Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-09-24
tunity he had prayed for was granted.

tunity he had prayed for was granted
him.
Hes coming!" cried Grafton to the
men Of his staff, es he saw the move
ment. ITO the batteries, gentlemen!
Tell them to be ready By Heaven,
he's opening his main-deck ports In
such a sea! Well not be outdone by
him. And his Is the greater risk.
Have our main batteries scaled"
He welcomed the attack with fierce
pleasure; the distraction of action
alone saved him from breaking his
heart A short space of water and
two wooden walls separated him from
his W1fe-so little, yet the water was
dashed into mad turbulence by the
tempest, and the wooden walls were
pierced by 100 guns ready to sweep
him from the sea. Yet he would have
her!
Both ships were, of course, heeled
to the wind, but LIE These, being to
WlndWard, was forced to fight her lee
battery; and the main-deck ports, as
she lay over under the furious gale,
waters splashed and riptled over the
port-sills with every roll. 1t was reck-
less trifiing with the deadliest OF
perils, but that he could do SO indi-
Gated the emotions animating the soul
of the French captain. Grafton, be-
ing to leeward, fought his windward
guns, and the inclination of the ship
ho%t -
tie farther above the water. Still, his
own position was also dangerous in the
extreme.
Hawke had opened his main-deck
ports, but 1t was in the stiller waters
OF the bay that he had done so. Graf
ton and de Kersaint were yet off the
Cardinals, the very toughest, stormiest
position in the melee taking place all
| about them. Their action was mad
ness; yet, if the French1nan did 1t in
his overwhelming desire to crush the
man who had stolen his bride, and
| now rolled along under his lee, the
Englishman could do no less than meet
him.
simultaneously the two broadsides
roared out. Again and again, as the
ships swept on, they poured a torrent
of destruction upon each other from
every gun that bore, The firing upon
both sides was fast and furious, but
the English, with the advantage of
the weather battery, proved the better
sunners. Many of the shot from the
| French ship struck the water and
glanced over the English ship, but the
steady broadside from the Torbay
made deadly havoc on the magnifi-
cent French liner Yet her offensive
| powers seemed undiminished, and she
Tough. on, The Torbay, too, soon be-
gan to show evidences of the terrific
pounding she was receiving. Both
ships were filled with dead and wound
ed men and were much cut up allow
and aloft.
Grafton fought to win his wife, to
serve his country, to avenge the shat
tering of the little Boxer five years
before, and with no bitterness in his
heart. De Kersaint fought not only
for the honor of France, but with a
jealous rage in his heart to kill the
man who stood between him and his
hopes. Neither would be denied.
They drew nearer to each other De
Kersaint resolved to resort to a coup
de main. Grafton also at last made
up his mind that he would have to
carry the opposing ship by boarding,
which was quite in consonance with
his desire He had even gone so far
as to call his boarders away, when
sudden squall struck the two ships.
/ For the moment the wind blew hur-
! ricane.
The two vessels heeled suddenly un-
der the terrific impact, going over and
over under the irresistible pressure
until they lay almost upon their
beam-ends. De Kersaint put the helm
of lie These hard down at once. But
she did not respond. The water
rushed in her open ports. She began
to settle like stone. Fighting slowly
as she went down. The Torbay was
scarcely in better condition. On the
return roll to windward the water be-
gan to rush in her main-deck ports
also.
"Close the main-deck ports!" shout
ed Grafton, as he saw the French ship
going SO fast, his first impulse being
to save his own ship. Lively, fol-
Gods sake!" The peril Of the ship
was reflected in his voice.
The men below sprang to the port.
shutters, and in spite of the fact that
the water was already sweeping in
by superhuman efforts they got them
closed, but not until the ship had
been half filled. She lay like sodden
log in the waves, six feet of water in
| the hold. The gun fire had ceased in
stantly.
Meantime, what of LIE These?
Grafton stood in the Gardening even
ing on the rail of his own ship and
stared at his rival. She was sinking
in silence. No human power could
keep her af1oat. Before his eyes the
water was streaming through the open