muttered. "Shoot the
whole business!"

CHAPTER VI

THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE

An hour later Sam Hickey ran across the fellow Black on the
superstructure.

"See here, Blackie."

Black moved on as if he had not heard. A second later Sam had him by
the collar.

"You wait a minute. I've got something to say to you."

Black halted because the grip on his collar forced him to do so, but he
turned an angry face on the Battleship Boy.

"I'm in a fix, Blackie, and you've got to help me out."

Black grunted.

"You were standing outside the seven-inch port when I came out on deck
a while ago, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"You saw me put that tompion in the muzzle of the gun there, didn't
you?"

Black shook his head.

"You didn't?"

"Me not see."

"Don't you remember, I was just putting the plug in when I said 'hello'
to you, and you wrinkled up your face as if you had a colic, or some
other kind of pain in your stomach?" urged Hickey.

Black shook his head again.

"Me see nothing," he declared sullenly.

Sam surveyed him half suspiciously.

"You're a thick-head, that's what you are. Here I am in a fix, and you
won't even try to help me out. You just wait until you get in trouble,
and see how quickly I will come to your rescue--not! I'll lose my
memory entirely so far as what you want me to remember is concerned.
Go on; I don't want anything more to do with you," added the red-haired
boy, giving the other a shove.

"What's the trouble, Sam?" demanded Dan Davis, who was passing along
the deck at that moment.

Sam explained briefly.

"You are sure you put the tompion in the gun?"

"Sure? Of course I'm sure. I couldn't possibly be mistaken about a
thing like that, could I?"

"I should think not."

"Of course I couldn't."

"Then it must have fallen out and gone overboard. Evidently you did
not put it in tightly. I can't see but that you were negligent, so
take your medicine like a man, Sam. In other words, grin and bear it,"
advised Dan.

"Huh!" grunted Hickey in a tone of disgust. "Twenty-five dollars'
worth, eh? All right; I'll bear it, but I'll not grin."

While this conversation was taking place another was being held in the
cabin of the captain, who was in consultation with Mr. Coates, his
executive officer.

"I have just received an order by wireless from the admiral to put
ashore six signalmen to be used for landing practice up in Gardiner's
Bay. They are going ashore thi