The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-03-02
RUNNING THE GANTLET.
An Episode of the RussO-Turkish Wa
of ITO.

An Episode of the RussO-TurlKish War
of ITO.
Captain, what you propose is i'm
possible"
g Admiral, it's possible enough to any
man who has pluck"
With these bitter words on their lips,
two men stand facing each other on the
quarterback of the Russian flagship
Vladimir, as she lies at anchor off the
coast of Asia Minor. The one, who
wears the uniform of Russian Admit
raj, is man of colossal stature and
proportions, but with broad, heavy,
unmeaning face, which shows that his
intellect is not on par with his bodily
strength. The other is a short, square,
muscular figure, with firm mouth and
keen gray eve-formerly Lieut.. Elphin-
stone, of the British navy, but now in
command of the frigate Yekaterina in
the Russian Black Sea fleet; and the SUI
perior to whom he is speaking so uncer-
enormously is no other than the imperi-
al Admiral himself, the Count Gregory
Gregorievitch Orloff, the first and basest
of the countless favorites of Catherine
IL, man whose worthless name has
DtcH IcSCucu HUH ODllN lOu ny OHt 2IcdJ
crime-the murder of Peter III.
1t is the morning of July s, 1770. The
bright blue waters of Tchesme Bay are
numbered with half-burned spars and
masses of shattered timber; the warm,
dreamy summer sky overhead is blotted
with drifting smoke; and along the sur
rounding hills bare-legged men in white
turbans are hurrying to and fro with
looks of dismay, and muttering to each
other that the Padishah's war-ships
have been destroyed by the "Giaours''
of the North. Last night, with single
fireship, this short, keen-eyed, blunt
spoken Captain burned every vessel in
the Turkish squadron; and he is now
vainly urging his phlegmatic Admiral to
follow up the victory by dash through
the Dardanelles upon defenseless Con-
stantinople.
81 tell you, Englishman," growls Or
loft, "that will not send the Empress
fleet to certain destruction in attempt
ing an impregnable passage, just to
please your
''And l tell your Excellency," re-
torts the other, 'that what you fear to
attempt with the whole fleet | will do
with one vessel I'll run my Ship
through this impregnable passage of
yours, and drink the health of the Brit
ish navy in front of the Sultan's own
palace. Good morning"
Arrived on board of his own vessel,
Capt. Elphinstone musters his crew-a
motley mixture of sallow, broad-faced
Russians, squat, yellow-haired Firms,
big-boned, beetle-browed Esthonians,
and slim, wiry Greeks, with two or three
brawny, -whiskered English sailors
looking down upon their comrades with
a grand compassionate disdain, as Great
ures whom an inscrutible Providence
has doomed to be foreigners, thereby
cutting them off, once and forever, from
all chance of becoming good seamen.
The Captain eyes them all as they come
aft with the look of one accustomed to
Judge men at sight, and then speaks,
briefly, but very much to the purpose:
"My lads, I'm going to run through
the Dardanelles and fly my flag in the
face of those lubbers at Constantinople;
if any mans afraid to come with me, LET
him stand out and say sou
But not o man moves! The crew are
all picked men, who have followed theiI
present leader through many a hot
fight and many heavy storm; and
they have long since learned to know
HIM as the real soul of the fleet nomi
nally commanded by their incompetent
Admiral. At the very mention of Con
stantinople there is sudden light il
every eye which the veteran is at nj
loss to interpret.
Gan right said he, with a grin
smile; " if you're game to poke YOU
heads into the fire, Pm not the man tt
balk you. Mr.. Dugdale, serve out &