Part 18 (1/2)

Their life at the naval training station had been more fully occupied than they had expected, and there was no time to take the trip to Georgia. They had regretted the matter very much at the time, and Mr.

Arden was greatly disappointed at not seeing his nephews. But he knew it could not be helped. Now, however, there might be a chance to do him a much greater service than would have resulted from a mere visit.

”Heat isn't the only thing that's disagreeable down in the tropics,”

went on the sailor the next time he saw Frank and Ned.

”No?” asked Ned.

”I should say not! There's no telling what sort of disease you may catch.”

”Well, I'm not going to try and catch any,” laughed Frank. ”If some disease wants to catch me I'll do my best to get away, too.”

”And there's all sorts of bugs and crawling things,” continued the blue-jacket, making a wry face.

”Oh, don't listen to him!” exclaimed Hank Dell, who, of late, had become quite chummy with Frank and Ned. ”He's a regular calamity-howler, he is!”

”Yes, and you'll be a howler, too, when some of those South American chiggers get after you and burrow under your skin,” predicted the other as he went below.

The news that the _Georgetown_ had been ordered to South American waters where there was a prospect of some real fighting, soon spread all over the s.h.i.+p. As boat after boat returned from the drill, and was hoisted to the davits, the sailors discussed the wireless message that had been received. Of course the enlisted men did not know any of the particulars, merely being told that the rather aimless cruising about, which had thus far marked the voyage, was at an end, and that orders had come to start South.

Now the _Georgetown_ had a definite object in view, and it was rumored throughout the s.h.i.+p that hereafter drills would be stricter and that drills with the big guns would be more frequent.

”Of course we won't stop for any target practice, though,” reasoned Ned.

”Hardly,” agreed Frank. ”I guess, too, they won't fire away many of the big, expensive projectiles. We may need them for Uridio.”

”Yes, we may have a run-in with their navy,” his brother said.

”Navy!” laughed Hank. ”Say, I don't believe they have any more navy than Switzerland has, and all that country can put out is a motor boat on Lake Constance.”

”Well, I guess there won't be any waste of ammunition if there's a prospect of some real work,” another sailor remarked.

As has been said, the word for the _Georgetown_ to proceed to Uridio had come by wireless, and later it was learned that the battles.h.i.+p was to stop at Havana for sealed orders, and also to take on board certain stores-ammunition and supplies that would be waiting for her.

”It means business all right,” said Frank to Ned, as they were talking the matter over before turning into their hammocks for the night. ”I wonder if we shall be able to go ash.o.r.e and get any sort of a line on that business of Uncle Phil's?”

”We'll make a good try, anyhow,” declared Ned. ”I guess the captain or some of the executive officers will give us help and advice if we ask them.”

”That's a good idea,” Frank added.

As soon as all the boats had returned, the course of the battles.h.i.+p was changed, and now, with black smoke pouring from her funnels, she was rus.h.i.+ng away through the night toward Cuba, there to stop, and as soon as possible afterward to take up her journey again toward South America.

A totally different spirit and feeling was on board now, at least among the younger enlisted men. It was the nearest any of them had yet come to conditions of actual warfare, though probably the matter of proceeding to regulate matters in a small republic, such as Uridio was, and looking after the interests of United States' citizens there, was really a small affair in the minds of the higher officers, some of whom had been with Dewey at Manila when the Spanish fleet was defeated.

A change was made the next day in the nature and manner of holding the drills. For some time the lighter forms of evolutions had been the order of the day. But after the wireless orders were received there was more big gun drill and more, too, of infantry and light artillery tactics insisted on.

The United States blue-jackets often have to perform the services of a soldier in time of war, and that they may be familiar with those duties special drills are devised. Often, when a s.h.i.+p is in port, the men will be landed and go through these drills on sh.o.r.e. But now, in the case of the _Georgetown_, they took place on the big decks.

The manual of arms was gone through with again and again, and the light artillery was brought up and put into action against an imaginary enemy, blank charges being fired. Frank, Ned and their chums greatly enjoyed this drill.