noon
The fleet presently reached its former station several miles off shore , and the bombardment of Santiago was at an end . No attempt was made to clean ship until late in the afternoon . The men were permitted to lie around decks and rest , smoke , and discuss the fight , which they did with exceeding interest . When dinner was piped at noon , the shrill call of the boatswain 's whistle was welcome music . A sea battle is a good appetizer . About four o'clock in the afternoon the fleet was treated to a spectacle both novel and humorous . The little `` Dolphin , '' a gunboat of not fifteen hundred tons displacement , which was keeping guard close in shore , began to use her guns .