Young Glory and the Spanish cruiser — Inside the Classic

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In Category - Fantasy Juvenile Worlds

Authors: Mott, Walter Fenton Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2008 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: War stories; Seafaring life -- Juvenile fiction; Spanish-American War, 1898 -- Juvenile fiction Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 31,420

Reading time 137 min

Text sections 4

For Young Glory and the Spanish cruiser — Inside the Classic, the stored edition analysis reports 31,420 words, 2 hr 17 min estimated reading time, and 4 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 10.6 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “War stories,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #24911

This editorial note examines the structure, recurring images, and movement between scenes in Walter Fenton Mott's 1898 serial, focusing on how the text alternates between land-based captivity and naval combat, and how Dan Daly's dialect and Young Glory's terse commands shape the pacing.

Editorial Edition Score 4.5/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

Calculated from edition completeness, EPUB availability, text structure and catalogue metadata. Not a user rating.

How this score is calculated

Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg24911

Read the Text

SHOOTING A PRISONER OF WAR--A COMRADE TO THE RESCUE.

FLYING FOR THEIR LIVES--A BOLD EXPEDIENT.

MORE VISITORS TO THE HUT--DAN DALY ROWS DOWN THE CREEK.

YOUNG GLORY AND CAPTAIN RUIZ CALDERON--IN THE CAMP OF THE PATRIOTS.

AT VALMOSA--YOUNG GLORY DENOUNCED.

FIGHTING IN THE BOATS--DAN DALY ARRIVES.

ARRIVAL AT THE BROOKLYN--DISCOVERING A RAFT.

YOUNG GLORY ON THE NASHVILLE--AT SAN JUAN DE PORTO RICO.

THE FIRST SHOT--A HOT FIGHT.

BOARDING THE CRUISER--THE LAST STAND.

YOUNG GLORY TO THE RESCUE--A SURPRISE FOR THE BROOKLYN.

THE SPANISH PLOT--YOUNG GLORY'S DANGER.

FORTUNE FAVORS YOUNG GLORY--CAPTURE OF THE MAGAZINE.

JUAN AND LIEUT. TYLER--WHAT YOUNG GLORY DID.

THE CRUISER IN DANGER--A PRICE ON YOUNG GLORY'S HEAD.

SHOOTING A PRISONER OF WAR--A COMRADE TO THE RESCUE.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, senor."

"Faith, an' it's a polite nation I always said ye were."

The first speaker, a Spanish officer, laughed mockingly as he uttered this apology.

The man to whom he addressed his words was Dan Daly.

Dan had been a boatswain's mate on the battle ship Indiana, then on the Cruiser Columbia, and he was now filling a similar position on the Cruiser Brooklyn. Dan Daly was Young Glory's bosom friend, and the Irishman had been the companion of the gallant young hero in many of the daring exploits that had given him world-wide fame.

Dan's position now appeared desperate.

A landing party from the Brooklyn had been surprised by a body of Spaniards in a small village, not many miles from Matanzas, an important town on the north coast of Cuba.

After a short but desperate encounter, the American sailors, overwhelmed by numbers had retired to their boats, leaving Dan Daly behind, a prisoner in the hands of the Spaniards.

A short, quick trial took place. Dan was denounced as a spy, and instantly sentenced to death. It was ordered that the sentence should be carried out at once. So now Dan stood looking death calmly in the face as he had so often done before.

A file of soldiers was rapidly marching to the place of execution, and their heavy tread could be plainly heard as each moment they drew nearer.

The prisoner was standing against a wall, and immediately behind him was a closed door, which was the rear entrance to a large house in the village.

The house itself was at least fifty yards from this wall.

"Ah! how are the men?" said the Spanish officer. "So your waiting days are over."

The file of soldiers drew up about thirty yards from the doomed man, and as they grounded arms the sound sent a sickening sensation through the brave Irishman's heart.

"Shure, it's not war, but murther's your trade," said Dan. "It's the haythins thimselves wouldn't be afther tratin' me this way."

"Talk on," said the Spaniard, coolly, "if it does you any good. It won't alter matters. You have been condemned, and must die."

"Ah, but it's revenged I'll be."

"You won't ask when you see the Stars an' Stripes, the flag of the free, floatin' over this island."

The Spaniard laughed contemptuously.

"That day will never come. Bah!" he added, stamping on the ground, "why do I waste time talking to a miserable Yankee spy?"

The man turned away. But in an instant he came back to the prisoner.

"Spy or not," he growled, rather than spoke, "I suppose you're a human being."

"Faith, an' if you are, I'm not."

The Spaniard's face grew dark with passion.

"Silence! I ask you if you have any request to make. If possible, it shall be carried out."

"Shure, an' I have, then."

"Quick! my men are waiting. Speak!"

"It's Young Glory I'd like to spake to. I'd like to shake his hand--" Dan's voice faltered here--"before I die."

"That young wretch!" cried the Spaniard, savagely. "So you're his friend?"

"The truest he iver had."

"Then, as Young Glory is not yet in our hands, your request is denied."

Dan's eyes twinkled with fun. The nearness of death could not depress him.

"Shure, it's in no hurry I am. I can wait till you catch him."

The Spanish captain glared fiercely at Dan. Then he faced round towards his men.

"Are your rifles loaded?" he cried.

"Yes, yes, senor capitan!"

"Shoulder arms, then. Wait for the word."

Dan stared round, taking his last look of the earth.

The brave fellow had refused to have his eyes bandaged, and now he was staring defiantly at the men who were to be his executioners.

"They may miss you, senor, the first time," said the Spaniard. "Our men can't fire as straight as you Yankees."

Dan Daly understood what this speech meant. It was virtually a command to the firing party not to kill at the first volley. They intended to prolong Dan's agony.

Continue Reading →

The story opens with Dan Daly, an Irish-American sailor, facing a Spanish firing squad. The scene is static: Dan is against a wall, soldiers approach, and the narrative dwells on his calm demeanor. Then, abruptly, the action shifts to a rescue, and the text never returns to that wall. This pattern—sudden scene breaks and rapid movement between land and sea—defines the serial's structure. The excerpts show a preference for dialogue-driven exposition over descriptive passages, with characters often explaining situations through speech rather than narration.

Captivity and Rescue as Structural Engines

The first chapter establishes a template: a character is captured, sentenced, and then rescued at the last moment. Dan Daly's predicament in Chapter I is resolved not by his own action but by Young Glory's intervention offstage. The text skips the rescue itself, jumping to the aftermath. This pattern recurs in later chapters—Young Glory is denounced in Chapter V, and the narrative moves to a boat fight before the denouncement is addressed. The structure prioritizes forward momentum over resolution, creating a rhythm of peril and escape that drives the serial forward.

Dialect as Characterization and Pacing

Dan Daly's Irish dialect is a consistent feature: "Sorry to keep you waiting, senor" / "Faith, an' it's a polite nation I always said ye were." This exchange does more than characterize; it slows the scene, contrasting with the rapid-fire commands during battle. Young Glory, by contrast, speaks in short, imperative sentences: "Don't give them the chance" / "Board the Spaniard, sir. Board her." The juxtaposition of Dan's loquaciousness and Young Glory's brevity creates a dual tempo—one reflective, the other urgent—that the text alternates between.

The Sea as a Stage for Tactical Decisions

Naval engagements are depicted through tactical dialogue rather than panoramic description. In Chapter IX, Captain Long and Young Glory debate whether to ram or board the Spanish cruiser. The smoke is described as "thick" but the focus remains on the decision-making: "Run boldly up to her, sir" / "It's neck or nothing." The text treats the ship as a confined space where choices are made under fire. Movement between ships—boarding, ramming, maneuvering—is the primary action, and the sea itself is rarely described beyond its function as a battleground.

Recurring Images of Fire and Smoke

Smoke and fire appear repeatedly, often obscuring vision. During the fight with the Cristobal Colon, "the two ships were enveloped in such a thick cloud of smoke, that it was quite impossible to see what they were doing." This image recurs in other battles, creating a visual motif of obscured clarity. The smoke also serves a structural purpose: it allows the narrative to skip over continuous action, jumping from one moment of visibility to the next. Fire, meanwhile, is associated with Young Glory's determination—"his eyes flashed fire"—linking the character to the destructive element.

The serial's structure rewards attention to scene transitions and dialogue patterns. Readers may note how the text uses captivity and rescue as a recurring framework, and how dialect distinguishes characters. The excerpts suggest a work that values action over introspection, with movement between land and sea as its primary organizing principle. Observing these patterns can deepen appreciation of the serial's craft.

Sometimes I think about the way Mott held that captive crew in stillness, then hurled them into cannon-smoke—the breath held, then released. It reminds me of a certain school story's quiet halls, where waiting feels just as loud as battle. St. Winifred's; or, The World of School — Edition Insights lingers on those pauses too, and I find myself grateful for it. Old books know how to keep a reader company.