for an hour or more the consul and the naval officer sat spellbound as the four—for they each had a part to tell—related their adventures since they left the destroyer.

“we gave you up for dead!” exclaimed the lieutenant, as they concluded. “in fact, to-day i was about to send cables home concerning you.”

“but you didn’t, sir?” asked midshipman stark anxiously.

“no, i did not, you young scamp. i don’t know, though, but that you deserve it.”

but colonel thompson, the consul, was delighted.

“great scott! mr. timmons!” he exclaimed, “it’s capital, sir, capital. these boys are of the real american stuff. they should be promoted, sir, every one of them.”

“unfortunately,” said the officer, “their services[305] have been such as cannot be mentioned in the dispatches. at washington they would not understand. but, at any rate, i have a pleasant surprise for those two boys.”

he indicated ned and herc. our boys colored with pleasure and anticipation at his tone. eagerly they watched him as he drew from his uniform pocket two folded papers, one of which he handed to each.

they were the long-awaited official confirmations of their promotions. no wonder the boys’ eyes shone as they regarded their superior officer. their hearts were too full for words, but they looked their thanks. it was ned who found his voice first.

“thank—you, sir,” he stammered, “i—we——”

“there, don’t try to make speeches, strong. you are too good a fighter for that,” laughed the officer. “i expect to see both of you rise far higher than this in the service.”

“if it depends on us, sir, we will,” ned assured him.

“by the way,” broke in the consul, “about that document in which this young man is interested?”

“oh, yes, that will. well, strong, as i gather from your story, you have found the young woman to whom it belongs. i had better turn it over to you.”

it was finally decided, however, to leave the document with the consul till the legal formalities, insuring senorita de guzman and her mother their rights, could be completed.

it may be of interest to our readers to know that the next day it was midshipman stark who obtained leave and volunteered to ride to the hacienda with the good news.

suddenly, while they still sat talking, the door was thrown open and a wild figure burst in. with a cry of surprise, the dreadnought boys recognized hank harkins.

“i claim the protection of the american consul! i am an american,” he began crying and groveling on the floor. hardly had the words left his lips before some government soldiers entered.[307] addressing the consul, their leader explained that hank had been detected fleeing from the insurgent ranks before the hill of the ten saints, and was wanted as a prisoner.

“they’ll shoot me!” screamed hank miserably. “save me! save me!”

suddenly he noticed the dreadnought boys, and appealed frenziedly to them.

“don’t let them take me,” he cried.

ned briefly explained to the consul who the groveling wretch was, and then colonel thompson, who had some influence with the president of costaveza, agreed to take charge of hank. with this assurance the soldiers left the room. but hank still sobbed convulsively. he had spent the hours of the battle crouched behind a tree, but the savage fighting had terrified him. when it was all over, he tried to sneak into the town unseen, but already the government troops had been told to watch for him, as well as for charbonde.

“where is charbonde?” asked ned sternly of the cringing creature.

“dead,” wailed hank. “he fell, shot in[308] the back, as he was running toward me.”

“a fitting death,” remarked lieutenant timmons. “do you know anything of de guzman’s whereabouts?”

“no,” hank declared. he added that he had seen the general in retreat with some of his officers, but had lost sight of him.

it was afterward learned that de guzman, after seeking shelter with a relative on the other side of the island for a time, finally escaped to paris, where he now lives—an outcast and almost a beggar. as for hank, he was ultimately given up to justice, but, on the pleas of the consul, escaped being shot. he was deported from the country, and was speedily lost sight of. and jim prentice? he was found missing one day, and doubtless deserted the service he disgraced.

little more remains to be told. the next day the boys were astonished by the arrival of several big battleships in the harbor, the squadron being in command of their old commander, captain dunham. it appeared that the squadron had been cruising in west indian waters, but had[309] been ordered by cable to proceed to costaveza, when the government became convinced of the seriousness of the situation. in some mysterious way captain dunham soon learned the eventful history of the boys in costaveza, and they were sent for by him to relate the whole story. their former commander roared with laughter and astonishment by turns as they related their experiences, but finally his face grew grave.

“you boys acted for the best,” he said, “and i admire you for what you did. but the pity of it is your pluck and bravery can never become known. however, if you care to be appointed by me to some special work, i think i have some ahead for you in the near future.”

with kindling eyes the boys thanked him.

the next day they had leave ashore, and spent it in walking about the city, recalling the eventful things that had happened to them in its vicinity. suddenly ned was almost suffocated by an arm being thrown about his neck, and a bristly face being pressed to his.

“ah, my brave, i salute you!” exclaimed a voice in his ear.

it was little captain gomez. drawing the boys into a sheltered eating-place, he ordered cooling refreshments, and then related to them all over again how they had captured the insurgent navy, ending with the information that he was to be made minister of marine for his services in the revolution.

“but i owe it all to you!” he exclaimed warmly. “to you and your brave comrades.”

“but don’t ever tell any one so,” laughed ned.

the fleet remained in the harbor for three days more, during which time midshipman stark’s leave was much occupied with visits to the hacienda of senorita de guzman and her mother. on one occasion the boys and their faithful comrade, stanley, accompanied him, and received—much to their embarrassment—the warm thanks and embraces of the two women for their part in the rehabilitation of their fortunes.

one bright morning an orderly stepped up to lieutenant timmons and reported that the expected[311] signal for getting under way was about to be set on the vessel of the commanding officer of the division.

an hour later the american squadron steamed slowly seaward, out of the landlocked harbor of the turbulent republic. seaward with them for many miles came the general barrill, firing furious salutes at every knot. captain gomez was saying farewell.

“well, there is good-by to a stirring chapter in our lives, herc,” said ned, as the hazy outline of the costavezan coast grew dimmer, and finally dissolved into the sky line.

herc nodded. for once the red-headed youth was devoid of words.

for some time the boys stood silent, gazing westward, where lay the vanished shore. then stanley came up behind them, and together the three began to talk over once more the subject of which they never tired—their adventures ashore and on board a destroyer.

but, although none of the three realized it, more stirring experiences than any they had yet[312] known lay ahead of them. in the future both ned and herc and their rugged companion were to be participants in many thrilling scenes and perilous adventures. what these were must be kept for the telling in another volume of this series: the dreadnought boys on a submarine.