, 1874-04-04
THE STORY OF THE GUN.

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(The war corvette Claymore sailIug from Jersey for
the French coast n tho service Of tic Tronc Royal
lists, carried yatcrios passenger, whose name wns
who aftorward nprcara rs the marquis do Iantenac
the RoyAlst feaor in L. Vcrtlce. Tho breaking onsa
Of carronato in tho g,u.tleek iutcrrnts conycrsn
ton holwcen theso threo mon, anil tho description Of
tho scene Of destruction tint followed forms ono Of
the most powerful episodes Of the novel;
One of the carronados Of tho battory, d twon-
ty-four pounder. had got loose.
This is perhaps the most formidable OF ocean
accidents. Nothing moro torriblo can happen to
O vessel in opon soa and under full sail,
a gun that breaks it's mooringa becomes sud-
denly son1e inle8cribable supernatural beast, It
is machine which transforms itself into
MONSTER.
! This mass turns upon its whools, has the rapa
movements of billiard-ball; rolls with tho
rolling, pitches with tho pitching; Zoos. comes.
pauscs seems to tncditato; rosuinos itB course,
rnshes along the alip from end to eud like m
arrow, circles about, springs aside, ovados
roara, breaks, kills, oxtorminntes. It is bat
tering-ram which assaults wall at it's own Gu
price. Moreover, tho battoring-ram is metal,
tile wall wood. It Is the entrance Of matter
into liberty. One might Hay TINT this eternal
slayo ayonges itself. 1t soon,s as If tho powor
Of evil llddon in what We call inauima.o objects
finds a vent and bursts suddenly out. It has an
air Of having lost patience, of seeking some
fierce; obscure rotribution; nothing more inox-
orable than this rago Of the inanimato. Tho
mad mass has tho bounds of panther, tho
weight Of IN elephant, tho agility Of mouse
tho obBtnaoy Of tho az, tho unoxpectedness of
tho surgo the rapidity Of lightning, the deafness
Of tho tomb. 1t woiehs 10000 pounds, and it re-
bounds like chill's bali, It's flight is a wild
whirl abruptly cut at right angles, What is
10 bo done7 How to enl this7 A tolnpcBt ceasos.
a cyclone passes, a Wind falls broken mast ia
ropiacad, u leak ID stopped, u fro dies out; but
how to control tllia
ENORMOUS BRUTE OF BRONZE?
In what way can ono attack it?
fou ean inako mastifR hear reason, astound
4 bull, faecuato n bon, frigltcn tigor, soften a
on; but "a .n9t is no resource wh tbat monster
at the samo timc It liyos. tt lives with sinister
life bestowed on it by Inlnity.
Tho planls beneath it giyo; it play. 1t Ia moved
by tho ship, which is moved by tho sea, which is
moved bt,y tue wind. This destroyer is play
thing The ship, the wayes tho blasts, ull aid
# henco its frIgltfnl vitality. How to avsniI
this fury of complication How to fottor thia
Monstroua mechanism forwrecking ship? How
foseaoe ts comlnga aud goil,gs, its returns, it's
tlo TIC @ any que Of these howa
its awful gyrations! One las to doal with apro-
jectilo which thinks, acu1nB to POSSESS ideas, and
Which changes ltB direction ut eneh instant. How
He course 81 something Which must he avoid-
eas inc AGtrlp!o cannon lungs itself about. nd
raccs a.a roeos atf1Koa to tue right strikes to tho
nwo 'oes paeso soa aouhes br9Sks
great danger OF tho eltuasio!i is III the mobility
" lts paea' LOW eomnat AL Inclined plnne which
llns caprcea? Tho ship. 10 to speak, has liyht- |
mug 'innrsonea ,l IN ~ womb. which seeks to c.
quake.
In un instant tho whole crew were on foot.
THE FAULT WAS TIE CHIEF ouaNER's;
ho had neglected to liz home hon te hSrew,nnt Of
tho four wheels Of tho carronade Tint
the play given to tho solo and frame
ed by broukug the breccl,iug. Tile coyJaeo hn1
brokon, 10 that tho gun was no longer secure on
tho catrage. Tho STATIONARY bycechur which
prevents rccoil was not IN 7,se at tint period, |
As a henyv wnva Rtr,rl; Tim nnrt tho to+rorn,1o |