seeing the alarm on the lad’s face. “My men know that they owe you their lives. They shall be silent. I can vouch for that.”
Captain Garcia soon departed to lay his plans for the coming night, leaving the boys in the cabin. It was the first time they had been alone since the battle.
“Syd, you were a wonder during the fight,” Phil began enthusiastically; “you appeared to be as cool as if you were only drilling.”
“I wasn’t cool,” Sydney confessed; “I was all-powerfully scared, I can tell you. As the men deserted the guns, when the ‘Soledad’ fired her torpedo and the shells were exploding, it seemed all about me, I felt as near like making a mile run as I ever did in my life.”
“That’s only modesty,” Phil declared in admiration. “You acted like a veteran under fire.”
“I am glad I didn’t show my true feelings,” he replied much pleased, “but to me the greatest marvel was O’Neil; he doesn’t know what fear is. I saw him, on two occasions, catch in his arms a man who had been killed at his side by an exploding shell, lay him gently out of the way of the guns, and go back to his work with jaws set like iron and his eyes flashing with the joy of fighting. A crew of such men could do miracles.”