“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.” “Syd, during the fight, when I saw O’Neil, I forgot the sense of fear myself,” he cried gladly. “He was superb.” “Did you really mean what you told the captain here,” questioned Sydney anxiously; “that our careers might be endangered if the part we took in the battle were known?” “I fear I did,” he returned. “Our enemies could use it against us and do us a great deal of harm. My conscience is clear, however; our lives were in mortal danger and our actions were prompted by the natural law of self-defense.” “Will you tell Captain Taylor what we have done?” Sydney asked. “Yes, I shall have to make a clean breast of it to him,” Phil declared. “He may condemn our actions and even send us home in disgrace; but we must take that risk. He should know all. From now on we must return to our rôle as neutrals. I do not know what Captain Garcia’s plans may be, but I feel sure he will not be satisfied until the torpedo-boat is disposed of. She will remain a menace to the ‘Aquadores’ as long as she floats and flies the flag of the rebellion.” “Then we shall take no further part in the fighting,” exclaimed Sydney ruefully. “No, not unless we can do so justly,” his companion answered. “It will have to be in self-defense. We dare not take the initiative in a hostile act---- Hallo! We are moving rapidly,” he added glancing through the gun-port, “and we seem to be heading toward La Boca. We surely cannot be going to abandon the torpedo-boat.” It took the midshipmen but a few moments to appear on deck. There they saw that the “Aquadores” was steaming swiftly to the northward, followed by the “Barcelo.” The harbor of Rio Grande was gradually fading astern.