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Updated: June 9, 2025
Colin McCrea, Captain Brown's consignee, the unaffected and gentlemanlike reception I met with, both from him and his lady, with their subsequent kind conduct, can never be effaced from my memory. Captain Brown soon joined us, and in the most engaging terms we were invited to become inmates with Mr. McCrea and his partner, which we availed ourselves of during our stay in Demerary.
"Some of the Navy folks didn't know but you had," replied Eph, then bit his tongue for having let that much out of the bag. Doctor McCrea came aboard early. He looked the boys over. "Eat a little toast, if you want, and drink some weak tea," he suggested. "After that, eat nothing more until to-night." "But the day's work ?" hinted Jack. "I don't know," replied the doctor, shrugging his shoulders.
In fact, when ordered aboard the gunboat, before eight o'clock the next morning, Jack Benson and Hal Hastings, in their best uniforms, and looking as natty as could be, appeared quite the ideal of young submarine officers. Passing scores of cadet midshipmen, they were ushered into Lieutenant Commander Mayhew's cabin. Doctor McCrea, the gunboat's surgeon, sat with the commanding officer.
On an even keel, the young submarine expert threw compressed air into the forward tanks, expelling the water, at the same time admitting water to the tanks aft. Gracefully, and with, the precision of a trained living being, the submarine craft curved upward until Lieutenant McCrea shouted down: "We're awash, sir" Benson drove the water from the tanks aft, and the boat rode the waves.
"Why, I'll see, of course," volunteered Doctor McCrea, rising and leaving the sick boy. Ten minutes later the naval surgeon returned with Benson. With the latter was Hal Hastings. Mr. Mayhew and Ensign Trahern hovered in the rear of the group. "Here's Mr. Benson, Truax," announced Doctor McCrea. "Now, my man, if there is anything of which you want to unburden your mind, go ahead and do it.
"Every car of every train, perhaps; but I'll be firing by the time we get there, black with soot and coal-dust, and they wouldn't know me if they saw me. If the division superintendent doesn't give it away and you who's to know I've turned fireman on a freight? There's my chance, McCrea, and you know it!"
“I don’t know,” replied the doctor, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m not a line officer, and therefore know nothing about the fleet’s manœuvres.” That reply, however, was quite enough to send Jack Benson’s suspicions aloft. “Eph,” he cried, wheeling upon his friend the moment Doctor McCrea was gone, “there’s something you haven’t told us.”
And now McCrea was grasping and wringing his hand, with a "Welcome to the old regiment, Geordie," and blue-eyed "Bud" was dancing rapturously about until the doctor sternly bade him cease. "Is that the way you think they behave at Columbia, sir?" having never seen the behavior of Columbiads, or other collegians, at a ball match or boat-race or any public occasion of undergraduate rejoicing.
When they made me the laughing-stock of every mess-room crowd in the Navy for months!" retorted McCrea. Jack, Hal and Eph were shaking hands with the speaker with a good deal of pleasure. It was Lieutenant McCrea, one-time watch officer on the battleship "Luzon." At one time McCrea had doubted that submarine boats were, in all respects, as wonderful craft as was claimed.
For a moment Anthony looked at the young fellow in amaze. Then the resolute, square-jawed, clean-cut face began to impress him. "Well, I've been dealing with you army men out here nigh onto twenty years," said he, "and I'm blessed if I ever heard the like of that." "Don't let it surprise you into telling it, Anthony, that's all," put in McCrea. "Here!
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