"The Yucatan?" exclaimed a member of another command. "That is our transport."
"No, she has been allotted to us," put in an officer belonging to still another command.
"How many men will she hold?" questioned a captain of the Rough Riders.
"About a thousand."
"Then she can't take the three commands."
Theodore Roosevelt overheard this talk, and at once made up his mind that it would be a question of what command got aboard of the transport first. Without the loss of a moment he ran back to where his men were in waiting.
"Double-quick to the dock!" was his order. And forming quickly, the troops made their way to the wharf with all possible speed. In the meantime. Colonel Wood had gone out to the transport in a steam-launch and gotten the vessel to come up to the wharf. On board went the Rough Riders pell-mell, and not a minute too soon.
"This is our boat!" cried an officer, as he came up with his command a minute later.
