noon
Cienfuegos was passed , and presently the cruiser was taken nearer shore . The lookouts were told to keep watch for horsemen riding near the beach . This order aroused our flagging interest , and the majority of men on board maintained a careful scrutiny of the white strip of land just beyond the breakers . It was not until noon , however , that our search was rewarded . It was just after passing a deep inlet that one of the lookouts espied a group of men gathered near the water 's edge . There seemed to be a number of them , and not far away could be seen a blue and white flag flying from a small staff . The engines were stopped , and a boat officered by Lieutenant Duncan , and carrying `` Hay '' as interpreter , went ashore .