next morning, after the routine work was out of the way, word was passed that parties would be allowed to leave the ship for a cruise ashore. the signal of this decision was sent to other vessels of the fleet, and before long boats were making for the shore in tow of the battleships’ steamers, carrying parties of singing, joyous tars.
on board the manhattan upwards of a hundred men were allowed liberty, and among them were ned and herc. before they left the ship, the liberty parties were lined up aft and the captain made them a little speech.
“you men are to be allowed a run on shore as a reward for faithful service,” he said. “you will be expected to conduct yourselves in a manner[187] befitting your country and the service. i hope that in your own interests you will report back on board ship within the forty-eight hours i am allowing you. that is all.”
discipline went to the winds for a minute. the men cheered commander dunham as he turned away.
“there’s a captain for you,” said one.
“yes, he’s no bucko skipper, always working up a poor sailor,” put in another. “he’s all wool and a yard wide.”
“and so say we all of us!” cried herc, heading the rush for the boats that were to take them ashore.
the shore parties, laughing and cheering and cutting up all manner of antics, climbed over the side and piled into the boats. no effort was made to check their somewhat noisy flow of spirits. the officers wisely recognized the fact that for the time being they were only a happy lot of blue-jackets acting much like boys just let out of school.
[188]
herc injected more amusement into the situation when after a brief absence he appeared at the gangway leading blue lightning, the goat mascot of the manhattan. blue lightning was a slate-colored goat—battleship gray, the sailors called his color—of a combative temperament. he had spent many years in the navy and had been a present to the manhattan from the crew of the old cruiser texas, when the latter vessel went out of commission.
“hooray! here comes red head with his goat!” cried the sailors. “going to give him a cruise ashore, herc?”
“sure,” responded the dreadnought boy. “isn’t he entitled to shore liberty just as much as we are? i guess a good feed of grass and a run will do his temper good. he’s been kind of grouchy lately.”
this was true. only a few days before the goat had run amuck along the decks during the dinner hour, upsetting ditty boxes, butting incautious[189] sailors, and finally charging, regardless of discipline, up on the quarter-deck itself, nearly upsetting the rear-admiral who was taking a dignified stroll about his precincts.
“come on, lightning,” coaxed herc, as he descended the ladder with the goat following close behind.
“better look out, red head, he’s liable to attack you from the stern!” cried a voice.
“not he,” scoffed herc, “he’s got too much respect for me. come on, old fellow.”
the goat followed herc docilely enough till he had almost reached the bottom of the steep steps. then, suddenly, he lowered his head. his yellow eyes gleamed viciously.
“look out!” yelled the sailors in the boat below.
“yes, be careful, herc,” roared ned. “the goat! he——”
but there was no time to add more. the goat’s lowered head suddenly collided with herc’s anatomy,[190] and amidst a roar of yells and shouts the red-headed boy was impelled in a flying leap off the gangway and into the water.
“wow! blue lightning’s struck!” shouted the tars.
“gracious, he went through the air like a thirteen-inch shell!”
“a regular human sky-rocket!”
herc rose sputtering and puffing and struck out for the boats. there was no use in being mad, so he only laughed as he was helped on board.
“better change your uniform,” advised ned.
“what for? i’ll soon dry out in this hot sun. say, you fellows missed a nice swim; that water felt fine,” said herc, putting the best face he could on his ludicrous accident.
“well, i’d prefer to go into it in some less strenuous way,” laughed ned; “the way you took your dive looked as if you’d been shot out of a gun.”
[191]
“it felt like it, too,” grinned herc. “come here, blue lightning, i’ve a good mind to administer a licking to you.”
“ma-a-a-a-a-a-h!” said the goat.
“he’s laughing at you,” cried ned amidst a shout as the mascot was taken on board.
the steamer gave a shrill whistle.
“all aboard!” yelled the happy tars, grinning up in a superior way at the men left behind. “see what we get for being good little boys.”
“hurrah for hilo!” shouted somebody as they got under way, the boats towing behind the steamer.
“hurrah for red head’s goat!”
“three cheers for the fleet, boys!” cried ned, looking back at the imposing array of slate-colored fighting-ships, from the stern of every one of which fluttered the stars and stripes.
the cheers were given in true man-o’-war’s-man style. the glad shouts went echoing over the still water and were flung back from the mountains behind the town.
[192]
they were soon at the wharf where a clustering throng of natives and white men, mingled with chinese and japs, were gathered to stare at the new arrivals. hilo was a town of white buildings, many of them quite imposing in their architecture, but few above two stories in height.
“pshaw! this looks just like any other town,” said herc disgustedly.
“what did you expect to see?” asked ned.
“oh, cannibals and wild animals and so on.”
“well, i’m glad to say there are none in the sandwich islands.”
“i’m not. we won’t have any fun now.”
“you wouldn’t call it fun to get mixed up with a lot of cannibals?”
“we could lick them easy enough,” responded herc lightly.
“they’d make you an idol if they saw that red head of yours,” laughed a ship-mate.
“well, i’m good at idling,” responded herc.
“no need to tell us that,” chorused the jackies gleefully.
[193]
they disembarked in orderly fashion, and, breaking through rows of importunate beggars, hotel runners and restaurant and café men, headed for the town. as they were leaving the dock, a native rushed up to herc and threw his arms about him.
“hey! let go, will you!” roared herc. “help! he’s trying to kiss me.”
the native indeed appeared to be trying to do just that very thing. but somebody explained the situation. it appeared that when sailors came ashore some of the natives liked to act as their guides. their form of showing homage was to rub noses, and this was what herc’s native was trying to do.
suddenly he desisted with a yell, and impelled by some hitherto unseen force went flying through the air, landing with a hard bump some feet away. blue lightning had been watching the scene, and lowering his head had charged the kanaka with all the effect of a battleship’s ram.[194] not content with this, the goat dashed into the midst of the importunate throng scattering them right and left.
“whoop! buck the line! send ’em flying! sock it to them!” shouted the sailors in huge glee, as before the furious onslaughts of blue lightning the annoying crowd was driven in all directions.
“good for red head’s goat! it’s a four-legged torpedo,” they shouted.
“it’s a destroyer,” came another shout, “a land-going destroyer armed with twin twelve-inch horns.”
finally ned and herc succeeded in rounding up blue lightning, and then they set off up the blazing main street of the town, upon which the sun was beating hotly down.
“well, i reckon we’ve created a sensation,” grinned herc. “from the noise those fellows made they ought to change the name of this place from hilo to hi! hi!”
