Excerpt from Around the World With the Blue Jackets, or How We Displayed the American Flag in Foreign Waters Such an expedition partook largely of the nature of an excursion. Applications for service were numerous, and the influence of the powers that be was sought by many officers to enable them to be detailed to the Iroquois. Our twenty-four officers, our one hundred and seventy-five sailors and marines all looked forward to the trip with eagerness, and there was less of the conventional grumbling that is the accompaniment of every voyage - unless it was at the delay in starting. Tiresome business, this of the navy? You ask. Well - no! And yes! The bitter experiences are the long three-years' separa tions from loved ones at home, the weary waiting for news from them, and for the often delayed orders to return after the term of the cruise has expired. Each officer is supposed to be entitled to a certain amount of sea-service, and a corresponding amount of shore-service. Too often, however, favoritism has interfered and permitted certain officers seven and eight years of service at home, while others less fortunate have been compelled to spend more than their rightful Share at sea. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.