Navy Boys Behind the Big Guns | Page 2

we'll enlist a second time, too, Whistler."
"Bet you!" was the succinct reply.
The car started under Torry's careful guidance, and they quickly
whisked around the corner into the main street of Seacove, the small
port in which the chums had been born and had lived all their lives until
they had enlisted as seamen apprentices in the Navy not many months
before.
They passed the little cottage in which Mrs. Hertig, Seven Knott's
mother, lived. Beyond that was the Donahue home, where Frenchy's
widowed mother lived with his younger brothers and sisters.
Then came the Rosenmeyer delicatessen shop, and there the car was
pulled down by Torry, for there was a little group outside the shop, the

center of which were three figures in blue.
"Look at those happy Jacks, will you?" ejaculated Torry in feigned
disgust. "Got an audience, haven't they? And even Seven Knott must be
talking some, too. What do you know about that?"
For the attitude of Seacove had changed mightily since these boys had
joined the Navy early in 1917. War had been declared between the
United States and Germany and her allies, the drafted men were being
called to the training camps, and some had already gone "over there"
and were fighting in the trenches of northern France.
Philip Morgan, Alfred Torrance, Michael Donahue, Ikey Rosenmeyer,
and their mates on the destroyer Colodia had already aided in
convoying a large number of troop ships across the Atlantic, had
chased submarines and destroyed at least one of the enemy U-boats,
and had hunted for and captured the German raider, Graf von Posen,
which had among the other loot in her hold the treasure of the Borgias
which had been purchased from an Italian nobleman by the four Navy
boys' very good friend, Mr. Alonzo Minnette.
The four friends, Morgan, Torrance, Donahue, and Ikey Rosenmeyer,
the son of the proprietor of the village delicatessen store, had been
given a furlough since landing at Norfolk with the captured raider, of
the prize crew of which they had been members. Coming north to
Seacove by train, they had met their shipmate, Hans Hertig, known
aboard the Colodia as Seven Knott, who had likewise been given a
furlough after leaving the naval hospital where he had been
convalescing from a wound.
The Colodia was still at sea--or across the Atlantic--or somewhere. The
young seamen who belonged to her crew did not know where. They
awaited her return to port in order to rejoin her.
They had another iron in the fire, too; but that they did not talk about
much, even among themselves. Mr. Minnette, who was their very good
friend, and who worked now in a War Department office at
Washington in a lay capacity, had told them he would try his best to get

them aboard a new superdreadnaught that was just out of the yard and
was being fitted for her maiden cruise.
A number of Naval Reserves would be put aboard this new huge ship;
and the Seacove boys, with their experience in the training school at
Saugarack and aboard the Colodia, surely would be of some use as
temporary members of the dreadnaught's crew.
The boys had written Mr. Minnette about Seven Knott, for he was
eager to get back into harness, too. And Seven Knott had held the rank
of boatswain's mate aboard the Colodia.
Naturally the friends were all eager to get behind the big guns. Almost
every boy who joins the Navy desires to become a gunner. Whistler and
Al Torrance were particularly striving for that position, and they
studied the text-books and took every opportunity offered them to gain
knowledge in that branch of the service.
"Hi, fellows!" called Torry, having stopped the car. "Going to stand
there gassing all day?"
The three figures in seaman's dress broke away from their admiring
friends and approached the automobile. Frenchy Donahue was a little
fellow with pink cheeks, bright eyes, and an Irish smile. Ikey
Rosenmeyer was a shrewd looking lad who always had a fund of
natural fun on tap. The older man, Hans Hertig, was round-faced and
solemn looking, and seldom had much to say. He had had an
adventurous experience both as a fisherman and naval seaman, and
really attracted more attention in his home town than did the four boy
chums.
"Get in, fellows," urged Torry. "We want to be sure to catch those
chaps at Elmvale during the noon hour. They go home from the
munition works for dinner, and we must talk with them then."
Frenchy and Ikey and Seven Knott climbed into the tonneau and the car
whizzed away, leaving the crowd of boys and girls, and a few adults,
staring after them.

"By St. Patrick's piper that played the last snake out of Ireland!" sighed
Frenchy,