Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-06-07
MASTERS OF MEN |
A Romance Of the
NEW NAVY |
BY MORGAN ROBERTSON
Ccpyrishted BY Curt, Publishing Co and Doub-ilsy j
Page n Co.. 1901
CHAPTER XLIII.

steam, and this meant full speed.
The ships were going QUITO fight
or run. Here was his opportunity,
and he was baked by the tide. He
pushed desperately, but the heavy
launch would not move, and in a
state bordering on insanity he paced
up and down the beach, until he
realized that the presence OF the
launch in the harbor was known, and
that his white duck suit made CON
spicuous mark against he dull green
OF the hill behind him. Then he hid
In the after cockpit and tried to COM
pose his nerves by grooming the en-
CINE.
An hour he waited. occasionally
peeping out at the squadron up the
bay, wondering why he was not
sought for by the launches that had
chased him In Then a slight tremor
in the boat aroused him TO a second
effort to launch her. This time, with
the help of the reversed engine, he
succeeded; the craft backed and
foated, but before he could shift the
helm 10 throw her around he felt
water on mis- feet and knew that
somewhere gaping hole had es-
capped his notice The water came
too fast for safety, and he saw, by
standing erect. that it came from I'M
derneath the forward deck, probably
on the starboard side OF the forefoot,
where he had not been able to see or
feel. He reversed the engine, heeled
the boat to port as it grounded. and
set desperately TO work.
He found the leak--the largest
hole of ala whole plank end car
ried away. There was a small saw in
the locker, and with its help he
robbed the cockpit Conbing of a sec
ton, and with strenuous effort
digging a hole in the sand for room
% WELD hammer-he covered the
lole. But It was a fat plank over a
,Oncave surface; there was caulking
10 be done, and over all was needed
canvas patch to protect 1t from the
wash When the Job was done, and
he stood erect dripping wet and faint
with hunger and fatigue, the sun
was high, and he saw the black ships
under way, just leaving their buoys.
His opportunity was being re-
duced to matter Of effort expended
and good intent; yet this was
enough, could he but beat that
squadron out to sea and make his
presence known. He sprang aboard,
backed the engine under a full head
90 4 IL
off. No more water came in. Steer
ing by the tller, he threw her
around and went ahead, rounding
Csracoles Point into the west chan
mel past Smith Cay. He chose this
route because, though he risked pos
sible small-arm fire from the inshore
side of Socapa Battery up on the hill
he would avoid the attention Of tho
mounted guns OF the Catalina Bat
terry on the east shore until he
rounded Puntilla, nearly abreast.
Thankful for the good fortune that
had given him access to Breen's
charts, he rushed the little craft
down the channel by memory OF
what tho charts had told him,
turned east toward Puntilla. and had
almost reached It, when a fusillade
began on the hilltop astern, and
shower OF bullets spattered the wa
ter. Suddenly he felt a singing pain
IN his left thigh, and an almost over
powering weakness came over him;
but, seated on the engineers stool,
he managed to keep his balance, and
soon the shock Of the impact left
him, though the singing pain and
the weakness remained.
The fusillade continued, and out
Of the corner Of his eye he saw men
from the Socapa Battery running
down the hill 10 intercept him when
he had rounded the point Some
paused to fire at him. and some who
remained behind worked at ma
chine guns, turning and training
them on the small gray floating
hearse with it's four dead and its
wounded driver. Soon these guns
belched their message. and larger
shot peppered the water around the
launch. And Dick, steering, wild,
barely able TO keep his seat. totally
unable to feed his fire and replenish
steam, yet heard distinctly over the
rattle of gun fire the sound of a
church bell behind him on Smith
Cay, calling the faithful few that
had remained on the island to Sun
day morning worship. But down on
the wharf OF the island men had COL
lscted with rifles, and bullet
through his left arm told him that
Christian brotherhood was elastic.
They we're trying to Kill him-these
men of his faith; and when they had
done so, they would probably heed
the bell. Seeing dimly as though a
fog had settled down on the water,
he rounded the dock at Caracoles
Point, and headed south, imme-
diately receiving the greeting Of the
Catalina Battery No shells were
sent. but solid shot, large and small
crashed and whistled around his
ears Far out to sea lay high
bowed battleship-the only craft OF
the American feet discernible be-
tween the Jaws of the channel
mouth. He strained his dimmed
eyes in the effort to focus and iden
tify her. and barely knew the Iowa
She lays bows on to him, silent and
inert. His thoughts we're hardly Co
herent now, but with time he would
have prayed for interference from
that Ouiet gray monster ont there