SMOKE FROM OUR CAMP FIRE. 



67 



him to keep it and take it home with him; 

 that I recognized in him a hero. I desired 

 to show that Americans could be gentlemen 

 as well as conquerors." < 



The old Spaniard wept at this exhibition 

 of gallantry and thanked his captor in acts 

 more eloquent than words. Then Eulate 

 turned to his burning ship, raised his cap, 

 saluted her and said, in pathetic tones, 

 " Adios Vizcaya! " The words had barely 

 left his lips when her port magazine ex- 

 ploded, blowing out her entire front works. 

 The old Captain bowed his head, turned 

 away heart broken, and the Yankee sailors 

 wept in sympathy with his grief. 



Captain Evans said the evidences of 

 bravery and heroism displayed by the vari- 

 ous officers and men of the conquered fleet 

 were more numerous than could ever be 

 recorded. Among these he mentioned a 

 young lieutenant of the Vizcaya, who was 

 brought off with the other prisoners, with 

 his left arm shot off and hanging by a strip 

 of skin on the outer side. He came up the 

 sea ladder unaided — refusing the proffered 

 assistance — and when a chair was placed 

 for him on the deck, he declined to sit 

 down. The surgeons came to his aid and 

 offered to place him on a stretcher. This he 

 also declined. They snipped off his arm 

 and threw it to one side. They then cut 

 away the lacerated flesh and when they 

 started to saw the bone, the officer flinched, 

 bit his cigarette in two and threw away the 

 stump. An attendant handed him another 

 and a match. He lighted this, deliberately, 

 and when the surgeons again started to saw 

 he again bit his cigarette. He persistently 

 refused to take any narcotic, and after the 

 operation was completed, he was shown to a 

 state room below. 



The speaker said he visited the young 

 hero frequently, during the day and night, 

 each time inquiring what he could do for 

 him; but the lieutenant as often refused all 

 offers. He finally, however, asked for a 

 glass of milk. Bob said this rather 

 stumped him; for while the Spanish ships 

 had all carried live cows, he was without 

 such a luxury. He, however, remembered 

 that he had just one can of condensed milk 

 remaining in the stores. He sent for this, 

 opened it, mixed it with a quart of ice water 

 and passed it to the young officer. He 

 drank eagerly, glass after glass, until the last 

 drop was gone. Then he lighted another 

 cigarette and smoked again. 



This was not all Bob said, but space 

 does not permit of even a synopsis of the 

 rest of his speech. When he sat down, the 

 60 gentlemen present stood up and cheered 

 until they were hoarse. 



At the conclusion of this demonstration a 

 member of the club asked that the speaker 

 tell them the story of his interview with the 

 German Emperor. 



Captain Evans responded in his always 



cordial way. He said that some years ago, 

 when his ship was in the harbor at Kiel, 

 representing the United States at the open- 

 ing of the canal, he invited the Emperor 

 and his staff to dine with him. The Em- 

 peror sent an aide to say he would be glad to 

 accept the invitation. The aide explained 

 that the Emperor was a man of simple habits 

 and that he never sat at table more than 40 

 minutes. Captain Bob replied: 



" Well, if he eats all I shall give him in 40 

 minutes, he will have to hustle." 



Captain Bob puffed his cigar meditatively, 

 for a minute, and continued. 



" The Emperor came and we sat down to 

 dinner at 7 o'clock." 



Then Bob took a few puffs of his cigar. 



" At 2 o'clock in the morning we had 

 arisen from the table, had gone into my 

 state room and were smoking a cigar." 



" The Emperor asked me how long it 

 usually took my crew to clear for action. I 

 said about 30 seconds, when the men were 

 prepared for such an order. ' I don't know 

 how long it would take now, but if your 

 Majesty would like to see the operation/ I 

 should be glad to give you an opportunity.' 

 The Emperor said he would not wish to dis- 

 turb the men at that hour in the morning. 



" I said that was all right; that they were 

 accustomed to being disturbed and that was 

 what they were there for. I took the Em- 

 peror with me to the bridge and pressed the 

 button for 3 blasts of the siren whistle, 

 which was the usual signal for clearing. To 

 my consternation, I found the signal wire 

 was out of order, and there was no re- 

 sponse. Then I broke the glass over the 

 alarm box, pressed the button, the alarm 

 whistle sounded, and in about 5 seconds the 

 men came tumbling up the hatchways, most 

 of them with nothing on but their under- 

 shirts and drawers. Hammocks, chairs and 

 other impedimenta were cleared away in 

 rapid succession. The guns were manned, 

 the ammunition hoists went into motion au- 

 tomatically, the big shells came up and the 

 breech blocks of the guns swung open. 

 By this time I had escorted the Emperor 

 down to the gun deck, arriving there just as 

 the big 10 inch shell was shoved into the 

 gun nearest us and the gunner was about 

 to close the breech block. I took hold of it 

 and relieved him. I turned to the Emperor 

 and said ' Your Majesty, this gun is pointed 

 directly at your, castle on the hill. We had 

 better not close this block. Some accident 

 might happen which might explode the shell 

 and it might do some damage.' 



" I noticed the Emperor was holding his 

 watch in his hand, and that he was para- 

 lyzed with astonishment. 



" How long has it taken," I inquired. 



" About 48 seconds," said the Emperor. 



" I said I was surprised that it had taken 

 so long, but told the Emperor he must re- 

 member this was not a war time; that we 

 were in the harbor of a friendly nation, as 



