Pickets, the
winners showing a total of ninety-five successful throws out of a
possible one hundred and twenty.

Captain Vinton had the best individual score, securing twenty-six
out of a possible thirty points, while Hugh, thanks perhaps to
Billy's inspiring comments, stood next with a record of twenty-four.

The sun was setting redly over an almost calm sea as the games
were finished. Dave, beaming at the success of his team, vanished
without urging and soon the welcome odors of supper cooking were
wafted to the eager nostrils of the hungry boys.

That evening they all gathered around the old captain as he sat at
the helm and guided the lazily-moving craft, begging him for another
tale from his own reminiscences or from his favorite history.

"Wal', boys," agreed the captain at length, "I'll tell you about
one sea fight that I almost witnessed myself. Fact is, I was a
little too young to be thar, but my father was mighty nigh bein' in
the thick of it, and I've heard him tell the tale a hundred times ef
I hev once.

"It was in March, '62," the captain resumed after a little pause.
"The North was consid'rably stirred up over rumors of how the
Confederates hed raised the _Merrimac_ and made out of her a terrible
ironclad vessel, warranted to resist all ord'nary attacks. Then
these rumors were followed by news of the destruction of two sailin'
frigates, the _Cumberland_ and the _Congress_.

"The Union forces were pretty uneasy when they heard what hed
happened off Hampton Roads, but they were all pinnin' their faith
to a little new ironclad just built on Long Island and already
speedin' south ter meet the _Merrimac_. My old dad, servin' on
the _Roanoke_, was lucky enough to see both them craft:---the
big, clumsy _Merrimac_, all covered with railroad iron and smeared
with grease, and the nifty little _Monitor_, that they said looked
like 'a cheese box on a raft'!

"Wal', 'course you boys hev all read about what happened when the
little fellow steamed out ter meet the big fellow, the day after the
frigates were destroyed.

"Fer four hours, Dad said, the two ironclads jest pestered each other
with hot fire, but the shot and shell slid off them like water from a
duck's back. The little _Monitor_ darted around the big _Merrimac_
like a bee buzzin' round a boy that had plagued it.

"Thar wa'n't no great harm done---except that Lieutenant Worden, who
was in command of the Monitor, got hurt by the bits of a shell