The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-03-15

| westward, AS the last VSSS0l wa
about to get under way, the Franklin
gig, with Adams in the stern-sheets
wearing a battered old lieutenant
uniform, pulled over to the gangway
| The inventor had a short interview
with the Captain on the f1yingbridgt
and left that gallant officer shoulder
), ing with wrath t'I told them
wouldn't have any f1imsy little torped
boats tagging around after me an
breaking down in squads. so they'v,
sent that pollywog of an experiment
instead
whats the matter, STRIP asket
Bowers, with a suppressed grin.
"Oh, they've commissioned Adams
and sent that Flying Dutchman of hi
after me for a tender growled thu
"Old Man" HE says she can make
forty knots. Forty knots! I'll bet las
years pay she don't do ten.''
Anchors in sight, SIR reported the
officer of the deck.
Very well. sir; get under way
The indicator sounded, and th'
splendid vessel forged ahead. On she
went through the long lines of parti
colored cruisers, past the picturesque
summit of Alcatraz and the crumblins
ruins of the quaint old forts. She
/ pointed straight at the setting sun thai
fingered tenderly on her trailing ban
er and mellowed the haze about the
tawny headlands of the Golden Gate
And just astern of her, with the fexi.
Bile tube wagging ridiculously--for al
the world, as Bowers said, like the
horns of a catfish-the little Franklin
came Topping comfortably along in her
wake.
The cruisers new engines gave hel
an easy twenty knots under natural
draught and when she cleared the land
and began to push along with acceler-
ated way all eyes were turned curl
ously toward the Franklin. The little
craft, however, bore up comfortable
enough until early morning on the
third day out, when she began to fall
astern, and a group of flags futtered
up to her signal yard-arm.
what is it now?" asked the Cap
tain, pausing in his constitutional on
!, the quarter deck.
Says his engine is broke down, SIR
sang out the signal quartermaster.
'Of course roared the .'Old Man.
I'm a floating patent office and ma
chineshop he's mistaken
axes permission to heave to and
make repairs, sor," continued the quar-
termaster, stepping aft.
He has permission to go wherever
he pleases,'' growled the skipper, sctto
voce.
"Says he needs no assistance, and
can overtake us in two hours, Cap
tain said the signal-officer, watching
the changing flags astern.
very good. Tell him that IL he
hasn't got us in sight by noon to re-
turn to port. And, by-the-way," added
the skipper, with a malicious twinkle,
''just give my compliments to the en-
gineer and tell him to fire up"
A rising hum from below told of in
creased revolutions, and by one bell
in the forenoon watch the blank hori-
zon showed no trace of human exis-
tence. AS the bell struck three, how
ever. a hail came from the 1ookouts in
the forward military tops.
Smoke o." they shouted together.
1.-TWO p'ints on the starboard bowl
Messenger, call the Captain!" sang
out Bowers, who had the deck.
Clear for action!" called the exec
utive. popping out of the wardroom
hatch like a jack-in-the-b box.
'How's she heading?" asked the
Captain two minutes later, as he
reached the forward bridge and leveled
his glass.
Right for US, SIR responded one of
the Iookouts, in a clear tenor.
BEAT to quarters snapped the
skipper, and the bustling multitude on
deck melted away and resolved itself
into silent groups at the sharp clangor
of the gong and the shrilling of the
boatswain's pipe.
''Can you make out her. colors?''
mot Yet, SIR came a deep bass
from aloft.
A brief interval of silence, broken
only by an occasional thud as
hasti1y-donned garment was kicked
into obscurity.
Her hellum's a-port!" rang out the
tenor.
"A ram bowl sang the bass.
An a turret for'a'd!" screamed the
An japanese colors!" roared the
bass.
A smothered cheer rose as the order,
Cast loose and provided" was heard
sepulchrally from between
decks.
The stranger was now in plain sight |
from the bridge.
Its the Fujiyama, sir" said Bow /
ers, poking his head through the man !
hole in the forward turret, where his
gun crews were at quarters.
$50 I see,' said the Captain. But
what does he mean? By George, be-
Iieve the beggar's trying to give US
the slip! Signal the engine-room to
give her all she'll stand"
The enemy had swung completely |
round to starb6ard, and the increased :
volume of black smoke from her fun /.
lels showed that she was piling on |
coal.
Twelve thousand yards" signalled j.
he range-finders in the tops.
'Try an eight-inch. Bowers called
he Captain.
CAV. ay. sir" and that officer skip
bed toyously back into his grimy hole. :
4 fash and a roar followed, and the
+1H al o.