Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1889-04-24
The Great War Syndicate.
BY FRANK 3, STOCKTON.

By FRANK B. STOCKTON
Author of "I:udder Grange" "Amos Kill
bright" "Tho lee Man of orn," ''The
Christmas Wreck" THE Lady or the
Tiger" "The Late Mrs. Null" THE
Huntlredth Man." 1.-THE Casting Away
Of EIro. Lecks and Mrs. Aieshfne," "The
DuSantes." etc.
Copyrighted by p. r. Collier. OF Golfers Once
O Week and published by special arrangement
with him through the American Press Associa
ton All rights reserved.l
Crab J was on the starboard side of the
Adamant, Crab K was on the port side
and. simultaneously, the two laid hold OF
her. But they wero not directly astern
Of the great vessel. Each had it's nippers
fastened to one side of the stern jacket
near the hinge like bolts which held it to
the vessel, and on which it was raised
and lowered.
In a moment the Adamant began to
steam backward, but the only effect of
this motion, which soon became rapid,
was TO swing the crabs around against
her sides and carry them with her. AS
tho vessels were thus moving the great
pincers of tho crabs were twisted with
Tremendous force, the stern jacket on
one side was broken from it's bolt, and
on the other the bolt itself was drawn
out of the side of the vessel. The nippers
then opened, and the stern jacket fell
from their grasp into the sea. swapping
in its fall the chain by which it had been
raised and lowered.
This disaster occurred so quickly that
few persons on board the Adamant knew
what had happened But the captain,
who had seen everything, gave instant
orders to go ahead at full speed. The
first thing to be done was to get at dis
lance from those crabs, keep well away
from them, and pound them to pieces
with his heavy guns.
But the iron screw propellers had
scarcely begun to move in tho opposite
direction before the two crabs each now
lying at right angles with the length of
the ship, but neither of them directly
astern of her, made a dash with open
nippers, and Crab J fastened upon one
propeller, while Crab K laid hold Of the
other There was a din and crash Of
breaking metal, two shocks which were
felt throughout the vessel, and the shat
tered and crushed blades of the propel-
lers of the great battle ship were power
less to move her.
The captain of the Adamant, pallid
with fury, stood upon the poop. In
moment the crabs would be at his rud-
der! The great gun. double sllotted and
ready to fire, was hanging from its boom
over the stern. Crab K, whose roof had
the additional protection of spring
armor, now moved round so as to be
directly astern of the Adamant. Before
she could reach the rudder her forward
part came under the suspended cannon,
and two massive steel shot were driven
down upon her with force sufficient to
send them through masses of solid rock,
but from the surface of elastic steel
springs and air buffers they bounced up
ward, one of them almost falling on the
deck Of the Adamant.
The gunners of this piece had been
well trained. In a moment the boom
was swung around, the cannon reloaded,
and when Crab K fixed her nippers on
the rudder of the Adamant two more
shot came down upon her. AS in the
first instance she dipped and rolled, but
the ribs of her uninjured armor had
scarcely sprung back into their places
before her nippers turned and the
rudder of the Adamant was broken in
two and the upper portion dragged from
its fastenings; then quick backward
jerk snapped it's chains and it was
dropped into the sea.
A signal was now sent from Crab to
Repeller No. 7, to the effect that the Ada
mant had been rendered incapable of
steaming or sailing, and that she lay sub
ject to order.
Subject to order or not, the Adamant
did not remain passive. Every gun on
board which could be sufficiently de-
pressed was made ready to fire upon the
crabs should they attempt to get away.
Four large boats, furnished with machine
guns, grapnels, and with various appli-
ances which might be brought into use
on steel plated roof were lowered from
their davits, and Immediately began fir
ing upon the exposed portions of the
crabs. Their machine guns were loaded
with small shells, and if these penetrated
under the horizontal plates of a crab,
and through the heavy glass which was
supposed to be in these interstices, the
crew of the submerged craft would be
soon destroyed.
The quick eye of the captain of the
Adamant had observed through his glass,
while the crabs were still at consider
able distance, their protruding air pipes,
and he had instructed the officers in
charge of the boats to make an especial
attack upon these. If the air pipes Of
crab could be rendered useless the crew
must inevitably be smothered.
But the brave captain did not know
that the condensed air chambers of the
crabs would supply their inmates for an
hour or more without recourse to the
outer air, and that the air pipes, fur
nished with valves at the top, were
always withdrawn under water during
action with an enemy. Nor did he know
that the glass blocks under the armor
plates of the crabs, which were placed
in rubber frames to protect them from
conclusion above, were also guarded by
steel netting from injury by small balls.
Valiantly the boats beset the crabs,
keeping up constant fusillade and en-
deavoring to throw grapnels over them.
If one of these should catch under an
overlapping armor plate it could be con-
nected with the steam windlass of the
Adamant and a plate might be ripped off
or q crab overturned.
But the crabs proved to be much more
lively fish than their enemies had sup
posed. Turning, as if on pivot, and
darting from side to side, they seemed
to be playing with the boats, and not
trying to get away from them. The
spring armor of Crab K interfered some
what with it's movements and also put it
in danger from attacks by grapnels, and
it therefore left most of the work to its
consort.
Crab j, after darting swiftly in and
out among her antagonists for some time,