A Gunner Aboard the Yankee""

"NEW HA

26,

ediately, ready to go on boar

ig

H. BA

manding 3d

te Naval

ost-haste to the old receiving-ship "New Hampshire," moored at the end of an East River dock. The telegram had been anxiously expect

destinations had been picked out for the 'Yankee.' It was variously reported that she was to go to Havana, to Manila, to Porto Rico, and even to Spain. Thi

cular 'Yankee,' boys, that will

hen it was practice, and we felt anxious to do something martial as a relief to our excitement. There was a diversion

le Potter, our latest recruit. "Whoop

e on watch echoed shrilly abou

ly, "you will break out mess gear and get

bling, but the boys fell to work with good grace, and we were soon preparing for our stay aboard the old frigate. The

ord was passed that our enlistment papers-for we were to regularly enter Uncle Sam's naval service-would be made out, and that our freedom and liberty, as some of the boys put it, wou

il, and, in the rush to gain the deck of the tug, young Potter slipped from the rail and fell with a mighty splash into the water. "Man overboard!" bawled his nearest mate, and "Man over

efore you leave the ship," facetiou

" grunted Potter, wringing the

formerly the "El Norte," one of the Morgan Line's crack ships, and, when it was found necessary to increase the navy, she was purchased, together with other vessels of the same company, and ordered converted into an auxiliary cruiser. Gun mounts were placed in the cargo ports, beams strengthened, magazines inserted, and

ever fair and just in his treatment of the crew. Our pedigrees were taken for the enlistment papers, and the questions asked us in regard to our ages, occupations, etc., proved that the Government requires the family history of its fighters. The following day each man was subjected to a rigid physical examination. The latter ceremony is so thorough that a man need

ordinary seamen, and able-bodied seamen, according to their skill, and a number of men, hastily enlisted for the purpose, were made machinists, firemen, coal-passers, painters, and carpenters. Some of t

picnic av this war wid his pleasure boats an' his crew av pretty b'yes. If we iver tackle th

r-back on a famous team not long ago,

ep water," he said, quietly. He was not the only one to make that vow,

s on duty at eight bells in the morning, stands four hours, and is then relieved by the starboard watch; this routine continues day and night, except from four until eight in the afternoon, whe

d one hundred kegs of mess pork. As each keg contained one hundred pounds, the task was not easy for men unaccustomed to manual labor. Still there was no complaint. In fact, the only growling heard so far had come from some of the men who had seen s

hat to which the majority of the boys were accustomed, but it was accepted with the good grace displayed by the members of the Reserve on every occ

, during the night. Two days before the order arrived to leave the "New Hampshire," it was found necessary to station several men, armed with guns and fixed bayonets, on the dock near the ship, to stop men from taking the "hawser route" ashore. The firemen and c

t relieved the man whose watch ended at midnight, and he stood thoughtfully watching the twinkling lights on the opposite side of the mighty East River. There was so much to occupy his mind in a situ

en taking "French" leave, and it was the sentry's duty to give the alarm at once. But "Hod" had other views in this particular case. Hastily stepping back into the

y hand was placed upon his shoulder, and ano

ip," said "Hod," quietly. "You are n

quarter-back's practice on the field came into play, and the college graduate tackled his opponent in the latest approv

is curves," remarked "Hod," as he escorted his prisoner over the gangway

or defeat in defense of their country. The ship's company, two hundred and twenty-five in all, boarded the auxiliary warship without ceremony, and were speedily set to work hoisting in provisi

n object lesson in this scene. These young men working here at the hardest kind of manual labor, buckling down cheerfully to dirty jobs, were, a few days ago, living in lu

nize in them, with their grimy faces and soiled duck uniforms, a doctor, a bank cashier, and a man-about-town well known in New York City. Near the forward hatch, industriously swabbing the deck, was a black-haired youth whose father helps to control some of

vvies. I had an individual ache in every bone of my body, and I was hungry and was compelled to look forward to a dinner of odorous salt-horse, hard bread, and "ennuied" coffee, but I was happy-I had to a

. The food, bad as it was, was welcome, and when I reluctantly swung away from the mess table I felt much better. At

o be a little fun. 'Bill' and 'Stump' have