Battleship Boys at Sea; Or, Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam's Navy
Page 20
CHAPTER XX--OUT ON THE MINE FIELD
An investigation did follow. It began right after reveille the nextmorning.
As soon as possible, after having gotten up from his uncomfortable bedon the floor, Dan hastened to the sick bay, for his wrist was swellingand demanded immediate attention.
The surgeon examined it carefully.
"You have broken two small bones in the wrist. How did you do it?"
The lad explained.
"Very well, I shall have to put you on the binnacle list to-day. Youwill not be able to do any heavy work with that hand for some days tocome."
"I do not wish to go on the binnacle list," replied the lad promptly.
"You don't wish to?"
"No, sir."
"Then you are different from most sailors. They all pull the list on theslightest pretext, some under no pretext at all. Why are you soparticular?" questioned the surgeon, his curiosity aroused by theunusual objection on the boy's part.
"I expect to have duties to perform."
"What are they?"
"Mine work."
"You will not be able to work on mines to-day. I shall not permit it,"decided the surgeon firmly.
"I hope to go out as a signal man. I can do that, can I not?"
"You might, but I shall advise against it."
"Please do not tell the officers that," pleaded Dan. "I want to go. Itis my first chance to prove that I am good for anything at all. I havemade a mess of almost everything I have tried so far."
"I hear differently."
Somehow the earnest young seaman seemed to appeal to the sympathies ofthe surgeon. He was different from the others; perhaps that was thereason.
"From what I have heard I judge that you already have distinguishedyourself," smiled the doctor.
"How so, sir?"
"In the little argument you had with Able Seaman Kester, for instance."
Dan flushed.
"May I go out with the mines, sir?" he asked hurriedly.
"Yes; I'll let you go, but I shall have to put you on the report. First,let me bind the wrist up and splint it. Be as careful of the injuredmember as possible. You are liable to do still further damage if yousubject the wrist to any sudden strain."
"I'll be careful, sir."
After bandaging the wrist, the surgeon allowed his patient to go. On hismorning report to the captain, giving the list of sick and injured, thesurgeon made the following notation:
"Ordinary Seaman Daniel Davis, bones of wrist fractured, said to havebeen sustained by fall from hammock. Refuses to take sick leave or beplaced on binnacle list, saying he has important duties to perform."
A smile of approval appeared on the face of the captain when he read thenotation.
"The boy is all right. He will do all right. I must keep my eye on himto see that he does not get sidetracked in the wrong direction."
Calling his orderly the captain said:
"Tell the officer of the deck that Ordinary Seaman Davis is to beexcused from heavy duty to-day. He will go out with the mine boats inthe capacity of signalman. Tell the officer of the deck to give theproper orders and to have Davis notified."
The orderly saluted and retired to carry out the orders of thecommanding officer.
"I wish there were more such in the Navy," mused the captain.
With a great rattle and bang the mines were being hoisted to the deckfrom somewhere far down in the ship. Neither lad ever had seen minesbefore, and both were curious to know all about them.
Many men now being at work on the quarter-deck, Sam among the number,Dan was at liberty to go there and watch the work.
The mines were spherical, made of steel and hollow. They were about twofeet in diameter, bolted in the middle. The mine men were now at worktaking the mines apart.
Inside the sphere was a can of wet guncotton, with an opening left for acharge of dry guncotton, which is put in place when the mines are beinglaid for an actual enemy. This was the only part of the operation thatwas to be omitted in the practice work, there being no necessity for sodangerous an operation.
The quarter-deck of the battleship, with all the apparatus strewn overit, somewhat resembled a wreck. Down by the sides of the ship all theboats had been drawn up ready to receive the heavy mines. In themeantime the navigator had gone out in the motor boat to take bearingsand place buoys showing where the mines were to be dropped.
"Stand by to launch mines," came the command at last.
The signal was given by a bugle call. Everyone was on edge, for the timerequired to put the mines over into the small boats was to be taken andwould count on the record.
The Battleship Boys climbed over the side with their signal flags, eachdropping into a whale boat, though the operation proved a severe strainon Dan's injured wrist.
"Launch mines!"
The signal was blown loud and clear.
Crash after crash followed the bugle's command, as steel met steel whenthe mines were clamped together.
"Silence!" roared the executive officer as the men began shouting intheir excitement.
As fast as the mines were bolted together they were rolled to the sideof the ship. There tackle was quickly hooked to them, then at commandthe heavy spheres were swung over the side, being carefully lowered tothe boats below. There they were hung over the opposite sides of thesmall boats, one mine balancing the other. This would make placing themines much easier than if they were to be taken over into the boats, forin that case they would have to be lifted out.
In an incredibly short time every one of the sixteen deadly implementsof warfare was on the boats. Each boat held either an ensign or amidshipman, who was in command.
Sam was in one of the large whaleboats, while Dan occupied the wherrywith an ensign and an oarsman.
"Three minutes, lads," came the information from the deck.
The jackies sent up a cheer that might have been heard far over thesunlit sea. The morning was a glorious one, the sea having quieted downto a sluggish roll that scarcely disturbed the ship at all, though thesmall boats bobbed about somewhat, thus giving more zest to the work.
"Lay mines," came the command.
Half a hundred hardy tars bent themselves to the oars and the fleet ofboats slipped away from the towering sides of the "Long Island," the menpulling for the mine field off to the southeast.
Each Battleship Boy carried a spy glass under his arm. Now and then hewould place it to his eye for a long look at the ship.
"The ship is making signals, sir," Dan informed the ensign in command ofhis boat.
"What do they want?"
"They are saying that whaleboat number two is off its course, sir.Orders, sir, to bear more to the southwest."
"Wherry, there," spelled Dan. "That's us." He acknowledged the signal.
"Pull up. Wherry lagging behind!"
Dan translated the message to his superior officer. The lad was gladthat it was not he who was tugging at the oars, for the perspiration wasdripping from the face of the oarsman by this time.
As each boat reached the buoy where it was to locate its mine, the menwould toss their oars as a signal that they were ready. Some time wasrequired for all the boats to get in their proper places.
In the meantime Dan Davis was standing up in the wherry with his flagready for signaling. At last the oars in each boat of the fleet weretossed, which means held upright.
"Ready," wig-wagged the Battleship Boy.
He held his flag high above his head with one hand--the injured one--theother hand holding the spy glass to his eye watching the signal halyardsof the battleship.
A flag fluttered to the breeze on the ship. Instantly Dan dipped his ownsignal flag.
A splash from a cutter, followed by a series of splashes from the otherboats of the little fleet, told him that the mines were going overboard.
The second leg of the contest against time was on. Sam Hickey sat in thewhaleboat irritated because he had had little or nothing to do. Had hebut known
it, however, there was plenty of opportunity ahead of him toenable the lad to show the stuff he was made of.