At the speed at which the gunboat was now proceeding the "Sudbury" was
due at anchorage at six in the morning.
Lieutenant Jack had turned in, after leaving orders that he was to be
called a few minutes before five. He wanted to be on deck to enjoy
the sensations of his last hour of command on the cruise of a vessel
of the United States Navy. Forward, the sailors of the watch were
talking in low tones of their very youthful officers.
"There's the real stuff in those boy officers, mates," grunted one
sailor who had been in the boarding party. "It don't make any
difference whether they've been through Annapolis or not. Look at the
way the lieutenant and Mr. Somers went up against the shooting. Kept
us back, and took the medicine themselves, like real officers."
"You'd expect it of Somers," rejoined another sailor. "There's a bit
of the bull-neck about him, and such men always fight. But the
lieutenant makes a real officer that I'd be glad to foller anywhere."
"Mr. Hastings didn't get a chance to show what was in him," suggested
another of Uncle Sam's old salts.
"Oh, you leave Mr. Hastings alone for fighting, if he saw any need
to," retorted the sailor who had been the first to speak.
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