Inch by inch the _America_ gained upon her, until they were bow and bow.

The crowd below grew wilder, cheers went up from both steamers, the decks were white with the flutter of handkerchiefs.
Suddenly the band below struck up "The Star-Spangled Banner." Sandy gave one triumphant glance at the Stars and Stripes floating overhead, and in that moment became naturalized.

He leaped to his feet in the boat, and tearing the blouse from his back, waved the tattered banner in the face of the vanquished _Great Britain_, as he sent up yell after yell of victory for the land of his adoption.
[Illustration: "He sent up yell after yell of victory for the land of his adoption"] Then he was seized by the ankle and jerked roughly down upon the deck.
Over him stood the deck steward.
"You`re a rum egg for that old boat to hatch out," he said.

"I guess the cap'n will be wantin' to see you." Sandy, thus peremptorily summoned from the height of patriotic frenzy, collapsed in terror.

Had the deck steward not been familiar with stowaways, he doubtless would have been moved by the flood of eloquent persuasion which Sandy brought to bear.
As it was, he led him ruthlessly down the narrow steps, past the long line of curious passengers, then down again to the steerage deck, where he deposited him on a coil of rope and bade him stay there until he was sent for.
Here Sandy sat for the remainder of the afternoon, stared at from above and below, an object of lively curiosity.