The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-07-30
but the blows which he escaped fell upon

but the blows which he escaped fell upon
the vessel and continued the havoc.
An end of the broken chain remained
attached to the carronade. This chain
had twisted itself, one could not tell
how, about the screw of the breech but
ton. One extremity of the chain was
fastened to the carriage. The other,
hanging loose, whirled rapidly about the
gun, and added to the danger OF its
blows.
The screw held it like clinched hand,
and the chain, multiplying the strokes OF
the battering-ram by its strokes of a
thong, made fearful whirlwind about
the cannOn,---a whip of iron in fist of
brass. This chain complicated the battle
Nevertheless, the man fought. Some
times, even, it was the man who at
tackled the cannon. He crept along the
side, bar and rope i'm hand, and the can.
non had the air of understanding, and
fed as if it preceived snare. The man
pursued it, formidable, fearless.
Such duel could not last long. The
gun seemed suddenly to say to itself,
"Come, we must make an end!' and it
paused. One felt the approach of the
crisis. The cannon, as if in suspense,
appeared to have, or had--because 1t
seemed to all sentient being, a furious
generalization. 1t tsprang unexpectedly
upon the gunner. He jumped aside, let
it pass and cried out, with laugh,
"Try againw The gun, as if in fury,
broke a carronade to larboard; then,
seized anew by the invisible sling which
held it, was flung to starboard, toward
the man, who escaped.
Three carronades gave way under the
blows of the gun then, as blind, and no
longer conscious of what it was doing,
it turned its back OH the man, rolled
from the stern to the bow, bruising the
stem and making breach in the plank
ings of the PROV. The gunner had taken
refuge ut the foot of the stairs, few
steps from the old man, who was watch
ing.
The gunner held his handspike in rest.
The cannon seemed to perceive him, and,
without taking the trouble to turn itself,
backed upon him with the quickness OF
an ax-stroke The gunner, If driven
back against the side, was lost The crew
uttered simultaneous cry.
But the old passenger, until now inn
movoble, made spring more rapid than
} all these wild whirls. He seized bale
of the false assignats, and, at the risk OF
being crushed, succeeded in flinging 1T
between the wheels of the carrOnade.
This maneuver, decisive and dangerous,
could not have been executed with more
adroitness and precision by man trained
to all the exercises set down in 'DurOseps S
Manual of Sea Gunnery."
} The bale had the effect of plug. A
pebble may stop log, a tree branch turn
, an avalanche. The CarrOnade stumbled.
The gunner, in his turn, seizing this ter
rible chance, plunged his iron bar be-
tween the spOkes of one of the hind
wheels The cannon was stopped. 1t
, staggered. The man, using the bar rs
lever, rocked it to and fro. The heavy
! mass turned with clang like a falling
bell, and the gunner, dripping with sweat,
rushed forward headlong and passed the
: slipping-noose of the tiller rope about the
bronze neck of the Overthrown monster.
, 1t was ended. The man had con
ouered The ant had subdued the mas
. todon. The pigmy had taken the thun
derbolt prisoner.
The marines and the sailors clapped
their hands.
1 The whole crew hurried down will
| Cables anu CIldlIS dlt III 0h WIN
p cannon was securely lashed.
The gunner saluted the passenger.
r "Sir," he said to him, you have save'
s my life"
The old man had resumed his impas
:. sable attitude and did not reply.
t The man had conquered, but one nigh
d say that the cannon had conquered, also
o Immediate shipwreck had been avoided
= n " OIL
e The dilapidation of the vessel seemed il
d remediable. The sides had five breaches
e one of which, very large, was in the bow
p Out of the thirty carrOnades, twenty la.
% useless in their frames.
l. The carronade which had been caI
tured and reclaimed was itself disabled
d the screw of the breech-button was forced
&c and the levelng of the piece impossibl
2 in consequence. The battery was reduce
a to nine pieces. The hold had sprung
leak. 1t was necessary at once to repal
he the damages and set the pumps to worl
The gun-deck, now that one had tim
70 to look about it, offered terrible specti
ii Gle. The interior of mad elephant
Iv cage could not have been more cOmpletel
/. dismantled.
in However great the necessity that til
corvette should escape observation, a stl
90 more imperious necessity presented
q. self-immediate safety.
ID 1t had been necessary to light up IL
ne deck by lanterns placed here and the
nd along the sides.
II But during the whole time this trag
d. diversion had lasted, the crew were
absorbed by the one question of life M
ed death, that they noticed little VIII at W
passing outside the scene of the dut
rn The fog had thickened; the weather hi
changed the wind had driven the vess
IN at will it had got out of its route,
be plain sight of Jersey and Guernse
.re farther to the south than it ought to ha
od gone. and was surrounded by trouble
wv sea. The great waves kissed the gapil
~ wounds of the cOrvette-kisses full
6o peril. The sea rocked her menacingl
wo The breeze became q gale. A squall
Wv tempest, perhaps, threatened. 1t W
tbe impossible to see before one four Oa
length.
!, While the crew were repairing SUI
'e" marily and in haste the ravages of t
,,;s gun-deck, stopping the leaks and putt
HE back into position the guns which h
nci escaped the disaster the old passenl
Il had gone on deck.
,,n He stood with his back against
~ mainmast.
=. He had paid no attention to a proce'
IL ing which had taken place on the vess
The Chevaler La Vieuville had dra
The up the marines i'm line on either side
the mainmast, and at the whistle,
ard sailors busy in the rigging, stood uprit
INST on the yards. :,
at Count du Boisberthelot advanced
one ward the passenger. Behind the capt
marched man haggard, breathless,
1t dress in disorder. vet wearing a satif
mir look under it all. 1t was the gunner v
had just now so opportunely shown h
,uld self a tanner of monsters, and who
So got the better OF the cannon.
q. 80