Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-04-25
The Great War Syndicate.
By FRANK B. STOCKTON.

Author o: "Eudder Grange" Amos XII
bright" "The Bee -.,a o! C~n." The
Christmas Wreck" The Lady or the
Tiger" 800 Late airs. Null" THE
I:aa... edith :;an." THE Castin: Away
OF Mrs. Lcclls aud aIrs. Aieshine," Tho
Dusantes." etc.
Copyrighted by p F Collier. OF Golfers O.,ce
, Week. aud published By special arrangement
sith him through the American Press Associa
ion. Ali rights rcservedl
The British ircuc,.a AGaman: - the
conclusion OF peace was still in tow OF
Crab &. and CT he coast of Florida. 4
vessel w2s sen, Gown tho coast b. tho
syLd.ccie 70 notify Grab c O. wha. bad
occurred. and 20 2Tdc- !, L, tow he fCa.
Tant &c The UcT;nudas. ar the Z C.: vcr
her % the Eviti5h auaho. tics. ,'ne ,cs.
sci sent b2 Tao syndicate. which Uas q
las co2sI s,Araer, had scarcely hove in
sigh OF TIE objects Of her search when
SIC vas s,i.utod by 2 ten inch shcll from
tic Adamant, followed almo5. i:n,ncdi-
ately by two others. TIE cc1nmGuL,cr Of
tho AGamant had no :.ca that the war
was g. an end. and Lad ueve- failed,
during his invo,untaj crui5c, to fire g.
anything which bocc nc American Gag,
Of looked like an An, rican craft.
fortunately the coast steamer vvcs roS
struck, enc q. the tor Of her epced re.
tired to o great '':si2ncc, whence tho
Syrdic2t- u--I-. On board communicated
....ii tie crab by smoke Signals.
During tho time in which Grab C had
had charge Of tho Ada,lant 10 ccmrnu-
nicatiol had t2.cn placo between tho
two vessel. y acncvcr a. cir pipe had
been e.ovc-ed TO- the pIrposo Of using
therein {. speaking; TIL, 4 vol.ey from
machirr 81 Ca tho AdamaDt vas
.-~,--4 upon l., ed aftc:: several pipes
had been sfoa away tho director G. tho
CRIB ceased lis efforts to confer with
these ca the ironclad. It had been
necessary to place tie outlets Of the ven
tilc.icg apparatus CT tho crab under the
= forward ends CT some OF the upper roof
plates.
VIXEN Crab C had received her orders
she put about tho Prov Of the great war
ship, and proceeded to tow her north
eastward, the commander Of the Ada,
mant taking a parting crack with his
heaviest stern gun at tho vessel which
All the way from the American coast to
the Bermuda islands, the great Adamant
blazed, Numbered and rOared, not only
because her commander saw, or fancied
he saw, an American vessel, but to no
tify all crabs, repellers and any other
vile invention of tho enemy that may
have been recently put forth to Flemish
the sacred surface Of the sea, that the
Adamant still foated, with the heaviest
coat of mail and tho finest and most
complete armament in the world, ready
to sink anything hostile which came
near enough-but not too near.
When the commander found that he
was bound for the Bermudas he did not
understand it, unless, indeed, those ISL
ands had been captured by the enemy.
But he did not stop firing. Indeed,
shop!d he find the Bermudas under the
American flag, lie would fire at that Gag
and whatever carried it, as long as shot
or q shell or charge of powder re-
manned to him.
But when he reached British waters,
and slowly entering st. Georges harbor,
saw around him the British flag floating
as proudly as it foated above his own
great ship, he confessed himself utterly
bewildcred; but he ordered the men at
every gun to stand by their piece until
he YVES boarded by boat from the fort
and informed of the true state of affairs.
But even then, when weary Crab g
raised herself from her fighting depth
and steamed to dock, the commander
Of the Adamant could scarcely refrain
from sending q couple of tons of iron
into the beastly sea devil which had tho
impertinence to tow him about against
his will.
No time was lost by the respective
governments of Great Britain and the
United States in ratifying the peace
made through the syndicate, and in con-
Guiding military and naval alliance,
the basis of which should be the use by
these two nations, and by no other No
tons, Of the instantaneous motor. Tho
treaty was made and adopted with much
MES such agreements between nations,
for both governments felt the importance
Of placing themselves without delay in
that position from which, by means of
their united control Of paramount meth
DDS of warfare, they might become the
arbiters OF peace.
The desire to evolve that power which
should render opposition useless had
long led men from one warlike invention
to another. Every ono who lad Con-
structed new kind Of gun, o new lind
OF ormCr or q new explosive thought
that he had solved the problem or was
on his way to do so. Tho inventor Of the
instantaneous motor mad done it.
The treaty provides that all Cubjects
concerning hosti.ities between either OF
both OF the contracting powers and other
nAtlons cnouio % ieie,reo 10 JOINT hlSn
comMls1ons appointed ~ the two pow,
sas. 1no ! val snouio DO consiaefcG
nay, Z sn1ula % p.osecuted ano
S ssuS:HS* ~ INC nEuSio :t wa5
Syaa. "Itnlo Amaeat1oas pSescs1oeo
~ sao n.e;o conI.on: >.
- S1tt - naooo Wl.a tnc neT synols,
c1.e was y tao Iaoos st!lnsSns cEoer. ano
cAn:I escsJ F.oVlSlCn cnos InecnWty
o9 IoIcaaSns .. man coulo invent oE ecS-
80 70 .oake p ImpoesiDlo ICE tne syn9l-
cdoo % uans1eS % any otncr nauon tno
usc ot tle instaniaoeous motor.
AuVuSn0us ~ classes m Cympctny
CI.n' tne eum =, pafueS o. GreaS
oIilan ano INC Unfteu c:ate3 tncro vas
tcciinG OF Juoiiaos eiatlon On account
y tne ailancc enc tne adoption Dy tho
wv natsolS ok the Eeai.S O. pfomoltvc
1S.c 1nc puonc sentmcnt acted
even upon tne opposition; and tho me-
3oasy oa amy arc navy omcers n tho
I've countt1e3 teis Cound 70 admit That
9e IT'S OF war IN which they had been
eoucase0 were tn1nSs OF the past. VI
course tnefe wcrc members OF tho :rmy
~ ,n ~ ~ O0tn cognti1es VINO depre-
cated tho now state OF things. But there
were aJso men stili living who deprecated
so,,s a I'M sh;n " eao oaa "ooocn ss'cntS'