St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-15
CHAPTER XVI.
THE BATTLE.

1dE oSA11LEs
After the first reconnaissance the lights
were eytinguished. The only thing to do
was to wait for day.
However. by the doctors orders, the mil
tia were mustered and sent to their sta
tons. 1t was necessary to be in a position
to strike the first blow, on which perhaps
the issue OF the enterprise would depend.
1t was now certain that the assailants
could no longer hope to take the slsnd by
surprise. inasmuch as the projection of the
light had allowed of their course and num-
beers being known.
A most careful watch was kept during
the last hours of the night. Many times
was the horizon again Illuminated, so as to
permit of the exact position of the fotilla
being noted. That the assailants were
numerous there could be no doubt. That
they were sufficiently armed to have
chance against the Antekirtta batteries was
doubtful. They were probably without
artillery. But the number of men that the
chief could land at once would make the
Senousists really formidable.
Day at last began to break. and the first
rays of the sun dissipated the msts ON the
horizon. Every eye was turned seward
toward the east and south of Antekirtta.
The tiotilla was advancing in a long curved
line. There were over two hundred YES
sells. some of them of thirty or forty tons.
Altogether they could carry from 1,500 to
2, 900 men.
At o'clock the flotilla was off Kencraf.
Would the enemy stop there and take up
their position before attacking the island?
1t they did SO it would indeed be fortunate.
The mines laid by the doctor would SER
iously damage their attack, if they did not
entirely settle it,
An anxious half hour elapsed. 1t seemed
as though the vessels as they reached the
islPt, were about to land-but they did
nothing of the sort. Not one opped. The
line curved farther off to the south, leaving
it to the right, and it became evident that
Antekirtta would be directly attacked, OF
rather invaded, in an hour.
The only thing now is to defend our
selves" said the doctor to the chief of mill
tia.
The signal was given and those on the
island fastened into the town to take the
posts that had been assigned them before
hand. By the doctors orders Pierre
Bathory took command of the Notifications
to the south, Luigi of those to the east.
The defenders-five hundred at the most
were posted so that they could face the
enemy wherever he attempted to force the
walls The doctor held himself ready to
go where his presence might be necessary.
Madame Bathory, Sava SandOrf, Maria
Ferrato remained in the hall of the Stadt-
haus. The other women, should the
town be carried, were ordered to take
shelter with their children in the classmates,
where they would have nothing to fear
even if the assailants possessed few land
ing guns.
The question of Kencraf being settled
unfortunately to the doctors disadvantage
there remained the question Of the har-
Dor. If the fotilla attempted to force an
entry the sorts on the,two jetties, with their
cross fires, the guns of the Ferrato. the
tOrpedoes OF the Electrics, and the torpe-
does sunk in the channel would nave some
thing to say in the matter. 1t would. in
short, be fortunate if the attack were made
on that side.
But-as was only too evident-the chief
OF the Senousists was perfectly acquainted
with Antekirrta's means OF defense. 10
attempt a direct attack on the harbor
would have been to run to complete and
immediate humiliation. A landing in the
southern part of the island, where the
operation would be an easy one, was the
plan he adopted. And so having passed by
Sii~ Aaa OOAs oo liz udo PdocOA ny AASiiSi al,
he took his fotilla, still rowing, towards
the weak point of Antekirtta.
AS soon as he saw this, the doctor took
such measures as circumstances demanded.
Capts. Kostrik and Narsos each took COM
mand of torpedo boat and slipped out of
harbor.
A quarter of an hour afterwards the two
Eleotrics had rushed into the midst of the
fiotllla, broken the line, sunk i've or six of
the vessels and stove in more than dozen
others. But the numbers of the enemy
were so great that to avoid being boarded
the Electrics had to retreat to the shelter of
the jetties.
But the Ferrato had now come into posi-
ton and begun firing on the fotilla. Her
guns and those of the batteries that could
be brought to bear, however, insufficient to
prevent the pirates landing. Although a
great number had persisted although twenty
of their vessels had been sunk, more than
thousand scrambled OH to the rocks in the
south, to which the calm sea rendered the
approach so easy.
1t was then found that the Senousists
were not without artillery. The largest Of
the xebecs had several deld-pieces on