The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1874-09-04


ominously under the assaults OF this ter
rible club, which seemed endowed with
a sort of appalling ubiquity. striking on
every side at once. The strokes of
bullet shaken in a bottle would not be
madden or more rapid The four wheels
passed and repassed above the dead
men, cut, carved, slashed them. till the
FIVE corpses were a score of stumps roll
ling about the deck: the heads seemed
to cry ont; streams of blood twisted In
and ont Of the planks with every pitch
of the vessel The ceiling, damaged 10
several places. began to cape. The
whole ship was filed with the awful
| tumult.
| The captain promptly recovered his
composure, and at his order the sailors
| threw down into the deck everything
| which could deaden and check the mad
rush of the gun-mattresses, hammocks.
spare sails, coils of rope, extra equip
ments, and the bale of false assignats. Of
which the corvette carried a whole cargo
an Infamous deception. which the
English considered d fair trick in war.
But what could these rags avail? No
one dared to descend to arrange them 10
any useful fashion, and in few instants
they were mere heaps of lint.
There was just sea enough to render
an accident as complete as possible. A
tempest would have been desirable it
might have thrown the gun upside down,
and the fore wheels once in the air, the
monster could have been mastered. But
the devastation incre ased. There were
gashes and even fractures 10 the masts,
which, imbedded il the woodwork Of
the keel pierce the decks of ships like
great round pillars. The mizzen-mast
was cracked. and the mainmast itself Was
injured under the convulsive blows OF
the gun. The battery was being destroy
! ed, Ten pieces out Of the thirty we're
disabled, the breaches multiplied in the
side, and the corvette began TO take In
| water.
The old passenger, who bad descend
ed to the gun-deck, looked like a form
Of stone stationed at the foot of the
stairs. He stood motionless. gazing
sternly about upon the devastation. In
deed, it seemed impossible to take a
single step forward.
Each bound of the liberated carbonate
menaced the destruction Of the vessel.
A few minutes more and shipwreck be
inevitable.
| They must perish or put summary
end to the disaster-a decision must be
made-hut how
What mbatant-this cannon
They must check this mad monster
They must seize this fash OF lightning
They must overthrow ti:is thunder-bot.
! Boisberthelot said to La fieuville
DO you believe in God, chevaler u
La Vienyille replied Yes. No.
Sometimes.
In tem pest ?''
Yes; and in moments Ike this
"Only God can aid us here" said
Boisberthelot.
All were silent-the cannon kept up
It's horrible tracas.
The waves beat against the ship; their
| blows from without responded to the
strokes of the cannon.
It was like two hammers alternating
Suddenly. into the midst of this sort
Of inaccessible circus, where the escaped
sprang a man with an iron bar in his
hand. 1t was the author of this catast-
rophe, the gunner whose culpable neglig-
| ence had caused the accident--the cap
| tain Of the gun Having been the meaus
| vi UTIUxiDS, aDUut Lu@ IuISiUrtUNG. uC uG-
| sired 60 repair it. He had caught up
| handspike is one fist. tiller rope with a
slipping moose In the other, and jumped
down into the gun deck. Then a strange
CO mbat began; Titanic strife-the s:rug-
gle Of the gun against the gunner, bat
tie between the inanimate and the hui
man.
The man was posted in an angle. the
bar and rope in his two fists; backed
against one of the riders, settled firmly
on his legs as on two pillars OF steel,
liyid, calm, tragic. rooted as it were In
the planks, he waited.
He waited for the cannon to pass near
him
The gunner knew his piece, and it
seemed to him that she must recognize
her master. He had lived long while
with her. How many times he had
thrust his. hand between her jaws It
vas his tame monster. He began to ad-
dress it as he might have done his dog.
Come |" said be. Perhaps he loved
it.
He seemed to wish that it would turn
toward him.
But to come toward him would be to
spring upon him. Then he would be
lost. How to avoid a crash? There
was the question. All stared il terrified
silence
Not breast respired freely, except.
perchauce. that Of the old man who alone
stood il the deck with the swo combat
ants. stern second
lie might himself be crushed By the
piece He did not stir
Beneath them, the blind sea directed
the battle.
At the instant when, accepting this
awful hand 70 hand contest, the gunner
approached to challenge the cannon, =.
some chance fcctuatiou of the waves
kept it for moment immovable, as If
suddenly stupefed.
Gone CD !" the man said to 1t. 1t
seemed to listen.
Suddenly it darted upon him The
gunner avoided the shock.
The struggle began-struggle unheard
Of The fragile matching itself against
the invuluerable The thing Of flesh at