Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-13
CHAPTER ".
First BLOOD.

of ten knots She was under the command
of the senior officer in command of the
squadron Vice Admiral Sir Henry Stephen
son, and with her went the little gunboat
| Halcyon.
The mystery underlying the sudden jour-
ney of this couple was not difficult to un-
ravel. The truth was. the government was
greatly startled by the event of the morn
ing. The Majestic was, in reality, con-
voy to the Halcyon; the smaller vessel was
acting as dispatch boat to Malta, and the
battleshp was seeing her on her journey
till she was deemed to be out of danger of
molestation.
1t had come to that already.
At the government offices the words
| 'treachery' and war had risen to more
than one agitated lip. Europe, 1t was felt,
| was drifting. drifting-whither?
The task of the Halcyon was to warn the
governor of Malta. and TO order the mobi-
| lization of the Mediterranean feet near the
| straits of Gibraltar. 1t might be necessary
! at few hours notice to block the entrance
| of the Mediterranean; it might even be nee
essary to hurl back foreign invader from
| the shores of England, and the channel
| squadron was woefully limited in weight or
| metal
! During the day business In London came
| practically to a standstll. Wholesale with
! drawals of foreign securities were reported
| from the city. By 3 pm it was generally
/ known that military attache to the EN-
| bassy at Paris had arrived by private yacht
| with sealed dispatch from Sir e. J. Mon
| son, and had hurried to the foreign Office
| \ day of almost breathless tension reach
! ed its climax when, at . pm, Mr.. Curzoh
made the announcement to a full house
| that peaceful negotiations were still in
| progress with Russia, but that. late in the
| afternoon, Germany had made demands or
| England and China with respect to the
4 rnp nr1tl Ia nalnT nrin wv W
| land, as he might say at once would GER
| tainly be unable to comply.
| The next morning before break of day,
! England found herself geographically dis
| connected with the continent.
About this precise hour the Majestic,
| having her small companion some half a
| mile or more away on her Starboard quar-
! ter, was butting her way about S. by W.
| through a rough BiScay sea. 1t was cold
| and squaly morning, still dark, though a
| chill hint of day now mingled bleakly with
| the east. The sea was handling both ships
| rudely, and the Majestic's pon6erous lurch-
| ing through some six seven degrees
! brought the acrid green sea washing about
| the base of her forward barbette, while
/ from the bows of the Halcyon it went hiss
| Ing aft In continuous rain of spray.
| 1t was just after five bells in the morn
| ing watch, at an hour when the gloomy
| gray of the morning had lightened little,
| that the lookout man of the Majestic re-
| ported big ship astern steaming leisurely
south about seven miles away. The rate
of the Majestic was ten knots that of the
stranger about six; but Immediately after
her coming into sight, black cloud of
redundant smoke revealed the strangers
VIII to improve her pace.
That she had been lurking about with
some object of search was clear. That she
was now getting up steam seemed to indi-
cate, II anything, that she had found what
she was looking for.
In few minutes 1t was made out that
| she was lie Gloire, French battleship of
jestic.
La Gloire's cloud of smoke was prefnatnre
1T occasloned suspicion of her 1nptf$ena
! The first thing which Sir Henry StephenS6H
did was to order the Halcyon by trs,nn31
call to steam at full speed S. W. dis -
of six miles. The Halcyon. at all evesftStaa
had to be kept out of danger
Yet he could hardly have expressed his
reason for giving this order Was any one
at war with any one? He was ignorant
of the fact, If so.
He was not long in doubt La Gloire.
even while getting up steam, had prcked
OH her course three points to starboard. 1t
seemed as If she was about TO give chase
to the Halcyon.
What! Are we in for fight, then. cap
tain? said the vice admiral with smile
! OF surprise, and puckered brow.
1t almost looks like it, certainly re-
| piled Fleet Captain Hardy
Wen, come now, we shall see" said the
! vice admiral.
BY this time La Gloire had NOT only boYct
!
/ ed her colors, but had extra colors on nasts
! ana stays, The Majestic wore the ordinary
! single ensign
| Capt. Hardy had ordered steam for fun
! speed Inc next moment the Majestic
swung round to starboard about six noints
! Sae was still ahead of La Gloire At her
I present course and speed she would inter
pose between the English gunboat and tbe
French ship. '-0
For quite half an hour the two ships con-
tiiutd 10 approach each other slowly and
oDHqueiy, having started from a separating
interval of about five miles On this co,,rse
the sea was more aft and the rolling on5
suilen piunging of the ships less marked
oH BOARD the Majestic, meanwhile, all
was busting action. Decks We're cleared.
magazines were opened, ammunition and
projectiles got out; water-tjgbt doors 80
drear twilight mn anu
me real object of La Gloire was to
intercept and capture any dispatcb boot
from the channel which might attenont -
take intelligence through the strai+s
Inc sending out of the battleship W. tn such
@h opJeet was however a breach of inter
national law, and an act of treachary. -
no one had declared war against En,ia, 10
though declarations of hostilities were OIL
reaoy IN the bureaux of more than one OF
the ambassadors al London "a
That the dispatch boat should he 49,
voyed, and by first-class battleshin wns
unexpected La Gloire found herself rbacI,
mated. There before her Law her nriza. hn+
netWeen hef and 1t was the thunder and
] lightning of England anu
But, though checkmated she shovad NO
| intention of being checked. She kept on her
way with rising speed. The two shins in
mallen silence, like two red-eyed planets
rushing TO jarring combat drew nearer
When their speed had increased to thirteen
Knots, they were about two miles anart
Decks on both were cleared, collision mats
were ready. preparations We're made for rig
ging torpedo nets in an emergency. Nearer
n hoy lyax.
| limbs oiled for battle; and the bleak and
raw seawind of the dawning made hoarse
sounds above their tunnels
But one of the ships was still in Doubt
whether there was to be fighting and. II
so. why There was a brief consuItation
on board the Majestic, and then she sig
nailed: 80
Are we combatantS?'
There was no reply.
To this silence the Majestic sent aIopt
| the answer
Trafalgar.
And now the baleful silence recommended
Both commanders had stationed themselves
In their coming towers On either shin NOT
soul was TO be made out by the glasses
save the crews of the quick firing guns on
the hurricane decks and of the machine
guns on the tops. BY five minutes past
seven the feet engineer of the Majestic an
nounced that he had steam enough to drive
the vessel at her utmost trial sDee5