The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-01-05

had not entirely blocked the exit.
Cervera's ships had left Spain two
weeks beforehand those off Santiago
had had no news since; hardly day
had passed without soma report of
suspicious vessels, lowering about the
Cuban coast, reaching the fleet.
There was no turning to the right
or turning TO the left now for the Van
kee; both those avenues of escape were
effectually blocked; to turn back was
equally out of question for unneces-
sary reasons There was but one road
open, that was the one dead ahead
which led to Santiago and the Amer
lean fleet.
The gauntlet TO be run was from six
to eight miles in width, and apparent
ly twice the distance in length. Slow
ly at first she forged ahead, almost
feeling her way, and then like an ar
row from the bow she spurted Dense
smoke poured from her funnel, aud
this the officers regarded anxiously as
the distant search Ii ght fell across the
sky and travelled slowly toward her :.
A minute more and the beam would
have picked up the heavy column,
when suddenly God given gust fiat
tened the thick smoke down to the
decks into long, broad trail astern
The second light astern now began
its Journey forward, and again came
the tense expectancy. But it Travelled
quickly, passing high over the Yankee,
though it disclosed, for brief second,
the six unwelcome travelling compan-
| ions to portland the Yankee breath
ed a great human sigh of relief 4
young gun captain beat a light finger
tattoo upon the long gray monster be
| side him, and tentatively sighed:
Backward turn back ward, ,,h, time in thy flight,
| And make me child again, just for tonight.
| The guns crew snicked. and three
deep volced youngsters softly dr0ned
Be it ever SO humble there's no place
! like b 90 oner'
''Silencel you baily ldiots-are you
all so anxious to be blown to kingdom
! come that you're kicking mp such a
| row." inquired the division officer
with savage sarcasm. And the next
| minute the rebuked crew was langh-
ing softly to itself at its chief, who, on
taking an extra long sqnint at the oft
| revealed fleet Sauntered across to the
opposite port humming; "There'll be
| a Hot Time in the Old Town To
Dight!'
Absolute silence was out OF the
question. The strain was altogether
too great for that. In various ways
the men relieved their pentup feel
ings There was the always obnoxious
| jester who, to hide perhaps his real
emotion, made a general butfoon of
himself; the quiet chaps who looked
hard, and thought the same way; the
careless ones who regarded the whole
thing as a joke intended for their
special benefit; the nervous ones who
kept wiggling some part of thier anat-
omy continually all the types were
there save one, the type Of cowardice
Meanwhile tne Yankee was plunging
ahead at her utmost bent; the exposed
dead lights of the strangers, which had
first shown their whereabouts. were
now extinguished, and save for the
search lights which now and then
flashed their location, nothing of them
could be seen. These brief glimpses
however, seemed to show that the
Yankee was drawing ahead. The five
ships to the starboard had not been
seen for half au hour; whether their
course had been changed, whether
they had dropped astern, whether
fresh ships lay In the Yankees path
We're questions often asked in vain
All was darkness. deep and inpene-
trable. The Yankee was being run
by fatalists just then. Il it was writ
ten that she should escape detection
onlv to be run down, or to run down
one Of the enemy-ail right, it was 6
case of Kismet.
The thrills that came and weut with
those awful search lights were most
exquisite, but very, very wearing after
time.
The tactics of sweeping the sky
were abandoned few minutes before
midnight, and then the endeavor be-
gan to pick up separately each charge
for the owners of the search light:
were undoubtedly battleships. as were
the smaller vessels. cruisers or trans
ports. They We're all astearn now
oct the radiance of day fell upon eact
ship as the great beams flashed acros:
them for an instant. Suddenly the
beams began to waver and then tC
sweep anxiouslv first the sea and ther
the SKY, the movements becoming
swifter and more impatient with every
slash of light.
"Lordy! we're gone now SURELY
dejectedly whispered super-nervou:
yeoman. ''They'r re hunting for us o.
they've missed one of their own steam
ers and are trying to pick her up
His opinion was evidently shared
il measure, by the captain. for, il
response to hurried call, the chic
engineer, all grimy with coal anG
sweat, and carrying long swan neck
ed oil can, ran to the bridge.
t Give her all she'll carry said tn,
captain, and perhaps little more
try some oil on the coal"
The engines pounded and thumped
the very plates of the fire-room decl
: jumped and creaked, and the Yanke
seemed to have achieved her secont
t wind
, The search lights swung round an,
/ round, periloush- near, but Dever quit
: on the spot The distance was nov