San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-03-02
three brawny, red-whiskered English
s.i,ors lookino down upOn their COM

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sailors looking down upon their COM
rades with a grand compassionate dis
dain, rs creatures whom an inscrutable
Providence has doomed TO BIC foreign
ers, thereby cutting them of, 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 ut 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 ut Constantinople
if any mans afraid to come with me, let
him stand out and say sol" t... ,l..
But not q man moves! The crew are
all picked men, who have followed
their present leader. through many "a
heavy storm; and they have long since
learned toiknow him as the real soul of
the fleet r6hinally commanded by their
incompetent Admiral. AT the very mem
ton of Constantinople, there is a sud-
den light in every eye which the veteran
Is at no loss TO interpret. ~ 70 ..iia.'g
c"All right" said he, with grim
smile; elf you're, game to poke your
heads into the fire, I'm not the man to
baulk you. Mr. .Dugdale,, serve out a
double ration all round, and then set
every stitch of canvas on her and away
we go" g.s ',' ..... .r' ' .!.,I,r'.,
| '. o. .....' '.... H.
1t is q beautiful summer morning,
with a fresh breeze from the southwest,
when the devoted ship comes up to the
mouth of the terrible passage through
which no liostile vessel has ever ven
tured before. The sun is just rising
over the Anatolian Mountains, and in its
dazzling splsndor the wood-crowned
islcts, and rocky shores, and green slpp-
ing hillsides stand forth in all their
beauty An around, The blue sparkling
sea; all above, the rich summer sky.
70 the west, the little purple island of
,Tenedos stands watching their advance,
as it watched the coming ofrAgamem-
mons fleet against doomed Troy, 5000
years ago. Far to the northeast, hang
ing Ike snowy cloud upon the sky,
towers the great white dome of Mount
Olympus. On the right, beyond the
wide belt of level plain on which Greek
md Trojan Rbattled sin the old fighting
days, the mountains loom out,
blue and shadowy,o along the eastern
horizon; while right in front, the deep
narrow channel of the famous strait
curves outward to the sea, between the
bold ridges that flank it Oh either side,
"We're lucky with the wind, Mr.,
Dugdale," says the Captain to, his En-.
glish second in commando, as cheerily as
if he were going ON a picnic, instead of
into the jaws of a naval Balaklava
"This breeze is just what we want, for
there'll be pretty strong current
against lis inside. ..i... s. ....... I....
"Mr. Turk seems to have taken the
alarm already" answers the Lieutenant
with a chu3kle, pointing to a group of
hurrying figures Just vanishing over the
hilltop on the right. edo you think,
sir, they'll be able to hurt us much?"u
Cant say" replies the veteran,
coolly; but should think not, myself.
You see, when they made these batter
les, they didn't arm them with regular
guns, but tunneled holes in the rocks
themselves, and crammed them with
powder and ball, like pack of green
horns us they are; so, if we don't come
right into the line of fire, they can't
alter the range to hit us-that's one
good job. It's only the movable guns
that we need be afraid of. Starboard!"
Sta-board it is !" responds the deep
voice of the steersman; and the gallant
ship sweeps rejoicingly into the fatal
channel, whence, if the Turkish batter
les be such as report speaks them,
neither ship nor crew will ever return.
Had the daring baud any leisure to
take note of the surrounding landscape,
they would be well repaid, for every
mile of the beautiful scenery which they
traverse in this headlong race with
death, is rich in world-renowned memo
ries.
But both Captain and crew have 9TH !
or things to think of, for the storm of
war which they have detied is now gath (
ering around them in earnest. All along
The hills on either side red-capped sol
liers are hurrying to and fro, bayonets
rlittarinc SaharS flashing artillery .