Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-30
oHApTER xxI-tcontlnuedl.

| TARVIN had mustered all hands. found
| VI the deck was alive with hurrylng shapes
there were calls and the rattle of steel,
and dull, heavy thumpings on the planks
peered over the side for short while,
| but saw nothing beyond brief stretch OF
| slate-colored foam near the Clymene's water
| line; then struggled of and CROPPED my way
to the after twelve-pounder.
The men were loading the weapon, and
laughing and joking. I watched with a
sort of fascination, a little awed by these
warike preparations As for the men,
they seemed to take 1t for granted that we
| we're to fight for our liberty. II II came to
pinch; nor did they impress me as at
| all averse to the prospect of open war.
| dare say they were old hands at such
scenes; for they took Il in a way that
compelled admiration. only one or two
and these the younger men, plainly unsea-
soned-t found casting furtive glances over
the rail, with pallld faces and strained
lips as though momentarily expectant OF
the apparltion of the Asp or the scream
Of a shell.
These won my sympathy I myself was
not happy
Amidship. Garvin was instructing
cluster OF men about the torpedo tube He,
too seemed to take 1t for certainty that
there would be fighting; for he was very
particular, and left nothing essential un-
explalned-or 30 1t seemed to me.
Shortly after he went aft to tho other
tube and started to instruct its crew also.
fingered a moment, then turned nervously
away. AS did So there came hail from
the lookout-a frenzed screech:
ship ahoy! Dead ahead! Port-port
fr yer llfe!"
1 grasped at the intelligence that another
vessel was lying across our bows, and found
myself stumbling forward headong upon
the slippery deck, my heart in my mouth.
frantic chorus of shrieks. cries, oaths
nuna lAI f-Ntr ,lra
hither and thither, for the moment, aim
lessly-I thought. I blundered Into one or
two and caromed Off before reaching my
objective polnt-the bows. hasty glance
backward toward the wheel showed me
scene of utter confusion, made chaotic to
the eye by the swlrllng reefs of fog that
hung family luminous. over u.s. magnifying
all things.
But ahead-and so near that my heart
seemed to stop entirely for the instant
there loomed the shape of vessel, 50
placed, I thought. that we were surely
doomed to ram her amldships; as big as
mountain, to my excited vision-bulking
huge and unevadable above us, riding the
waves heavily, as with conscious weight
and power.
As in a dream, I saw her long, slaty
sides draw near us-so near that fanced
1 could have touched her with an oar.
1 her open portfolios, tho cluster OF
white faces with protruding eyes that
sliding past grim and menacing. even
heard the roar of commands and impreca-
tions that seemed, in way, to hover over
her-and dmly, subconsciously, L recog-
nized the words and oaths as German, even
as l got n fugitive impression that the
faces that for an instant glared into mine,
then were lost, were of Teutonic cast.
For q fall minute, that fingered like an
age collision appeared inevitable. believe
that stopped breathing; 1 know that 1
clutched the rail SO fiercely that my hands
ached with the strain of 1t afterward.
But as it passed, the stern OF the ship
was for an instant large before my eyes.
saw, and consciously at the time regis
tered her name, sprawled large-Vistula.
You may lat gh If you will, but I'll swear
that the name, somehow, struck cold chill
into my very yitals. / don't know why this
was so but l distinctly recall clinging to
the rail and shuddering, my gaze fixed as
If fascinated on the spot where the word
had appeared. ..-
And then n strange and terrible thing
happened-strange and terrible at least to
us. to whom it came utterly without
warning.
The ship had vanished completely: my
self was just recovering from the shock; our
decks were quieting, order was being re-
stored.
Suddenly the fog was split as IL by
sword of flame; column of ruddy orange
fire stabbed out from it-from the place |
where the Vistula had been, deafenIng
roar filed my ears, like clap of heavy |
thunder. And the bolt fell upon our decks |
A ventllator seemed to rise bodily into the |
air. as though snatched from its supports by |
some invisible. giant hand; 1t hung sus-
pended, quIvering. before my astonished WIS., |
ion. then abruptly seemed to fall apart. |
spllntered into atoms of metal.
simultaneously 1 saw a deep furrow ap-
pear. as though turned up by giant plow, |
across the deck A considerable portion OF |
the port rail disappeared as If by magic. |
with a tremendous tearing and ripping |
sound
There followed an instant's silence on the
part OF the crew-a silence of profound
amazement wherein our minds strove vain
ly to grapple with the slckening truth. In
IT., a rain of splinters and bits of iron be-
gan to fall upon the decks; and 1t was