The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-31
BOOK vi
The Great Lord Hawke.
CHAPTER xxxI.-continued.
The French Wait-Break-Fly.

>
Hawke, running the tubes of his glass
together and laying it down on the signal
chest in much disgust, as he saw the.
French rear division which was nearest
him. wear away. from the approaching
! he continued; "by Heaven, he's lacking
toward the French! He's about to en-
gage! IT'S madness! Mr.. Vernon sig
nal him to join the fleet Immediately
I'm no thinkin the Frenchll hae
mucl1le stomach for fight, Sir Ed ard.
answered the old Scotsman, a worthy but
eccentric officer of humble birth, VINO mao
! first entered the service before the mast
and had attained his present rank by
sheer merit alone. He was. by virtue Of
his command of the Royal George, a nag
captain. Eight months shut up in a
harbor by a blockade will no gle a mon
muckle heart for "a My certle. ne
cried, look at that noO!, I've been dom
! them an injustice! ~. sa,..-' -. -.
Whats he up to, wonder?' ex-
claimed the admiral, Selling his glass once
more and staring at the French meet:
.'Egad! He's hauling his wind. 1 believe!
What ragged line! He has more pluck
than l gave him credit for
! AN a Iubbery lot O seamen. TOO,
continued Campbell. surveying them .,rit-
icalN. ~.:- ~ --..
once let us get in touch with tnem
and-but thank Heaven they
fight better than they sail. When we
overhaul them Wen have our hands
| full
"You will be waitin' for the rear divi-
sion, I'm thinkin', Sir Ed ard, if the
French admiral shows signs of waitin'
for us?"
whats that, Campbell? I'm sur
prised!" -'... ,..,.,
Now that he's maxim preparations 10
fight proper like, you'll approach him IN
a seamanlike an scienteefic manner
"TH wait for nothing" said Hawke
decisively. i've no confidence whatever
that they will remain where they are
very long. and don't intend to lose any
chances by waiting for anybody. Cad, l
wish I'd stayed at the other end of the
line! Look at the Magnanime now, and
the Warspite and the Torbay We are
so far astern and to leeward OF them all
True, Sir Ed ard, but the most of the
fleet is worse off than we are, remember,
an if you intend to attack the whole
French fleet wi the van ships an the
Royal George Wen haze opportunity an
time to get a bellyful O f1ghtin' before
we are through this day
"Twouldn't do to set the royals sup
pose?'
eff you want to carry away the roya
masts before the French get shot al
Set the royals, sir! Losh me! I'm think
in we'n hae to take in the to'gallan;
Sails ...
LET them be!' cried Hawke. after g
quick glance aloft They'll stand it."
Vera, WELL SIR answered the Scots
man phiegmatically, "you are In com
mand.''
Yes, and a good thing for you. too
If I were not here answered Hawke
who knew the man thoroughly, "you'f
have had the royals on her YOURSELF join
Campbell. L know you better than yol
do yourself"
The captain smiled deprecatingly ant
waved his hand in denial, but did no
presume to contradict the admiral no
indeed did he wish to.
The ships were swaying and tossing
tremendously now, rolling and ,heaVlns
until they buried their lee chains unde
water again and again in the huge gree!
; waves Of the heavy sea. The decks Wer
at such a slant that only the most ex
: perienced seamen could keep tnelr 1eel
Yet Hawke. in spite of his unwieldiness
{ made no difficulty about it, standing owe
t to windward leaning by the rail, watch
l ing the English ships struggling ski
fully in the huge waves to get into SOM
5 kind of line. The wind was coming owe
the quarter, the best point of sailing 10
1 most of the British ships, and. going
a -
ing nearer to the enemy.
e An ominous yet magnificent: pictur'
S they must have presented to the, walt
= ing Conf1ans as they dove into an
through the huge seas, rocking and pltch
ing irresistibly onward. The odds,
s Der of ships the English outclassed hir
S by two. In. the weight of tonnage an
e gun power there was a greater Unequal
i ity and, what was more serious-nay, de
S cisiye-in the personnel of the two fleet
n a vast difference Still, with other thing
S equal, victories had been won. decisiv
Z victories. too. against sucn i,,a+o oau
= would not hesitate second t
t engage under such. circumstances II
: had been in de Contains place-and with
y out doubt he would have won too =. !:
Those weather beaten old monsters VIII
had clune to the blockade in the will
y weather Of the Bay of -Biscay We're han
died by men who knew their ships frol
- truck to keelson. from yard-arm to yard
= arm: men who could get out of them
" that mortal men could wrest from rope
= and canvas, and timber Some of de Cor
:, fans ships were manned by landsmel
!, and several Of them commanded by Off
4 GERS whose Stheoretical knowledge wa
o. greatly in excess of their practical exper!
ence. Strange as it may seem, many {
the time. <, '.--e
AS the English ships came nearer. ar
% parently rising in ever-increasing numbe
# and size out Of the gray west on that ra'
v morning, perhaps the heart Of the Frenc
a commander gave way. AT any rate.
d determined upon another plan. A schem
/, occurred-to him which was not lacking
n ingenuity and which presented som
q chances of success, although certainly
Il was not remarkable either for holiness {
d ! hardihood. q.
n The Bay of Quiberon is one OF the mos
IS DIFFICULT and dangerous of access in til
world. From Morbihand in Brittany
II long. narrow, rocky peninsula, Presqul
= de Quiberon, extends far to the soutf
er ward, and with Belleisle and the rock
lie islands Of Houat and Haedik encloses tt
greater part of the bay to which the pei
n insula gives name. Off the lower islam
'e Haedik, a series of dangerous reefs know
l. as the Cardinals, Les Petits ct Les Crane
TT Cardinaux, extends to the southeast, tt
81 only practicable channel leading into II
8; bay being by the side of these jagged net
dies of the sea. Close to the point
At Croisic, on the mainland to the eastwar
! there is narrow channel which is term
"a mated by the deadly reefs of LIE Flo,
le bank, large and treacherohs shoal.
IN Between the Cardinals and lie Fol
bank, for a distance Of several miles, e
4 tends the entrance to the bay This
further complicated by hidden shoals al
~ numerol1s reefs, upon which the rude ten