The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-11-27
) THE GRIP J
/ OF HONOR )
s Cyrus OosUnSend Brady,
In
3 coeyr@b1 By CHARLES scRIBwERs SONS
Cyrus 6os0nSend Brad,
cooyrss. By CHARLES scRIBwER:s SONS S


and it was rising. The prisoners be-
low were in wild state of terror. I'm
precautions. curses, appeals, had come
up through the gratings over the
hatchway, 10 which the young man
had turned deaf ear.
To the other dangers of the battle,
fire now added its devastating touch.
In fact, both ships were aflame in sew
eral places. The burning gun wads
had lodged in the chains and other in
fammable positions. and writhing,
tossing, serpentlike torches threw
their hot light over the scene of ter
ror. AS the smoke drifted down the
hatchway the prisoners in the hold
could stand it no longer. There was
a sudden rush below toward the open
ing. The gratings were splintered and
broken by the thrust of piece of tim
Der. \ head or two appeared in the
clear. Hands clutched at the comb
ings
Back shouted Payne, trying to
steady his boyish voice
"Nov' shouted the first prisoner furi-
ously. clutching desperately at the
combing. while he was being lifted up
in the arms of the men below Dye
think wen stay here and be drowned
like rats in a hole:"
With white lips and Il sinking heart
the boy thrust his pistol full into the
mans face, and with Il trembling fin
ger pulled the trigger. He did the like
IN tho with iy.4C
To seize the musket of a dead marine
and point it at the third was the worl;
of a second. Awed by this resolution
and the promptitude of his action the
other prisoners fell back for the time
The sweat stood out on the forehead
of the young midshipman. He had
shot a man-two men-in cold blood
It seemed like murder But he had
done his duty. The words Of the cap
tain rang in his ear: Keep them
down.
1t was hot on the berth deck. The
smoke poured in thick, suffocating
clouds between decks. The wavering
reflections from the flames on every
side accehtuated the horror. Bands
of men fitted by ghostlike here and
there, with buckets of water striving
to fight the flames. Lances of light
leaped across the deck from the pro-
tr1ding muzzleS of the guns on the
Scraps. piercing the gloomy darkness
with angry flashes. Bullets. grape,
splinters of timber, solid shot, bits of
torn humanity, whistled past his head.
He was wild, crazy. The hugeness Of
the tragedy about him oppressed him
direfully. There was weight in his
bitter, acrid taste of the burned pow
der was in his mouth. The sickening
smell of reeking blood pervaded his
being. He longed to throw down his
weapon and fy-any where, to get a
respite from the internal demand upon
him. But he was sailor, the son of
a race of fighters. He held on. The
deep roar of the guns above him told
him that the battle was still going on.
Suddenly out Of the smoke appeared
the burly form of the carpenter,
wounded, blotched with red and gray.
leaping forward, crying in terror
stricken accents:
"We're sinking. We're sinking! Four
feet of water in the hold"
The gunner and his mates, apparent
~ equally terrified, came running
from the magazines as they caught the
contagion of the moment. They sprang
to the gun deck and thence to the
spar 0ecK, repeating Cne carpenter
cry: Were sinking! We're sinking
Quarter! Quarter
1--WE must release the prisoners!'
cried the master at arms, turning to-
ward the little officer.
Not while | livep said Payne reso-
lutely, all his courage coming back to
him in a moment.
''The ship is sinking. The battle is
lost Make way" returned the burly
master at arms, springing toward the
hatchway.
Back cried the midshipman fierce.
ly, pointing his musket at him. The
boys blood was up now. Here they
stay, and here we stay! The orders
of the captain
He never finished his words. A grape
shot struck him fair in the forehead
The master at arms tore open the
/ hatch cover
"On deckv' he cried. The ship is
sinking!'
In panic terror, crowding and tram
ping upon each other like a mob OF
wild beasts, the maddened prisoners
scrambled up the hatchway and, yell
ing like animals, ran pellmell for the
gun deck The body of the brave mid
shipman was spurned crashed and
broken beneath their feet as they ran