THE COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION. 5 



weakened by the contagion of spirit in the community. 

 A place in the army had been denied the boy, and he 

 turned again with redoubled zeal to his first love, the 

 navy. He went to his father and said : " I want to go 

 to the Naval Academy. You say you will not assist 

 me ; but if I obtain an appointment myself, will you 

 give me your consent and allow me to enter ? " His 

 father laughed at what he thought was his hopeless 

 determination, and answered, " Very well, if you can 

 accomplish such a feat, I will make no further objec- 

 tion," and his mother also gave her consent to what 

 she imagined to be impracticable. 



With this perfunctory sort of permission the bo}'' 

 went to work with a will. He wrote to Washington 

 for the necessary information regarding candidates, and 

 then applied to know if there were any vacancy to be 

 filled by an appointment from the Third Congressional 

 District, represented at the time by Hon. Benjamin 

 Wood. The Department replied that there was no 

 vacancy, that gentleman having made his appointment. 

 George meanwhile had enlisted the aid of his friend 

 Mr. Oakey, who went at his request to Mr. Wood and 

 urged the boy's name, and of Father, now Yicar Gen- 

 eral, Quinn, who was Mrs. De Long's spiritual adviser. 

 Father Quinn knew the boy well and was ready to help 

 him. He also went to Mr. Wood and easily proved 

 himself a powerful ally. It must be said, however, 

 that there was no influence quite so effective as the 

 boy's indomitable will. He learned suddenly that a 

 cadet who had been appointed by Mr. Wood had been 

 obliged to leave the Academy from some affection of 

 the eyes. This was his opportunity, and he gave no 

 one any rest till he received the appointment, when 

 he went to Newport, where the Academy was then sta- 

 tioned, and passed his examination. 



