The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-09-02
he would be spared TO take the battered

u moment. and looked again. Stillhop
ing that what NJ saw might be fancy.
he shut them Il second time. Having
done that, aud looked once more, h'
turned 10 H~nrridance, and, pointing
ahead. asksG. simply: What do you
make of that"
Harridanre. too, had been looking
closely. He answered, briefly: "Watcc-
spout"
And coming this way?"
The junior nodded.
ats growing as it comes"
Again the Junior acquiesced.
We've got no chance against it If it
strikes us?'
llarridunce shook his head.
Then the Lord have mercy on u.s."
amen" replied the junior, ~fervently.
He was very serious now.
Both gazed in silence for a moment.
each wondering what the end would
be.
suddenly Hanson exclaimed: There's
a derelict at the base of the column
And what of that" asked Harri-
dance. 1T only makes destruction
certain for u.s."
The wreck will prove our salvation,
God willing"
81 don't follow you. The waterSp0ut
is bringing down the wreck with a
force that will send us to the bottom
like a bag of lead"
ITS a hraNen-sent target, as you1l
see said Hanson. We've one torpedo
left, | think?"
only one, hut / believe it's all right"
"The tube is workable" Hanson
still spoke interrogntively
"uniniured, judging from the look of
it."
In any case it would be more effec-
tive than the Nordcufclt, even if we had
the gun left. As we haven't, there's no
alternative"
The junior wondered vaguely what
his captain meant. He understood in
part when Hanson worked his way to
the tube and began to uncover it With
out seeking help. llGrridance Joined
him, and in silence took a share in the
task. Soon the tube was fully exposed.
and Hanson made a rapid survey to
see that all was well with it. The tube
and the torpedo in it had escaped all
damage in the gale. and the weapon Law
there snugly. ready, even to the fitted
warhead, for discharge at any object
which might be selected.
The waterspout came slowly on. gain
ing force as it approached. 1t wa a
thousand yards away when Hanson
trained the tube and prepared to thrust
the missile into the water. The aiming
was a simple mntter, for the thing to be
destroyed was large and near. by this
time the derclict, almost submerged,
was clear to all.
Slowly but infallibly the waterspout
drew near, the hull of No. 30 in its
path. The thousand yards were re-
duced to 500; still the captain did not
fire his precious shot; another hundred
yards We're passed, and the crew for the
most part closed their eyes. Not more
than 200 yards separated No. 90 from
her foe when the impulse charge was
fired. and the tube yomitcd forth the
last torpedo.
Hanson had seen many torpedoes
fired, but never one the course of
which he watched so %hungrily as this.
On the contamination of that deadly
the safety of the boat and every
soul on board depended. There was no
mincing matters, no shutting of the
eyes to that one simple. awful fact.
There lay the low, black battered hull,
rising and falling to the seas, with no
power of motion left; her engines
inert and helpless; there in
front was the thing which looked more |
and malignant as it grew. Ere
Iuently in his career had Hanson
thought of what might happen if his
country went to war. He had pictured
he awful strain on his nerves when on {
he eve of battle; he had imagined al! {
he horrors Of the newest forms Of s
lights at sea, of men going down in .
pinned in their mighty works of !
teel and iron. sunk by one Skillful tor
'edo'or one lucky shot from a monster t
run. Il
When the explosion came there IVES I
dull roar which rose above the noise i
# the dying gale, and a pillar of spray !
skyward. The torpedo had hit its .
1ark, and the gloomy, hungry column :,
ad made the final stage Of its de. '
tructivc journey. II
For nearly one long minute all or 9
GARD kept silence, then there was a :.
lout of joy, Il chorus of d%eliverancc v
those who until that time had :,
upon themselves as lost. Ham =
led the shout himself, and Harri- =,
ance joined in with wild enthusiasm. :,
IF we can keep her afloat till helm .,
we're saved" cried Hanson, 8,
here's no more wind. and the sea will u
go down. Work for yor lives to II
eep her up, boys, and wen show the 8,
Grid that No. 90 can weather eyen Bis .,
" gales and get to port" Il,
The captain himself began the work. n
nd Harridance and the gunner were Il,
e first to join him. There was one
ing only TO be done. and that was to 10
ear the crippled shell of as much salt m
ter as they could get overheard, and IN
'ep II floating dill assistance came. W,
They got n signal Of distress up--an NJ
Il squire flag and nm oily frock rolled liz
rs a ball, flying just below the tat II
red pennant-and never q man gave liz
until a collier tramp. making an un. II
odtable trip in ballast. discerned the 70
AIRY and came j~oyfully alongside. to
zen one or two fell senseless where an
ey stood, and knew of nothing till tn
ey awoke in ,the close, dark forecagtle
the steamer. lin
She'll keep ationt all right now. sir" tn,
ID the captain OF the tramp. There's lo'
sea on. and she's corninu nstorn ILL., tn