A Colt machine gun was placed in the bow of the former, and each carried an extra squad of armed marines.
When the expedition returned it had in tow five decked sloops, one of which contained a quantity of fresh fish.

Orders were given to attach the latter to our stern, and to fire the others and set them adrift.
Before this was done, however, enough fish to supply the wardroom and cabin messes were taken out.
"The crew can have its share to-morrow," quoth the captain.
The "crew" waited impatiently, but when the morrow came it was found that, through some one's blunder, the sloop containing the fish had been burned, and an empty one towed to sea with us.

The joke, if it might be so termed, was on the crew.
The watchword heretofore on the "Yankee," as on every one of Uncle Sam's ships, had been "Remember the Maine." Hereafter it was "Remember the fish." This was done so persistently that the officer who was responsible for the blunder was dubbed "Fish," and whenever he went near any member of the crew he was likely to hear, in a low tone, "Remember the fish." After leaving the Isle of Pines the eastern shore of Cuba was rounded and a straight run made for Key West.

At noon on the 27th of June, just twenty-nine days after the "Yankee" sailed from New York, we again entered a home port.

The time was brief as time goes, but our varied experiences in foreign waters made the sight of the stars and stripes flaunting over American soil particularly pleasing.
As we neared our anchorage the most entrancing rumors were rife.