282 CHAPTER XVII.

FIGHTS OFF THE CUBAN COAST.

MOST of the American newspapers had predicted that the first great event of the Cuban war would be the bombardment of Havana. After the shelling pf the seaward forts of Matanzas, it was confidently expected that, having tested his guns and gunners in this minor operation, Sampson would promptly proceed to open fire on the Morro Castle and the other sea-forts of the Cuban capital. But the Admiral had no such intentions. Until he haddealtwith the Spanish fleet it would be extremely rash to venture upon an operation in which,by accident or by the enemy's fire, some of his best fighting ships might be rendered temporarily unserviceable. So, to the general disappointment of those who had prophesied a short war centring round the capture of Havana,Sampson quietly continued the blockade of the Cuban ports in the east of the island.

time to time, a steamer or some smallcoasting craft that tried to break the blockade.

It wastedious work, with little either ofprofit or of glory to compensate for its unceasing labour and growing tedium. The officers and menof the squadron were anxious to do something that might rival the great exploit of Dewey with the far weaker force under his orders. But they had no opportunity. Only some of the lighter craft that lay in shore, wdaile the big ships cruised well out to sea, got someopportunities of trying their mettleagainst the Spaniards.

The early summer in the West Indian seas is rather a trying time in which to keep up a blockade. The sea near the shore was nearly always heavy, and there were brief tropical storms that brought down a deluge of rain, and were succeeded by hours of steamy heat. At nightfall the ships closed in to the shore, and during the darkness a sharp look-outhad to be kept for the enemy's torpedo boats. For the Spaniards had several small craft in the ports and behind the coral reefs that fringe the coast. They sometimes came out in the daytime, exchanged a harmless fire at long range with the light ships of the American fleet,and then ran back to shelter. It was fully expected that they would attempt torpedo attacks under the cover of darkness,and this wouldhave been soundpolicy, but they never made any attempt of the kind. It is a good working rulein war to expect that one's enemy will take a sensible course of action, so the Americans each night thought the attack, so long expected, would surely come at last. If, as they fully believed, the Spaniards had contrived to blow up an American warship in time of peace, was it not. to be expected that they would do their best to repeat the exploit in time of war? Under the tension of this ceaseless watchfor the most terrible danger that can threatena warship,the blockadingvessels sometimesmistook their own torpedo boats for approaching enemies, and opened fire on them— happily without result— a preconcerted signal displayed by the boat soon stopping the fire by revealingher friendly character.

The United States army was mustering at Chickamauga and Tampa, but General Miles had declared himself against a summer campaign in Cuba. Vague rumours came across the Atlantic of the movements of the Spanish cruiser squadron, under Admiral Cervera. It had sailed from the Cape de Verde Islands one day. The next it was asserted as confidently that it was still in port. Then it was at sea, and there were wild reports that it had been seen in the North Atlantic, that its scouts had been sighted not far from the New England coast, that it was going to raid New York Harbour. Then came the equally confident report that it had returned to Cadiz. The coast garrisons of the United States were on the alert. The " mosquito fleet" of small steamers patrolled the neighbourhood of the seaboard, wdaile some of the swift armedliners of Commodore Schley's fleet at Hampton Roads weresent far out into the Atlantic,scouting for the enemy. But they brought no tidings of him. Still, even this gave no certain security that he was not well on his way to the west coast of theUnited States;for, as British naval manSuvres have shown,it is not difficult for a squadron in the open ocean to evade the most active search of theswiftest cruisers. So, waiting from day to day for tidings of the Spanish fleet, Sampson lay off Cuba, capturing, from The torpedo boats also fired at each other more than once, and on at least one occasion