The morning call., 1894-03-14
he seen lining her bulwarks in the dread
anxiety of annrPhenSiOn.


Scarcely had it disappeared from view
when suddenly column of greenish water
shot 200 feet into the air; the monster ves-
sci shuddered and heaveG. then rolled
heavily to the vast wave which lifted her
huge bulk like plaything.
The demoralizing effect of the tremend-
Gus explosion upon the crew of the Melo-
ban was apparent. for some moments
elapsed before her batteries opened again.
But no time was to be lost. In moment
more the Pentheroy would be fully in the
zone of her enemy's rapid-fring guns, and
a single missile from their storm of iron
might prove fatal.
Jordan had the angle. One true shot-all
would be over. A 200-pound shell had
been slid into the barrel. and his eye was
at the telescope-sight II he had under
taken bis task with enthusiasm, this had
now deserted him. Feeling had died. He
was a machine, like his gun brain deal
ing with a problem of mathematics; cool
headed in the tropical sun; clear-sighted
amid the binding smoke, as deaf to the
thunder of the artillery as to the voice of
pity, bidiDg his time, with twice 100 pounds
of dynamite balanced on the turn of his
wrist.
1t was clear that the Brazilian gunners
understood the danger which threatened
them. for they could be seen training their
guns at an angle of 35 deg. upward in the
hope of arresting the shell in its flight, and
of exploding it in mid-air.
Once more the steel lever few back and
the dreaded missile sped Kissing on its
course. A dazzling light blazed from the
h. - Id
was now directed at the flying speck.
Rrowings larger as it approached them.
The plan was we'll devised. Three hun
dred feet away from its mark the dyna-
mite exploded with a sound that rent the
Sky, and almost instantaneouslyi one Of
the Melo bans military masts was seen t.
topple and faA. The dead and wounded
struck by the flying debris. or crushed
under the ponderous masses of iron, were
plainly visible from the tops of the PEN
theroy, while others, prostrated by the
concussion, could be seen lying beside
their guns like the dead on the field of
battle.
Meanwhile the two torpedo-boats Of the
Pentheroy, moving with the speed of rail-
road trains. had outstripped their consort
and were closing in upon the enemy. Dur
ing the momeniary pause in firing, due to
the explosion, they had slackened their
speed. waiting for the friendly cover of
the smoke, under which to mask their at
tack. Their time had now come. The
enemy's batteries had opened again. en-
veIoping the ship in dense clouds of smoke,
above which the remaining tops could al
times be dImy discerned, as the wind
shifted. Toward this mist of death, red
dened by fame. they moved swiftly, their
deadly tubes loaded and trained forward,
and leaving in their wake white trails of
seethiDg water.
"If the smoke hOldsp' murmured the
captain of the Pentheroy, as he watched
his tiny allies.
But The Brazilian admiral was not to be
caught unaweres. The approaching dan
ger had not escaped his quick eye. Be
fore the two torpedo boats had passed
over the distance which separated them
from the low-lying smokeclouds he had
ordered the use of smokeless powder, and
the black ram of the Meloban. under full
steam, emerged from It's cover. and four
rspid-fire guns opened upon each of the
advancing torpeGoes. The range was
short and all was over in a moment. The
Meloban were silent. For half second it
disappeared in the wreaths of smoke, to
reappear in again as 1t plunged into the
water, ten feet away from its target, fairly
abreast of the boilers. Then the sky
seemed TO fall apart and the sea to be
lifted from its bed. Half stunned by the
roar of the explosion. for a moment. Jor-
dan could distinguish nothing. Then he
saw that the side of the majestic ship hod
been crushed like an egg she'll A pillar
of steam leaped from the rent, as the great
billow of water entered the shattered side,
and, rolling heavily. the Meloban slowly
parted amidships and disappeared.
UA cry of awe and exultation burst from
Jordan's lips as he turned TO seek the ap-
proving face of his commander. So alb
sorbed had he been in the discharge Of his
own Immediate duty that he had lost all
sense of what was taking place about him.
The shattered bridge was barely visible
through the cloud of steam, and as he