to clean ship until late in the afternoon. The men
were permitted to lie around decks and rest, smoke, and discuss the
fight, which they did with exceeding interest. When dinner was piped at
noon, the shrill call of the boatswain's whistle was welcome music. A
sea battle is a good appetizer.

About four o'clock in the afternoon the fleet was treated to a spectacle
both novel and humorous. The little "Dolphin," a gunboat of not fifteen
hundred tons displacement, which was keeping guard close in shore, began
to use her guns. A battery near the channel returned the fire, but the
plucky little craft maintained her position, and from the series of
rapid reports coming from her four-inch breechloaders and six-pounders,
it was evident she had something important on hand.

The "Yankee" was signalled to run in to her assistance, but before we
could reach a position, the "Dolphin" had accomplished her task. It was
not until then that we discovered what she had been doing.

"May I never see home again if the gunboat hasn't corralled a railway
train in a cut!" exclaimed "Patt." "Just look there, fellows. See that
ridge of earth on the other side of the channel? Just under it is a
track running into a cut and--"

"The 'Dolphin' has closed up both ends," interrupted "Stump," with a
laugh. "She's knocked down a pile of earth and debris on the track and
the, train can't get out. What a bully trick."

Flagg produced a glass, and after a careful scrutiny reported that he
could see part of the train lying on its side at the eastern end of the
cut. He could also distinguish a number of bodies, and it was plain that
the Spanish loss had been heavy. It was not until later that we learned
the details, which were as follows:

After the bombardment the "Dolphin" remained at her station, firing
occasionally at the batteries ashore. She was directly opposite a cut in
the cliff, through which runs a little railway connecting the iron mines
with the dock in Santiago harbor. During the bombardment, a train loaded
with Spanish troops remained in the cut, and at its conclusion attempted
to leave. It was espied by the "Dolphin" and driven back. It tried the
other end with like results, and for an hour this game of hide-and-seek
was kept up, to the discomfiture of the train. While waiting for the
train to appear at either end, the gallant little gunboat shelled a
small blockhouse, and in time disabled it. Then she steamed back to the
fleet and rep