The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-06

from the elevation of the sight, and, after the sight was corrected and the gun fired, "Up 2OO!'
 Up! Up! The Peras and the Carthage were drawing away. They had been hit-hard hit-the Carthage battle cruiser and the rear Pera. One had lost funnel; mast was down on the other. They must have been damaged below, but they were drawing away from the American pursuit, no mat ter what the engine crews of the Arizona and the Pennsylvania could do Smoke-the smoke from the fun nels of destroyers such as had hid the American dreadnaughts from the re- gents submarines-was rising in cloud about the enemy's cruisers; they no longer were trying to lure the American ships out; they were not firing back; they were trying only to get away. And they were doing it, although they had been hit-hard hit two of them-they were doing it. They had lost a couple of knots speed, per haps; but they could spare them, and more.
 "Up 20Ov' The mockery came from the fire control station. Up! Up!'
 The guns could not be elevated any farther; the gun crews, sweating and gasping, loaded frantically, desper- ately, to give the Pera one more shot flor the Balch, boysv- before the enemy were beyonf chance. But the officers in the coming tower were giving it up. The bugles blew:
 Cease firing"
 SLouden, the firing pointer, pressed his fingers on his key. The gun be side him leaped back and the air out side was riven. It was after the bugle had blown. Louden turned and faced Wendell with eyes burning.
 "I beg your pardon, sir, but I was 'on' and-my brother was boatswain on the Balchr'
 Bob nodded The Pennsylvania had ceased firing too. The sun had dis appeared minutes before, and dusk was settling swiftly, with clouds blow CTS became only spot of smoke on the horizon, and soon the smoke disap- peared. Wendell saw to the unload ing of the guns which had been ready. The rifles of the torpedo defense-the | twelve inch-five guns on each side of the ship-were still manned, but the crews of the fourteen inchers were crawling out of the turrets. As Wen dell stood again on the quarter deck, ioI, breaking, appeared of to the left-the American K and L submarines steer ing on the surface and making for the shelter of Chesapeake bay.
 Bob watched the tiny craft rolling 1 and tossing almost helplessly as they | struggled with the sea; they seemed | scarcely to move or hold headway | There was no need to question, as one watched them, why they had failed to l gain position from which they could have attacked the escaping Carthage | and the Peras; the ensigns in command had all they could do to manage their vessels at all; indeed, the ,fotilla com mander was signaling the Pennsylva- nia-Bob saw the winking Hght-for ] aid. A light from the dreadnaught flashed in reply; the commodore could not spare destroyer to tender the submarines now, but he was wireless
 ing the roads to send tender.
 Wendell gazed back grimly over the
 rough sea in which the American sub
 mersibles were laboring. The regents ! underwater boats were back there. too
 but. instead of searching for aid, the
 enemy's submersibles were forcing the
 American battleships and destrOyers
 to keep on at twenty knots. to mar
 every torpedo defense gun, and double
 all loOkouts. They had shown nc
 more than their periscopes, but every
 one knew what they were-great un
 dersea cruisers capable of keeping tt
 the sea in severe weathers and oi
 maintaining themselves for weeks
 without tender.
 ] (To Be Cnntinued.l
 Q C.,