UNDER THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER

A Tale of the Spanish-American War

BY CAPTAIN F. S. BRERETON, R.A.M.C.

AUTHOR OF "WITH RIFLE AND BAYONET," "THE DRAGON OF PEKIN," "A GALLANT GRENADIER," ETC., ETC.

NEW YORK
STITT PUBLISHING COMPANY
1905

"THE BOWS OF THE MAINE WERE CRUSHED INTO SHAPELESS WRECKAGE."

CONTENTS

UNDER THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER

CHAPTER I

THE MARCHANT FOUNDRY

The city of Birmingham was wrapped in a mantle of fog so dense that the inhabitants found it difficult to move about. The thick, soot-laden atmosphere covered everything, and only a few faintly glimmering lights showed that they really existed.

The clock in the church tower had just struck two, and yet the street lamps were ablaze.

The pedestrians moved with the utmost care. Trudging along the soppy pavements, their footsteps sounded hollow and unreal, and were heard long before they themselves put in an appearance.

One of the inhabitants, however, contrived to find his way with comparative ease, for he was such an old resident that his feet would not go astray, however absent-minded their owner happened to be. There was a certain air of authority about him; yet there was that about the stern, calm features that denoted a warm heart and a kindly disposition. But still, as if the fog was not in existence, he hurried on, turning from the main street to the lower part of the town.

Ordinarily he could never accomplish this walk without meeting