64 The Rough Riders 



ocean water was not drinkable. Another, who had 

 never in his life before seen any water more exten- 

 sive than the head-stream of the Rio Grande, met 

 with an accident later in the voyage; that is, his hat 

 blew away while we were in mid-ocean, and I heard 

 him explaining the accident to a friend in the fol- 

 lowing words : "Oh-o-h, Jim ! Ma hat blew into the 

 creek!" So we lay for nearly a week, the vessels 

 swinging around on their anchor chains, while the 

 hot water of the bay flowed to and fro around them 

 and the sun burned overhead. 



At last, on the evening of June I3th, we received 

 the welcome order to start. Ship after ship weighed 

 anchor and went slowly ahead under half-steam for 

 the distant mouth of the harbor, the bands playing, 

 the flags flying, the rigging black with the clustered 

 soldiers, cheering and shouting to those left behind 

 on the quay and to their fellows on the other ships. 

 The channel was very tortuous; and we anchored 

 before we had gone far down it, after coming within 

 an ace of a bad collision with another transport. 

 The next morning we were all again under way, and 

 in the afternoon the great fleet steamed southeast 

 until Tampa Light sank in the distance. 



For the next six days we sailed steadily south- 

 ward and eastward through the wonderful sapphire 

 seas of the West Indies. The thirty odd transports 

 moved in long parallel lines, while ahead and behind 



