A Gunner Aboard the "Yankee": From the Diary of Number Five of the After Port Gun (Russell Doubleday): The Yarn of the Cruise and Fights of the Naval Reserves in the Spanish-American WarDoubleday, Russell
History
A Gunner Aboard the "Yankee": From the Diary of Number Five of the After Port Gun (Russell Doubleday): The Yarn of the Cruise and Fights of the Naval Reserves in the Spanish-American War
Doubleday, Russell
Spanish-American War, 1898 -- Juvenile fiction
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.
About two o'clock we sighted the object of our chase, and it only
required a blank shot from the forward six-pounder to bring her to.
The prize crew, consisting of six seamen, some firemen and engineers,
and officered by Lieutenant Duncan, went over and took possession of
our second prize in one day.
Captor and captive then turned and headed for Guantanamo.
The men were in high spirits. Speculation was rife as to the amount of
prize money each would secure, and some even went so far as to plan the
spending of it.
Every one felt very gay, and as if something should be done to celebrate
our good fortune. We would have liked to spend some money for an
entertainment, but that was impossible.
"Dick," however, was impressed into service to furnish some amusement.
"Dick," a forecastle man, is a born story-teller, and we knew if we
could get him started, some fun would be assured.
After some pressure he acquiesced, and began the following yarn:
"One day a certain Irishman, Mike Dooley by name, departed this life. He
was much respected, and his death caused no little sorrow to his friends
and neighbors. His wife and children were simply inconsolable. The widow
wished to have a handsome funeral in his honor and spent her savings in
furtherance of that plan. She had enough money for everything, except
the silver inscription plate. But that difficulty was easily overcome,
for 'What's the matter wid Pat Molloy painting it nately in white
paint?' she said.
"Pat, being approached on the subject, expressed his entire willingness,
and soon after called for the casket and took it away. He was told to
letter the following, in neat, white letters: 'Michael Dooley departed
this life in his prime, at the age of twenty-eight.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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