Staples quite agreed with Dave, and, with a careful record of the episode in the ship's log, the affair was closed. Two weeks later the _Osprey_ dropped her anchor off the quay in the inner harbour of Valetta, the principal seaport of Malta. Rexdale's first care was to cable his arrival to the Department; next, to mail his report of the voyage; third, to send a long letter to Hallie, his wife, who would be waiting, even more anxiously than the Secretary of the Navy, to hear from him. At the telegraph office he found a dispatch from Washington, ordering him to hold the _Osprey_ at Valetta until further instructions from the Department. He knew that he would need time for coaling, and informed the other officers of the ship that they would probably spend at least a week at their present anchorage, which had been designated by the harbour-master. The next two days were busy ones. All hands worked hard and became grimy from head to foot with coal dust. At length the jackies forward heard the welcome order: "Shift into clean blue, the liberty party!" Working in the intense heat of a Mediterranean July, the men had been stripped to their waists. Now they sluiced one another down with the hose, and gladly slipped on their spruce shore-going togs. With strict injunctions to be on board before dark, thirty of the crew were permitted to land. Midshipman Starr went ashore with Ensigns Liddon and Dobson. "There's only one thing I want to see," announced Starr, "and that's a real, genuine Maltese cat, proudly standing on her native soil. I suppose the streets are full of 'em." He and Dobson had never before visited the city of Valetta, but "Doc." Liddon was well informed as to its history and attractions, having spent several weeks there before he joined the Naval Academy. The moment the three young officers set foot on the quay, they were beset by vendors of all sorts of trinkets, especially those of silver filigree-work. "What sort of money do they use here?" asked Dobson. "English, of course," replied Liddon. "The island is one of the choicest jewels in the British crown, and----" "Lend me a dollar's worth of shillings, will you?" interrupted the other, "and tell me about the jewels later, Doc. I want to buy that bracelet for 'the girl I left behind me,' if the price isn't too high." The seller parted with the pretty ornament for one shilling, and the trio, waving aside the rest of the merchants, moved on. "Where shall we go first?" asked Liddon. "Just show me one good cat--" began Bob, earnestly, "and I'll----" "Oh drop your cats, Bob! Take us to the best view, to begin with, Liddon." "Well, let's go up to Fort St. Elmo. That overlooks both harbour basins." "Whew! Hot's the word!" exclaimed Bob Starr, wiping his brow as they gained the ramparts of the old fortress. "Now, while we are cooling off, tell us about this aged ruin which the _Osprey_ could make over into cracked stone for a macadamised road in about five minutes."