ut officers and men performed their work with
the utmost coolness and bravery.

[Illustration: Cutting the Cables Under Fire.]

Before we leave the subject of cutting an enemy's cables, and thus
destroying one of their best means of communication, I will tell you
of another exploit. The St. Louis, which was one of the big ocean
steamships that the Government hired during the war, was the vessel
that performed it. A few days after the cables were cut at Cienfuegos,
the St. Louis was ordered to Santiago to cut the cables at that point.
One very dark night the boats left the big ship and began to grapple
for the cables. About three o'clock in the morning they returned with
a long piece which they had cut out of one of the cables. About eight
o'clock the St. Louis went to work to find the other cable, and after
working for three hours, the batteries on shore opened fire on her.
They kept up a furious fire for three-quarters of an hour, but the St.
Louis replied so vigorously that the batteries were silenced and the
garrisons sent running in all directions. Then they found the cable,
hauled it on board and cut it. Afterwards the St. Louis cut another
cable at San Juan, the capital of Porto Rico.

Do you wonder why these three ports were thought to be the best for
the Spanish fleet to enter? You know that Havana is the capital of
Cuba; most of the citizens were Spaniards; thousands of Spanish
soldiers were there; all the chief officers also. So it was thought
that the Spanish Navy would try to unite with the Spanish Army. From
Matanzas and from Cienfuegos the troops from the Spanish ships could
go easily by railroad to Havana, through a part of the country still
in the hands of the Spaniards. I may have told you more than you care
to hear about the coming of the enemy's fleet, but I want to give you
an idea of the great anxiety felt by our Government at this time, and
to help you to understand what follows. You must remember that we had
not vessels enough to blockade every port, so we blockaded the ports
that seemed most dangerous.

Where was the Spanish fleet all this time, while our Navy was so
troubled? If you look at a map of Cuba you will find that the eastern
end of the island--the eastern province--is called Santiago de Cuba.
The chief city of the province is on the southern coast, and bears the
same name. The city of Santiago is next in importance to Havana, and
is said to be the oldest city in the Western Hemisph