Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-28

Mason bidding him come for the girl,
recommending her TO his strict surveillance,
and making certain monetary provisions
for her future.
He then dispatched four kilograms; One
to Portsmouth, announcing his coming; one
TO the admiralty; third to a DR.. Fletcher
of Harley street, in these words: Send ar
once the things promised to me on board
Hirosaki;" the fourth to one Henrik Born
son. a Norwegian, living in Parliament
street, Westminster, in these words: Hope
you will not fail to be with me by noon.
He himself made his way without delay
to Brighton, and thence onward by the
coast to Portsmouth. arriving there shortly
before IL.
Looking abroad from the Hard, the Cum
ber the quays of Portsea. the whole har-
Dor seemed mere endless tangle of masts
and rigging.
BY this time the four thousand gentle
men who formed Hardy's army of blue
jackets were distributed among the nine
new-arrived ships of war the rank and
file partly furnishing their own former Off
GERS. and being partly officered by the rem
nants of the regular service.
The entire still-living crew OF the Iphi-
genia-the Hundred and Eighty were
borne In the Hirosaki, flagship.
We have not spoken of the doings of this
gallant cohort subsequent to their departure
from far eastern waters.
They had found at Hongkong some coal
ships which they loaded, and brought for
ward in their wake. Again they had stop
ped at Singapore, and doubling the Cape,
steamed by night, near by the African
coast, through the Straits of Gibraltar;
the garrison the Rock. at loss as to
their ideltity, concluding that they must
be italian.
They were well provisioned In proportion
to their number, and well coaled; so, pass
ing south of Sardinia, they steered north
ward TO NJ. Dumas un:nhabited island of
Monte Christie (Which Is some twenty-five
miles distant from the nearest land), pre-
pared for a lengthy stay, there being two
or three coyes and bays affording very
good anchoragee
The steam pinnaee of the Iphigenia car
RED a small quck-fring gun mounted on
a pedestal forard; and Hardy, on leaving
his men, gave instruction that any craft
which might come near enough to sight
the fleet should be chased by the pinnaee,
and If not captured, sunk AS a matter
of fact only three small Corsican crafts
were captured, and their crews retained at
the island.
and at lie a EIbe contrived to make terms
with the padrone of the Maltese Speronare
in which he reached England.
The Conrad he left behind, In order 10
serve as a dispatch boat.
Here, then, during some weeks, renamed
the Hundred and Eighty under the lazy
Italian sky shooting goats, and looking TO
their ships and guns. The Japanese whom
they had with them they retained tui the
end of their stay.
At last, with glad hurrahs, they saw the
ship, flying the agreed flags, which came
to recall them; and on the hlth morning
were at Portsmouth.
If 1t was true, as Hardy maintained, that
1t was men and not ships which fought a
battle the ships being only the tools of the
men, then the Hirosaki was now great
| fighter. She was CALAMITY manned.
In addition to this, she was wonderful
tooi-the largest effective tonnaged ship
that had ever been launched anywhere; the
latest and most exquisite product OF the
Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Com
pany.
But with the fleet which we may call
British collected at Portsmouth the re-
sources of Europe were not wholly exhaust
ed Among them. arrived during the night,
were four ram-crufserS, large corvette,
two ram-monitors and five torpedo gun
vessels from the Netherlands the re-
mainder of Hollands armament having
been caught by the Japanese, or being with
her East Indian navy; there were also
three small Norwegian terpedo-vessels;
also, the first question asked by Hardy at
Portsmouth was this: mo sign yet Of the
Spaniards?" There was none-the reason
being that, as the entire home navy of
Spain left her by America lay at anchor
tuguese, they had been attacked by Jap
anese cruiser-squadron. Not one escaped
without damage.
SO rapid had been the course Of events.
that no ships from across the Atlantic had
vet arrived. 1t was not until half past
eleven that a great cheer was heard raving
vaguely on the ships assembled In the port,
and at once II spread up the harbor. re-
echoing with universal reclamation. Three
fast cruisers. flying the stars and stripes,
had arrived. They brought the news that
the whole American navy was on the way
but at distance behind which made it GER
tain that they would be late for the battle.
However. as the Portsmouth force passed