the midday sun
But unfortunately our plan of attack did not remain secret . Before a single soldier had set foot on the transport ships which had been lying for weeks in the harbors of Havana and Tampa , the Japanese news bureaus in Kingston -LRB- Jamaica -RRB- and Havana had been fully informed as to where the blow was to fall , partly by West Indian half-breed spies and partly by the obliging American press . One regiment of cavalry had already arrived at Corpus Christi from Tampa on July 30th , and the Cuban troops were expected on the following day . * * * * * Two American naval officers were standing on the small gallery of the white light-house situated at the extreme end of the narrow tongue of land lying before the lagoon of Corpus Christi , gazing through their glasses at the boundless expanse of blue water glittering with myriads of spots in the rays of the midday sun . Out in the roads lay seven large freight steamers whose cargoes of horses and baggage , belonging to the 2d Florida Cavalry Regiment , were being transferred to lighters . A small tug , throwing up two glittering streaks of spray with its broad bow , was towing three barges through the narrow opening of the lagoon to Corpus Christi , whose docks showed signs of unusual bustle . Short-winded engines were pulling long freight-trains over the tracks that ran along the docks , ringing their bells uninterruptedly .