in, making signals for the
transports to follow.

Far off a gun was heard. It was only a signal fired by a rebel steamer to
announce the approach of the squadron; but it thrilled the hearts of the
troops waiting to go into battle.

An hour later another cannon boomed, nearer and louder. It was a shot
tossed from the commodore's flag-ship at the rebels, who promptly
responded.

The flag-ship now hoisted the signal,--

"THIS DAY OUR COUNTRY EXPECTS EVERY MAN TO DO HIS DUTY."

From ship to ship, from man to man, from heart to heart, thrilled the
electric message. It was greeted by cheers and the thunder of guns. This
was at half past eleven o'clock.

XXII.

THE ATTACK OF THE GUNBOATS.

The spars of the transports were beginning to be thronged. Corporal Gray
brought up a glass to Frank.

"O, good!" cried Frank. "Is it yours?"

"No; it belongs to Mr. Sinjin."

"Did he send it to me?"

"Not he! But he had been casting that sharp eye of his up at you, and I
knew what he meant when he said, 'Corporal, there's a good lookout from
the masthead, if you'd like to take a glass up there."

"Did he really mean it for me, after all my bad treatment of him?" said
Frank. "Bless his old heart!"

With his naked eye for the general view, and the glass to bring out the
details, Frank enjoyed a rare spectacle that day. Roanoke Island and its
surroundings lay outspread before him like a map. On the west of it was
Croatan Sound, separating it from the marshes and forests of the main
land. On the east was Roanoke Sound, a much narrower sheet of water;
beyond which stretched that long, low, interminable strip of land which
forms the outer coast, or seaboard, of this double-coasted country. Still
east of that glimmered the blue rim of the Atlantic, a dozen miles away.
At about the same distance, on the north, beyond Roanoke Island and the
two sounds each side of it, opened the broad basin of Albemarle Sound,
like an inland sea. The island itself appeared to be some twelve miles in
its greatest length, and two or three in breadth, indented with numerous
creeks and coves, and forming a slight curve about Croatan Sound. It was
within this curve that the naval battle took place. It had now fairly
begun.

At noon the flag-officer's ship displayed the signal for closer action,
and the engagement soon became general.

The enemy's gunboats, seven in number, showed a disposi