Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1874-05-12

The waves beat against the ship; their
blows from without responded 10 the
strokes OF the cannon.
II was like two hammers alternating.
Suddenly, into the midst OF this sort Of
inaccessible circus, where the escaped
cannon leapcd and bounded. there sprang
a man with an iron bar in his hand. 1t
was the author OF this catastrophe, the
gunSer whose culpable negligence had
caused the accident, the captain of the
gun. Having been tho means Of bring.
ing about this misfortune, he desired To
repair il. lie had caught up handspike
in one fist, q tiller.ropc with Slipping
moose in the other, and jumped down into
The gun deck. Then .irtngc combat
hcgan; Titanic slritc-.lhc struggle OF
Ac gun against tie gunner. battle be-
tween matter and intelligence, duel
between the iuanimatc and the human.
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 rs on two pillars of steel, liviI.
calm, tragic, rooted rs it were in the
planks, he waited.
lie waited for the cannon 10 pass near
him.
Tn, gunner knew his piece, aud i,
seemed to him that she must recognize
her master. lie had lived n long time
with her. How many time 5 he had thrust
his hand between her Jaws! 1t was his
tame monster. lie bcgan,;o address it rs
he might have done his dog.
Come! = said he. Perhaps he loved it.
H. seemed 10 wish iha, it would turn
toward him.
But to come toward him would loo to
'pIinS upon him. Then he would be
lost. How to avoid its crush' That was
The question. Al stared in terrified
silence.
Nota breas, rcspiral freely. except,
Verchancc, tint OF the ol man who alone
stood in the deck with The two combat
ants, s,cra second.
lie might himself be crushed by the
piece. lie did not stir.
Beneath them, the blind sea directed
the battle.
At The Instant. when accepting this
awful haud 10 haad contest. the gunner
approached to challenge the cannon,
SOME chance llaclualion OF the waves
kept it for moment immoyablc, rs if
-addculy .tupc!icd.
Como oa" the man said to it. l.,
seemed TO lis,ca.
Sn.l'|eu'y i, dared upon h;n, Tae
gunner avoided The shock.
The struggle bcSan-slrusslc unhcagl
'C The fragile matching ii-e't against
.hc invulncra5'c. The thing of flesh
attacking the b,lzcn brcic. On the one
side b'iDd force, on the other ,oal
The whole passed in halflisht. /,
Nas like the iadis;iucl vision of q miracle.
\ sou!-slrAnse thing but you woalI
have stil that the ctnnol hal one also
4 soul flied with rage ani hatred. Ths
blindness appeared to have eyes. The
monster had the ar &C watching the mln
There wa,-ouc Nigh, have lIuci;d 81 =,
least cunning in This mass. 1t al,o
chose is moments. II became some
gigantic insect OF metal, having. or seem
ing TO have, the will OF dcmpa. Some
times this colossal gusshoPpor would
strike The low ceiling of the gun dccG,
then fail back on lis tour wheels like a
tiger upon its four c,lwi, aul dalt anew
on the man. lIc-supplc, agile. adroi,,
would glide away ike I snake from the
reach ol these ligh,uing Ike movements.
He avoided the encounters; but the blows
which he escaped lc,l upon the vessel aud
continued the havoc.
An end OF broken chain remained at
tached 10 The carronade This chain had
twisted itself, one could not tell how,
about the screw of tho Grecch button
One extremity OF the chain was fastened !
to the carriage. The other, hanging
loose, whisled rapidly about the gun,
and added 10 the danger OF its blows.
Tuc screw held ii like a clinchcd hand,
and the chain, multiplying the strokes oil
the balicsins ram 10y its strokes oI Il !
thong. made fearful whirlwiud about
the cannon.-a whip of iron in n fist Of
brass. This chain complicated The battle.
Nevertheless, The mtn fought. Some
Times, even, il was the man who attacked
The cannon. lie crept along the side. bar
and rope in hand. and The cannon had The
mir of understanding, and lcd as ifit per.
ceived snare. The man pursued it.
fearless.
Sach ducl could not last long. The
sUn seemed suddenly 10 say to itself,
Come, we must make IN onh" AMI il
paused. OLo lo.t the approach of the
crisis The cannon. rs ii in suspense,
to hive. or had-because it
seemed 10 NIL scutcnt being-a furious
premchilation. |, sfrang unexpectedly
upon the gunner. He jumped aside, let
!, pass. and cried out. with laugh, Try
lgaia!7 The gan, rs if in fury, broke q
c5rrorolc to larboard; then, seized anew
10y the invisible sling which held it. was
flung to starboard toward the man, who !