His legs fairly twinkled, and he beat me to the gangway by a neck.
"What do you think ?" I heard him gasp as I came up.

"Talk of your heroes! Whoop! Say, I'm glad I am a son of that old flag aft there.

It's the greatest thing that ever happened." "What ?" chorused a dozen voices.
"Last night--" "Yes." "Last night a volunteer crew--" "Hurry up, will you ?" "Last night, or rather early this morning, a volunteer crew, under the command of a naval constructor named Hobson, took the collier 'Merrimac' into the mouth of the harbor and--" "That old tub ?" interrupted a marine who had served in the regular navy, incredulously.

"Why, she's nothing but a hulk.

She hasn't a gun or--" "She didn't go in to fight," said "Hay." "They were to block up the channel with her." "To block up the channel ?" "Yes.