The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1909-05-12

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EMM

ened; but 1t was futile, and. reading
their doom, they waited their turn. It
was not long in coming; for now by
twos and threes they were torn from
the ocean and lifted aloft. The col
Tiers were the last to succumb. and
their crews, realizing that the hulls
alone would come in contact with the
implacable demons above, ran scream
Ing below decks to continue their sup
plications to the deaf gods who had
deserted them.
From the thick glass of his port the
admiral looked down upon his con-
quered foemen and watched the pre-
cision with which his orders were be-
Ing obeyed. Each time a victim was
seized he shouted: "Three's done her
work." or Good boy, Seven! You've
got him." and so on enumerating each
success.
Some movement on the deck of the
tion. His brows came together again
In a fierce scowl. Stand by the mag
net levers, Miss Norma" he COM
manded, because Of these fellows be-
low mean to show the least resistance
whatever. we'll drop 'em!"
She had been standing serenely In
her hood, her head thrown back, revel-
ing in the glories of triumph. When
the fate of the battle had hung upon
her performance, and when her own
life was threatened. she had thrown
herself body and soul into the fray,
wide eyed. unresistant, and without a
tremor; but now, at the thought of be-
ing the executioner of perhaps a thou.
sand men. her face blanched, her
limbs trembled, and her hands forgot
their task and clasped together in I'M
ploration. She was the woman again.
ready to plead for the lives of those
she had conquered.
my God! You wouldn't do that,
would you?" she said.
The old gladiator of the sea turned
upon her fiercely. DO it? Do it? I'd
drop them to hell as quick as I would
to the bottom of the Pacific II they
show fight" he responded. We're
out here to teach lesson. and they
deserve all that's coming to 'em! War
is no child's game" he concluded grim
ly. and the first ship that wants
trouble goes down like a thunder.
bolt"
AS II to emphasize his remark. he
sprang to the signal box and issued
this sanguinary order to every radio
plane in the feet, while Norma. faint
and sick at heart, shut her teeth and
with a look of inexpressible pain
turned back to her levers.
But she was spared this dreadful
work. The japanese officers and men
had learned the absolute futility of re-
sistance, and doubted the efficacy of
appeal! Their one hope for life now
rested in the humanity and leniency
of those who held them in thrall.
It took no long chain of reasoning
to conclude that an enemy who could
pluck them from the seas and without
visible effort lift them more than a
mile high could as readily release his
hold and send them to destruction
with meteorlike speed. Even were it
possible to destroy those monsters
which clutched them, to do so would
be standardization.
They were ignored. cut OF from
those above. and divorced from the
waters beneath as II they we're crea-
lures of no importance, to be treated
like mere troublesome insects, exter.
minated or spared as their captor's
within might dictate. The glory of an
easy conquest in the Philippines. the
boastings which had followed the sub.
jugation of Hawaii. the pomp and cir.
cumstance of previous conquests-all
were obliterated. all erased from the
scroll of valorous deeds by an action
which had lasted less than an hour.
And now. like beaten legionaries
chained to the victor's car. they were
being carried away toward the rising
sun and an unkn0wa fate.
(TO BE COr;TINUED.)