"We'll be left, that is certain," said Colonel Wood, anxiously. "It certainly looks like it, unless we march the boys down to the port." "Here comes a train!" was the cry. It was a train, but only of empty coal cars. It was about to pass by when the Rough Riders halted it. "What's the matter with riding down to the port in the coal cars?" was the question asked by several. "Good enough!" came the answer. "Into the cars, boys, and don't waste time!" And into the dirty coal cars they piled, and persuaded the engineer of the train to take them down to Port Tampa as quickly as he could. If there had been bustle and confusion up at Tampa, it was far worse at the port. Everybody was in a hurry, and ten thousand soldiers stood around, not knowing what to do with their baggage, and not knowing which of the many transports to board. At last the Rough Riders were told to go aboard the _Yucatan_, and started to do so. "The _Yucatan_?" exclaimed a member of another command. "That is our transport." "No, she has been allotted to us," put in an officer belonging to still another command. "How many men will she hold?" questioned a captain of the Rough Riders. "About a thousand." "Then she can't take the three commands." Theodore Roosevelt overheard this talk, and at once made up his mind that it would be a question of what command got aboard of the transport first. Without the loss of a moment he ran back to where his men were in waiting. "Double-quick to the dock!" was his order. And forming quickly, the troops made their way to the wharf with all possible speed. In the meantime, Colonel Wood had gone out to the transport in a steam-launch and gotten the vessel to come up to the wharf. On board went the Rough Riders pell-mell, and not a minute too soon. "This is our boat!" cried an officer, as he came up with his command a minute later. "Sorry for you, sir, but it is our boat," was Colonel Wood's firm answer. Then the third command loomed up, and a three-handed dispute arose. But the Rough Riders remained aboard of the transport, taking four companies of another command in with them. I have told of the particulars of this affair to show my young readers what was needed at this time, and how well Theodore Roosevelt performed his duties. He had been a soldier and officer only a few weeks, yet he realized that army life on paper and army life in reality were two different things. He felt that an officer must do much besides leading his men in the field: that he must look after them constantly, see that their health was provided for, see that they got their rations, see that transportation was ready when needed, and even see to it that some were kept away from the temptations of drink, and that they did not quarrel among themselves.