Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-12-09

Christmas Wreck" THE Lady the
Tiger" "The Late Mrs. Null" ''The
Hundredth Man." 1.-THE Casting Away
Dusantes." etc.
copyrighted by P F Collier of Golfers Once
Week. and published by special arrangements
with him through the American Press Assoc.a
ton All rights reserved.l
CONTINUED.
When this las: step became known to
the public of America, almost as much
excited by the recent events as the pub
lie of England, q great disturbance arose
in certain political circles. 1t was argued
that the syndicate had no right to nego-
tate in any way with the government of
England; that it had been empowered to
carry on a war, and that If its duties in
this regard had been satisfactorily exc
cuted, it must now retire and allow the
United States government to attend to
its foreign relations.
But the syndicate was firm. 1t had
contracted to bring the war to a satisfac-
tory conclusion. When it considered
that this had been done, it would retire
and allow the American government,
with whom the contract had been made,
to decide whether or not it had been
properly performed.
The unmistakable path of national
policy which had shown itself to the
wisest British statesmen appeared
broader and palmer when the overtures
of the American war syndicate had been
received by the British government. The
ministry now perceived that the syndi-
cate had not waged war: it had been
Ne
as at present waged. Who now could
deny that it would be folly to oppose the
resources of ordinary warfare to those of
what might be called prohibitive war
fare?
Another idea arose in the minds of the
wisest British statesmen. If prohibitive
warfare were good thing for America,
it would be an equally good thing for
England. More than that, it would be
better thing if only these two countries
possessed the power of waging prohibitive
warfare.
In three days a convention of-peace
was concluded between Great Britain and
the American syndicate acting for the
United States, its provisions being made
subject to such future treaties and al
liances as the governments of the two
nations might make with each other. In
six days after the affair at Caerdaff a
committee of the American war syndi-
cate was in London, making arrange
ments under the favorable auspices of
the British government for the formation
of an Anglo-American syndicate of war
The Atlantic ocean now sprang into
new life. 1t seemed impossible to mag
inc whence had come the multitude of
vessels which now steamed and sailed
upon its surface. Among these, going
westward, were six crabs, and the spring
armored vessel, once the Tallapoosa,
going home to triumphant reception,
such as had never before been accorded
to any vessel, whether of war or peace
The blockade of the Canadian port,
which had been effectively maintained
without incident, was now raised, and the
syndicate's vessels proceeded to an Amer
can port.
| The British ironclad Adamant at the
conclusion of peace was still in tow of
Crab G, and off the coast of Florida. A
vessel was sent down the coast by the
syndicate to notify Crab e of what had
occurred, and to order it TO tow the Ada,
mant to the Bernudas, and there deliver
her to the British authorities. The YES
sci sent by the syndicate. which was a
fast coast steamer, had scarcely hove in
sight of the objects of her search when
she was saluted by q ten inch shell from
the Adamant, followed almost immedi-
ately by two others. The commander of
| the Adamant had no idea that the war
was at an end, and had never failed,
during his involuntary cruise, to fire at
anything which bore the American flag,
or looked like an American craft.
Fortunately he cO1St NOR vvaG not
struck and ut the top of her speed re-
tired to greater distance, whence the
/ syndicate officer on board communicated
with the crab by smoke signals.
During the time III which Crab C had
had charge of the Adamant no commu-
nication had taken place between the
two vessels. Whenever an air pipe had
been elevated for the purpose of using
therein a speaking tube, a volley from
machine gun on the Adamant was
poured upon it, and after several pipes
had been shot away the director of The
crab ceased his efforts to confer with
those on the ironclad 1t had been
| necessary to place the outlets of the ven
tilating apparatus of the crab under the
forward ends Of some of the upper roof
plates.
When Grab c. had received her orders
she put about the prov Of the great war
ship, and proceeded TO tow her north
eastward, the commander of tho Ada
mant' taking a parting crack with his
heaviest stern gun at the vessel which
had brought the order for his release.
All the way from the American coast to
the Bermuda islands, the great Adamant
blazed, Numbered and roarcd, 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 the enemy that may
have been recently put forth to blemish
the sacred surface of the sea, that the
Adamant still tloated, with the heaviest
coat of mail and the 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,
should hc find the Bermudas uutsar the
American flag, he would fire at that flag
and whatever carried it, as long Us shot
or a shell or II charge of powder re-
manned to him.
Dut WHICH, ne ItdClCu blillSH "dAClos
and slowly entering St. Georges harbor,
saw around him the British flag floating
Us proudly as it iloated above his own
great ship, he confessed himself utterly
bewildered; bat he ordered the men at
every gun to stand by their piece until
he was boarded by boat from the fort
and informed of the true state of affairs.
But even then, when weary Grab G
raised herself from her fighting depth
and steamed to a dock, the commander
of the Adamant could scarcely refrain
from sending a couple of tons Of iron
into the beastly sea devil which had the
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 a military and naval alliance,
the basis of which should be the use by
these two nations, and by no other ma
tons, of the instantaneous motor Inc
treaty was made and adopted with much
more dispatch than generally accompa-
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
10 another. Every one who had con-
structed a new kind of gun, new kind
of armor or new explosive thought
that he had solved the problem or was
on his way to do So The inventor of the
instantaneous motor mad done 1t.
The treaty provides that all subjects