Page:Under Dewey at Manila.djvu/276

244 down Larry's back. All in an instant he thought of his former home, of his two brothers, perhaps already in Uncle Sam's service, of the Columbia, of Olan Oleson, and a score of other persons and things. He had turned away from the opening, but now, as Striker caught his arm, he turned back once more.

The Olympia had passed the fort on the island, and still no alarm had sounded forth. Next came the Baltimore, and still the silence remained unbroken. The men on both warships almost felt like giving a cheer.

Suddenly all was changed. Sizz! a colored rocket went sailing up into the darkness of the night, fired from Corregidor Island. Immediately an answering rocket came from the distant shore. The American ships had been discovered!

"The game is up!" cried Striker, and the hum of a dozen voices broke the stillness as the men began again to talk in whispers. "There, they have opened the ball! Now may the best men win, and that means us Yankees, every trip!"

"While Striker was speaking, a dull boom had sounded over the night waters, and now an eight-inch shell whistled over the deck of the Raleigh, the third ship in the line. The shell had scarcely struck