The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1904-12-02
T6s Naseadl psk1ltkspcen
BEL All, Nc, DEC. ?. 1904


sEk Rlfi, NC, DE- u. =. 1904.
viuu>lr - llir G!trr:itvltiu:s$ L might
have hal The desire. effect. EUt ii
WAS now toa late. Advice and threats
WEE. .ili!:" Ih'nwu h;sci; with til" nj
most scorn ari contempt on" BIZ.
brawny Yankee Wiz WIS staining
near the opening OF the termination of
the officers last threat yelled ont:
"'"Crarl, away. my Iohnny. Ion
can maize killing 70 murder, but you
can't 50 casil. mend the shot holes i'll
your cables
ut will be remembered that We
were in the cable tier. the great coils
of ropc being slowed in the bottom Of
the compartment. leaving only 4 it'll"
room for the prisoners. If the marines
fired many of the cables would he ru-
ined, and the officers would be obliged
TO explain matters 10 the admiralty.
"."If he mcnds his manners he'll
have task enough without troubling
himself about cables" sail another
prisoner.
"'"Wait until you fall in with the
Constitution. and you will learn some
thing about firing"
""IIurrah for Old IronsideS.'
Three cheers for the gallant Per
rv."
MANY such expressions came from
tie prisoners, so the officer VS. com
p He'd to retire in discontinue. his re-
Inv
cheers.
IL expected unpleasant consequences
to follow Immediately after his leaving
the hatcEwny. rs indeed did all the
prisoners whose mad excitement left
them sense enough for Il sober thought.
Eur we We're not disturbed Tor the re-
maindcr Of that night. The singing
and shouting were kept w urtil day
break. not allowing the warlroom Off
cers Il moments rest. as they were sit
uated on tie deck Immediately above
us. We were told on the next day that
we would be provided for if We per-
sisted in disturbing the ships conlpa-
ny in their rest.
Nothing daunted by this threat
the prisoners began their singing on
the following night as before. The
songs and choruseS had gone on for
two hours Or more without any notice
being taken of our proceedings when
all ut once Il dozen shots OF the largest
size in the frisate (forty-four pounderSI
were let loose on the deck above us
and left free to roll with the motion of
the ship the lvelon@ night. Scantling
was so fixed on the deck as to contine
the area of their rolling to the space
directly over our heads.
LAS the shot passed from one side
to the other at each roll of the frigate
they caused Il low. harsh, thundcrlike
rumblinS. as deafening. rs dreadful
as and more horrible than the booming
of 10000 Chinese gon@s intermingled
with as many bell clapper>. Tl.Hy
were brought suddenly to IL StandStill
when coming to tie scantlin@ and with
jar and noise but little less than the
discharge of small artillery.
In this there was no variation. eX-
cept as they came in contact With each
other, when the sharp snap of the balls
meeting WIS enough 10 split tie brains
Of us who were underneath with tie
advantage OF the plinkS Immediately
above our heads 10 convey and ma@ni-
fy the rumb!ing noise as Il sounding
board il hundrcGfoid.
MANY OF us We're determined to
brave it out AMI let those Oh deck
know that they still had The same par
ty to deal with. Some str0ve hard 10
keep up the singing. but the power of
cold shot WAS greater. Some Jicrrcd.
laughed and jokcd, but the rolling
shot We're imperviOus to all sUcIl i'll
ducements to quit their noise. Som"
swore. ravei and cursed. but the shot
went boomfn" on stupidity, dead 10
every alluring Establishment Or imprr-
cation. Some halloaed. yelled and
whooped. On came the shot. daggc!ly
Indifferent to it all. Some clustered.
threatened and Stnrmed. Still rolled on
the shot as stoically Enconcern:d as il
it We're their legitimate employment.
Some sighed. groaneu and rUarp,!.
Rumble-de-bump went on the shot, ut
terly regardless of the throbl.inS ear
drums and twitching nerves of tie
sufferers below.
"'The singers. the iokers. the snecr
ers. the whoopers. the stOrmcrS and
the roarers one by one dropped off till
all i'll the cable tier were silence,l. FL
nally not one sound was TO lie heard
save that caused by those dull. heavy
messengers Of mortal anguish which
kept on rolling their unceaSing rounds.
thereby creating tormcnts fit only for
the damned. | have read somewhere
that the greatest physical punishment
yet put upon the human frame is that
of being placed in Il confined position
where water was slowly but constant
ly dripping. drop upon drop. upon the
bare head of the victim. But | am
sure the originator of this assertion
could never have been in the situation
we We're in that night, with those shot
rolling on the deck so close to our
heads that we could scarcely sit i'll an
upright position.
".Evpr after this IL we continued
orr songs later than 10 O'clock tho shot
were set rolling and ceased not Until
the songs We're huShfd. The shot were
an accompaniment neither agreeable
to the performers nor melting to til"
hearers and which we were glad to dis
pense with even at the expense of los
ing the reputation we had 50 fearless
~ earned by the display of our vocal
talent under the very thunder of Eng
lands heaviest armament whose deaf
ening roar was only equaled by its
never ceaSing roll. which slackeuel :lni
till her every opponent lay low in 81
lencc.' New York Tribune
No PremeditatiOn.
JuStice of peace-What do mean by
saving it was not premeditated. RaS-