to all
of us."

Dan's eyes lighted with pleasure.

"'Red, White and Blue,'" he said, as he passed a flag to Sam. "Follow
me giving the next lines."

"Will that save my twenty-five?"

"It may."

"All right, I'll take a chance on it. Go ahead."

Dan stationed himself on one side of the deck, while Sam walked briskly
to the opposite side.

"Oh, Columbia, the gem of the ocean,
The home of the brave and the free,"

wig-wagged Dan.

"The shrine of each patriot's devotion,
A world offers homage to thee,"

continued Sam Hickey, his red flag flashing up and down forming the
letters of the code with such swiftness that few of the officers were
able to follow.

"Thy mandates make heroes assemble,
When Liberty's form stands in view;
Thy banners make tyranny tremble,
When borne by the red, white and blue."

The instant Dan's swift strokes with flag had ended the verse, both the
Battleship Boys swung into the chorus,

"When borne by the red, white and blue,
When borne by the red, white and blue,
Thy banners make tyranny tremble,
When borne by the red, white and blue."

"Thirty-three, thirty-three," finished the lads, bringing the butts of
their flag staffs to the deck with a click that sounded as one.

A perfect storm of applause from the officers rewarded the splendid
performance of the Battleship Boys. The jackies on the deck, though
few of them had been able to make out the message, the words of the
beautiful anthem, realized that they were watching the work of two
masters with the wig-wag flags, so they, too, added their quota to the
applause. They did not do so by hand applause. The jackies threw up
their hats and set up a loud cheer.

"The most remarkable performance of its kind that I ever saw,"
announced the captain.

"I never saw anything like it myself," agreed the executive officer.
"It's lucky we happened to think of those boys."

"Indeed it is."

"Anything further, sir?" questioned Dan, saluting.

"That will be sufficient. Thank you, my lads."

The boys saluted, then marched from the forecastle, proud and happy,
but not forgetting their dignity in their excitement and pleasure.

"Three cheers for the Battleship Boys," shouted one of the bluejackets
the instant the officers had left the bridge. "Hurrah for little
Dynamite!" That last was Dan's nickname. And the cheers were given
with a will.

CHAPTER VII

PUTTING THE ENEMY OUT

By