The Florida agriculturist., 1889-04-10

their DeQS, ana alCnOugn nOLnlnS Was
then to be seen, nearly everybody felt
sure that the syndicate's forces had be-
gun their days work by exploding an
other mine.
A lighthouse, the occupants of which
had been ordered to leave when the fort
was evacuated, as they might be in dan
ger in case of bombardment, was SO
shaken by the explosion of this motor
bomb that it fell in ruins on the rocks
upon which it had stood.
The two crabs now took the steel net
from its moorings and carried it up the
harbor. This was rather difficult on ac-
count Of the islands, rocks and sandbars;
but the leading crab had on board pilot
acquainted with those waters. With the
net hanging between them, the two sub
merged vessels, one carefully following
the other, reached a point about two
miles below the city, where the net was
anchored across the harbor. It did not
reach from shore to shore, but in the
course of the morning two other nets,
designed for shallower waters, were
brought from the repellers and anchored
at each end of the main net, thus form
ing line of complete protection against
submarine torpedoes which might be
sent down from the upper harbor.
Repeller No. now steamed into the
harbor, accompanied by Crab A, and
anchored about quarter Of a mile sea-
ward of the net. The other repeller,
with her attendant crab, cruised about
the mouth Of the harbor, watching a
smaller entrance to the port as well as
the larger one, and thus maintaining an
effective blockade. This was not diff
cult duty, for since the news of the ex-
traordinary performances of the crabs
had been spread abroad, no merchant
vessel, large or small, cared to approach
that port; and strict orders had been
issued by the British admiralty that nc
vessel Of the navy should, until further
instructed, engage in combat with the
peculiar craft of the syndicate. Until a
plan of action had been determined
upon, it was very desirable that English
cruisers should not be exposed to useless
injury and danger
This being the state of affairs, a mes
sage was sent from the Office OF
the syndicate across the border tc
the Dominion government, which
stated that the seaport city which
had been attacked by the forces of the
syndicate now lay under the guns of its
vessels, and in case of an overt act OF
war by Great Britain or Canada alone,
such as the entrance of an armed force
from British territory into the United
States, or q capture of or attack upon an
American vessel, navel or commercial,
by British man -of-war, or an attack
upon an American port by British yes.
sells, the city would be bombarded and
destroyed.
This message, which was of course in.
startly transmitted to London placed
the British government in the apparent
position of being held by the throat by
the American War Syndicate. But il
the British government or the people OF
England or Canada recognized this posi-
ton at all it was merely as temporary
condition. In a short time the most
powerful men-of-war of the royal navy
as well as feet of transports carrying
troops, would reach the coasts of North
America, and then the condition Of
affairs would rapidly be changed. II
was absurd to suppose that few me.
dunn sized vessels, however heavily
armored, or a few new tangled subma.
rine machines, however destructive they
- L Il II