The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-12-30

Whefe ne went 10 sleep. But MS Sletp
was short, for soon after there sound.
| ed through the ship the bugle call to
/ quarters,
Going to The bridge, Or Bryce found
! those OF his brother officers not OF
stations inspecting through the ran.
squalls line OF long low, four'fun-
aaled craft about a mile ahead, the
most sinister and evil-appearing Of all
seagoing war craft, torpedo boat de.
stroyers.
Great guns,' exclaimed Mi Clark
son, az the surgeon reached his side
rs 1t possible that Finnegan had clair.
voyant knowledge that they were
there and tried to hit them? He said
that the big guns would shoot a long
way"
But he also said" answered the
doctor, with doubt and speculation in
his face, that torpedo boats couldn't
be hit. One thought as a sublimlnal
inspiration would annul the other
yet everything he's said or done
has relevancy except one. Why did
he fire that big gum
Because he was drunk" growled
the listening engineer.
The sea was heavy, running in two
directions; and not only the big bat
tleship, but the smaller, lighter and
faster craft ahead were tossed and
tumbled about in manner to make
accurate gun fire impossible. But
herein lay the difference and the prob
lem in hand. While the Argyll had
nothing but gun fire with which to
withstand those swift and elusive enc
mics. and was left helpless by its
elimination. they, on the contrary,
weakly endowed In this form of az
gressyeness. dominated the situation
by possession OF weapon of war un-
affected by the non.stability of gun
platforms,
There were four destroyers in sight
through the smother, each a uagni-
fed torpedo boat, able to take to the
sea- but carrying the usual pair OF
tubes and store of toroedoes.
The Argyll barked and spat with
her small and secondary guns, but not
an enemy was hit Not a gun could
be aimed in that furious turmoil Of
tossing water which hove the ship
down broadside to IS degrees and
pitched her fore and aft to 20. And
soon firing was stopped because it was
sheer waste OF ammunition Tho
officers uneasily paced the bridge
"Batteshps are bad gun-plat-
FORMS said Mr.. GARRISON significant.
~ to the surgeon, as for moment
their eyes met in passing
And big guns can't hit torpedo
boats. answered the surgeon when
they passed again,
But big guns shoot long way"
returned the executive, next time they
passed. What the devil did he
mean?"
Don't know. Wait-itll work out.
Tie meant something.
Here they comet" called the cap.
tain suddenly. Resume firing every
gun that will bear"
But the storm Of shot AID shell few
wild; and the rushing destroyers came
on. to half the distance. to a third in
a moment they would be within easy
torpedo range.
But before that moment arrived a
shout went up from a casemate. One
boat had been hit; for a cloud of
ctpa,n aroca and chic cut,re, g,,t Of bo,.
course. Then more shouts were heard;
two others stopped, one the center of
a radiating effulgence of red, which
changed to thick, yellow smoke, and
hid her fragments from view; the 9TH
or emitting steam like the first The
fourth wheeled about and fed, fol.
lowed by shot and shell which went
remarkably true compared with the
inaccuracy of the preceding fire.
The dazed and astonished officers on
the bridge, and the exulting crews at
the gun positions, did not until the
last of the quartet had settled beneath
the surface from the deadly accuracy
of the fire which ensued, realize that
the sea had calmed-that, though the
big ship still lifted and fell from the
action of the ground-sweIl, there were
no disturbing waves, no cross seas
no aim-destrOying heave. The troubled
ocean had become like plastic glass,
though the wind still held its hurri.
cane force and the air was filled with
horizontal rain and spindrift.
There was no time for speculation;
they had sunk but four destroyers.
with guns silent and crews at sta.
lions. they steamed on through the
storm. looking for that fifth long. low
craft, and soon, through a break in the
gray feceding wall Of spume into
which they seemed 10 be rushing. they
sighted her. quiet and inert but for her
rolling-a two-mssted craft.
with gaffs aloft and the red ensign Of
flying union down from her
mainmast head-a merchant steamer
IN distress.
The battleship slowed down and
lowered her boats. Before they were
well clear OF her side the listening Of.
6cers on the bridge heard the excla-
mstory words of the men that manned
them, telling OF oil--oil upon the oars.
oil upon the sea.
Yes" said the rescued steamer
skipper. as he told of his plight a little
later. shes tsnk-stesmer and was
doomed for the bottom anyhow when