The Marines Have Landed

ded; unless an early start was made their sport would be spoiled. Black-fish bite well only on the flood tide, and the row to Blac

t Meade, two boys of their own age, to join them and help man the oars, whil

duties as coxswain, so he set his course diagonally for the opposite bank. Already the tide had turned, and to go directly down-stream would ha

ver traffic. The swell from an outward-bound excursion steamer caused the rowboat to rock and toss, but no

ld all be swamped sure," remarked Tommy, laughingly. "I'd like to

reciatively at Tommy's sally, but Donald

knew you had never learned to swim, the

t Donald's remark, "but in the meantime, Don, if you would feather your

sed it, and for a while nothing more was said. Suddenly the coxswain

ht I couldn't be mistaken when I saw all that

the white-capped waves of the Sound could be seen against the deep blue sky, dark, low-lying clouds of black smok

wanted to see a lot of battleships come to anchor toget

rage; it's only a little over a mile farther out. What

iquitous Tommy. "We can go aft

n oar, kid," vouchsafed Gordon rather grimly, for the sight of the ships brought to h

uickly retorted the coxswain, and even Dick

ve done a few days since. Then they would have meant so much to hi

ork and without further words

n column towards the harbor entrance. On the fresh morning breeze was borne the sound of many bugles

ching ships. The powerful dreadnaught in the lead flew the blue flag with two white stars of a rear admiral. From the caged mainmast and from the signal yard on the foremas

a circus parade," remarked Tommy, lolling back in the s

up every set of flags first on the flagship, then the ships behind follow suit, finally when the order is

s go fluttering upwards in the breeze; "just imagine spelling out all those words. I'd think that sometimes

moments in reading up about naval matters, sm

to do is to look it up in the signal book as you would a word in the dictionary. Most of the commoner signa

ather irrelevantly. He was generally the silent one of the party, but the lads agr

te working clothes, while on the broad quarter-deck a line of men, uniformed in khaki and armed with rifles, were drawn up in

ges. Then came the splash of anchors, the churning of reversed propellers, the smoke and dust of anchor chains paying out through hawse pipes, and the fleet had come to anchor. Hardly had the great ancho

their bows when they stopped?" questioned Donald, turnin

wharf or at anchor; and also, if you noticed, they pulled down the National Ensign from the gaff on the mainmast and haul

ut do you know, seeing these ships to-day and the businesslike way they do things has stirred my blood. It is just wonderful! But for the life of me I cannot see how a

ng won't be necessary," interposed Tommy, and a roar o

into a waiting motor boat. No sooner had the officer stepped into the boat than she scurried away for the shore landing. Again the boys stopped to watch proceedings. When the motor boat started from the gangway one of the sailors on deck blew

asked Robert. "Anyway, they are dressed t

'em, for my Uncle Fred was a marine officer once. He swears

aving spent all his life previously in an up-state town, and

f the papers half the time must be wrong, for you see pictures supposed to be mar

my indignantly. "Why, the marines are the oldest branch of the

seen them around town and on the ships all my life, off and on, but I've been so much more in

, says he can do any darned thing under the sun; and if all my uncle tells me is true, it must b

shore with the army?" persevered Robert, wishing to und

u in a minute," answered Tommy; "bes

e made up my mind, boys, that I do want to be an officer on one of these ships, and I am going to tell my father so to-night, as I know it will please him. So, Tommy, I

tracting their attention, the boys looked up in time to see a small marine with a bugle in his hand run along the deck and, after saluting the naval officer who had summoned him by the shrill blast, receive som

d some remark t

Tommy, and he added, "If all the marines are his size

d Donald, as he saw various persons on the ship running

ou were the best bugler in the Boy Scouts when

d every call in the Instruction Book for Boy Scouts, and

when suddenly a long heavy motor boat rounded the battleship, just c

cupants of the rowbo

boat sounded two short blasts on his whistle, threw his helm hard over, and the crew shouted loudly. Tommy Turner in the exci

rowboat in two, forcing it beneath the surface and passing over it, and more

* *

accident

accident

irectly at rowboat. Tommy pulled on wrong rope and sent his boat in direction of B'. It can be seen the cox

ects from the ship by lookouts. Example: A sailboat at "C." The lookout would c

* *

. The motor boat was now about fifty yards away; her engine had stopped and her

the voice of the coxswain answering a question apparent

, sir. Something fouling th

bbing heads of Robert, Donal

ying to rise from the water as far as possi

ly clothed when so suddenly upset. But in Tommy's case it was a far different matte

ith one accord the four boys swam rapidly towards it in

with men in white uniforms and dungarees, for many of the engine room force had been attracted to the deck to witness the episode though they were not allowed there on ordinary occasions in that attire, and also there

boat searching with wide open eyes for his little friend, nor was he alone in his quest, for each of the boys in turn dove under the boat on arrival. Staying as long under water as he possibly could Dick came to the surface to free his lungs of the foul

tiller rope. It had shown but an instant above the surface and then disappeared. Could he reach the spot in time? Could he

s he had been watching the boys in the boat. The manner in which they handled their oars showed him they were no novices. He noted als

obbed up, "two, three," he continued in rapid succession, "four----," and then he waite

he four lads struck out vigorously in the wa

teadying himself by holding to an awning stanchion. Never once did his sharp, gray-blue eyes leave the surface of the water. As Dick cried out and dashed through the waves towards the spot wher

meteor in the direction of the drowning boy. To the officers and crew on board the flagship it seemed an eternity before a commotion below them and a spurning and churni

eir relief, and a few seconds later the unconscious lad was hurried up the gangway