The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-09-30
CHAPTER X.

vessel and the Carthage are replying"
CHAPTER x.
The Lure.
n OBJ WENDELL gazed at the tops
II OF the three great ships through
II his glass. The late afternoon
sun shone down upon the sea.
Visibility, for the time of the day, was
at its best. The sunlight showed the up
per works of the enemy's ships in
clear, sharp silhouette to the Ameri-
cans, while to the men on the Carthage
and the Peras the Arizona and Penn
sylvania must appear to be steaming
down dazzling lane Of light. The sun
must be directly in the eyes of the
enemy's fire control spoilers, their sight
settlers and turret trainers and gun
pointers. 1t was impossible to think
that the enemy had chosen such a po-
sition to offer battle; it was impossible
to think that that force Of the enemy
had come to offer battle at all. Their
three broadsides did not equal the
broadsides of the Arizona and the
Pennsylvania; armor protection was all
in favor of the dreadnaughts; speed,
and speed alone-an advantage of
seven or nine knots-adhered to the
enemy. They had come trusting to
that to save them when the American
ships should draw near enough to
threaten them; they had appeared, not
to offer battle, but to lure the slower
American ships out.
'They're the cruisers which have
been coming down our asst" Ross
said to Wendell. They've sunk four
vessels and put the passengers and
crews In small boats in that sea to
row ashore, and they've been Smelling
everything in sight; they shelled the
hotels at
Bob nodded; he had heard. Those
ships out there had bombarded help
less cities, murdered men, women and
children in little coast villages to at
tain the very end they now were
gaining-to force the American battle
ships to come out. After slaughtering
and destroying all day they had show
ed themselves-a weaker, inferior force
before the bay, where the division
of the newest and most powerful ships
of the American feet lay cleared for
action. Their spies undoubtedly had
relayedsto their commanders by wire
less that the word had come from
Washington for the Americans to
move to the protection of the seaboard.
The enemy knew that, whether the
American commanders wished it or
not, the American battleships must
come out.
They're trying to draw us upon
mines, Of course" said Ross.
"Or upon submarines"
"Well, If they're playing that game
they'll find two at 1t, perhaps. Six of
our submarines went out submerged
a couple of hours ago. They're wait
ing of to the south. That's why the
Pennsylvania pretending to wait for
us. We're giving the subs time to get
placed"
They're starting to withdraw to the
SOUTH" Wendell said, his hands
clinching tight as the forward gun of
the Pennsylvania roared again. The
enemy's ships indeed were definitely
moving off. but not so swiftly as to
at once discourage pursuit. They re.
NAMED just beyond or just at the limit
of extreme range at which main bat
terry guns might hit, and as the Car
thage and the two Peras withdrew
shells from their turrets continued to
squirt up spray before the Pennsylva-
mia.
That ship forced ahead faster, and
now Bob Wendell felt the Arizona's
deck vibrating with the tremor of tur.
bines pushed "full speed ahead" The
bow wave piled up in a white crest,
which splashed up and over the fore.
castle as the great ship dipped. More
spray splattered up as the Arizona, fol.
lowing the Pennsylvania. altered its
course to the south in pursuit of the
enemy's ships. The men Of the gun
crews, who had been below bathing,
were crowdtng out now upon the fore
castle deck. They were nude to the
waist, and the hot afternoon sunlight
cleaned on the pink and brown flesh
of their bodies and sparkled on the
drops of spray splasl,ed upon them.
Far ahead Of the Pennsylvania and
well away on both beams the Ameri-
can destroyers-the Cassin and Cum.
mings, the Alwyn and Balch and two
others-tossed aud tipped as they DASH
ed through the waves on their watch
for the enemy's submersibles. Far in
the air overhead two American b.
planes circled, their wireless sending
back word that SO far no mines and no
enemy submarines had been sighted.
Wendell gazed now and then at these
auxiliary craft, but the men Of the
gun crews, crowding eagerly forward,
ignored everything but the Pepnsylva-
mia, which still was firing slowly and
singly, one gun from No. turret, now
gun from No. 2, another gun from
No. l. again from No. 2. The Arizo-
mas gun crews pointed in their envy
and cried out to one another. Scraps
Of their EXPLANATIONS came back to
Wendell on the wind Puff Another
gun fired on the Pennsylvania. and
now, as soon as that could have been
reloaded, all six guns of the two for
ward turrets went together in a salvo