The Florida agriculturist., 1889-04-03

CLuLSS dSrCcu upon UelOTSIlduu. AL bIllS
was perfectly plain to the military au-
thorities.
But tho people of the city derived no
comfort from the announcement of these
conclusions. For all that anybody knew
the whole city might be undermined,
and at any moment might ascend in
cloud Of minute particles. They felt that
they were in q region Of hidden traitors
and bombs, and in consequence of this
belief thousands of citizens left their
homes.
That afternoon truce boat again
went out from Repeller No. 1 and rowed
to the fort, where a letter to the COM
mandant was delivered. This, like the
other, demanded no answer, and the boat
returned. Later in the afternoon the
two repellers, accompanied by the crabs
and leaving the steel net still anchored
in it's place, retired few miles seaward,
where they prepared to lay to for the
night.
The letter brought by the truce boat
was read by the commandant, surrounded
by his officers. 1t stated that in twenty
four hours from time of writing it, which
would be at or about o'clock on the
next afternoon, bomb would be thrown
into the garrisoned fort under the COM
mand of the officer addressed. AS this
would result in the entire destruction of
the fortifcation, the commandant was
earnestly counseled to evacuate the fort
before the hour specified.
Ordinarily the commandant of the
fort was of calm and uneXcitable tenn
permanent. During the astounding events
Of that day and the day before he had
kept his head cool; his judgment, if not
correct, was the result Of sober and earn
est consideration But now he lost his
temper. The unparalleled effrontery and
impertinencc of this demand Of the
American syndicate was too much for
his self possession. He stormed in an
ger.
Here was the elimination Of the knav-
ish trickery of these conscienceless pi-
rates who had attacked the port. A tor
pedo had been exploded in the harbor,
an unfinished fort had been mined and
blown up, and all this had been done to
Brighten him-a British soldier-in COM
nand of Il strong fort, we'll garrsoned
and fully supplied with all the muni-
lions of war. In the fear that his fort
would he destroyed by mystical bomb
he was expected to march to place of
safety with all his forces. If this should
be done it would not be long before these
crafty fellows would occupy the fort,
and with it's great guns turned inland,
would hold the city at their mercy.
There could be no greater insult to SOL
dier than to suppose that he could be
gulled by a trick like this.
No thought of actual danger entered
the mind Of the commandant. 1t had
been easy enough to sink a great torpedo
in the harbor, and the unguarded bluffs
Of Fort Pilcher offered every opportu-
nifty to the scoundrels, who may have
worked at their mines through the nights
of several months. But mine under
the fort which he commanded was an
impossibility; it's guarded outposts pre-
vented any such me.hod of attack. At
bomb, or dozen, CT hundred of the
syndicate's bombs, he snapped his fin
gers He could throw bombs as we'll
Nothing would please him better than
that those ark like ships in the offing
should come near enough for an artillery
fight A few tons of solid shot and shell
dropped on top of them might be very
mands.