Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-17
BY vi. P. SHIEL,

Copyright, 1899, by R. F. Fenno %,

pared row fer any resp snsihiiity MS
soul recognized and Bcknow lodged itself
and his eyes were bright. lie was q hero.
As other mon discover theories and apply
them to f3cts. 50 he on contact with faCts.
evolved theories. lie had formed a plan
~ the battle
He ran up to the Auson-s side with ALAG
rity. And is bO was hUriedly met ay
Reresford, hs hUrriedly said
These people VIII have nothing 60 do
with peace. my lord. Tie tling now is to
beat them"
y heartily agree. Mr. Hmdy Am u
Understand that, having seen their dispose
u9n' you are prepared to take over the
L am willing. my lord"
Good. And have you come to tell me
no came 10 save You a Journey 20
my ship l was already abroad from
nine What I want ia meeting or all
CAPTAINS and commanders in your ward
room Al once. But IL must he at once"
Beresfcrd instantly turned and sent q
MILDLY packing with the order; the flags
climbed up, and a ROtlla OF forty-thTee
space Of sea.
They were soon on board and gathered
in the wardrcom- Reresford half RISING
from his chair said: Mr.. Hardy will speak
On my behalf and on his own gentlemen,
and sat down again.
Every one of those assembled eyes rested
critically upon Hardy as he rose, he in his
oil-sllns, they all I'm uniform. prepared 10
t'N-' JA'sAA'NisN NfN's 'tt't4 ~" 'N'''''t@f az
general, as man.
Would he rot hesitate or blush. or strut
or stammer? Would he not show himself
blatant, or tmoFous, or crude. or uniniu-
ated?
They none Of them felt absolutely sure OF
him. Only Hardy felt absolutely sure ~
himself standing on fact He rose with
the self-assurauce ana sell-unconsciodsaes
Of Cromwell. foHr-sauare 70 his place ami
his hour.
This Is what he said:
We have not much time fer talk, gentle
men, as the enemy must now he approach
ing US at the ate of eight or ten knots. and
I do not want them to come too near before
I tell you what I think. Lord Charles
Beresford has calculated that they out
weigh us by three to enc. and that l. Just
about the truth Now | am not at all sure
that YOU viii all absolutely agree with what
| am going 70 say about that; but. person
ally. am quite certain of my ground. They
are three, | say, and we are one. Well, sup
pose three men aftaci. me in the street.
what would be the best thing. and what
would be the worst. which I could do2 The
best thing ] could do would be to set my
back against a wall, face them. and Try 90
drive away . them: the worst thing wnGid
he TO get in the middle of a triangle formed
by them. We agree, of course, as TO that.
and hence the horror which all military
people have of the phrase between Two
fires But surely. gentlemen. with ship It
is different on land you must not be too
bold, for then you become rash but on
the rasher you the better the chance
you have Why. let me ask you. ought I
to try to get my back against a wall j.
three men attack me in the street? There
Is no other reason than this: that I have
only got one face and two hands. If / had
three faces and six hands the hest thing |
could do would be to get in the middle ~
them and try to finish them all OF before
any two could attack me in one quarter.
Now ship has four faces-a bow a stern
and two sides-and under each of these
gallant number of hands. believe now.
what ever the books on naval tactics may
say, that you will be on my side in this ma T.
ter; for one OF course. must not go by
books, where so much is at stake.
But do wish to convince you quite fully.
Let me point out to You, then, what you
know, that the modern battleship. as die
tinct from the old-time ones, is a far more
potent thing as an attacking than as self
defensive machine The Camperdown RAM
med the Victoria as they were playing
about together, and down. with hardly "A
sigh. went the Vivtoria like lead. If YOU
were to armor a battleship to resist the at
tack of Hilton gun, that ship would sink
without troubling any to fire the gun
of. And what does this prove? 1t proves
that II three ships attack one the best thing
which that one can do is to turn three faces
simultaneously to those three ships and
batter away at them with her hundred
hands, making sure that not one but four
ships will have disappeared when the smoke
clears. In other words, the one ship must
get in the middle of the three. 1t is a ques-
ton of time.
''Of course, gentlemen. If ship could foat
with only one side, then ii would be of great
Importance for her to avoid getting between
two fires. But when one side is broken both
sides sink. and 1t is of no consequence
whether or not the other side is broken. too:
while it is of consequence that that other
side should, before it sinks. DE sinking an
enemys ship. 1t is a question OF time.
Il hope | make myself clear. | am led 10
express these thoughts to you because they
have just been passing most wildly through
my own head; and they have been doing so
in consequence of the sight l have had OF
the enemy's feet.
The arrangement Of that fleet YOU al