Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-09-22

accord With their plan.'
"Of an attack against usT'
Precisely. Their high seas battle
fleet has been gone from its home posts
IN Europe for several days. Officially
the ships are somewhere In the Allan
tic at maneuvers, which means that
they've modified, ready for attack on
us at signal
And the withdrawal Of the cruisers
from the Caribbean"
Means that the cruisers have gone
to join the high seas fleet, of curse to
aid in the attack In FORCE"
you feel that Is sure, sirT"
The older officer referred to the 9TH
ers. "Who questions it nowT"
No one questioned, so after putting
to sea Barrett had steered his course
to the east. The first day showed him
nothing to stir him further, but at
sunrise of the second day he had sight
ed a great biplane In the clouds. In
stantly he flashed the news back to the
shore by wireless. The official reply to
him said that the presence of air craft
could now be of 40 significance. What
was the Salem doing In the position
from which 1t signaled? The admins
tration particularly desired the pres
ence of Messrs. Banland and Gordon
at Port au Prince as Oon as possible.
Barrett, with the code communica-
ton In his hand, turned quietly to the
quartermaster.
Follow the plane as long as 1t is in
sight, and when it disappears continue
In its direction" He went himself to
the telephone to the engine room.
Can you give US any more, Mr.. Han
Ion y he questioned the chief engineer.
"I1l try, sir"
Within the hour the biplane had dis
appeared, but 1t had remained in sight
long enough to guide the Salem. Dur
ing the remainder of the day the scout
ship rushed east at full speed, and at
night, with all ports covered and with
the switches of the lighting circuits
thrown out, Barrett had driven his
ship on through the darkness. No
light from another ship, no sound of
another's engine. no smell of a~nother's
smoke had reached him or his lookouts
during the night Dawn had discovered
to him only an empty sea, gray and
rugged, obscured a little by mist The
day brought no other ship within the
circle of the horizon, but now 1t was
another dawn and now, as Barrett
scanned the water, he saw a crate
floating.
He passed it and came upon another
crate with bright yellow bits-peeling
Of orange, they were-foating beside
it. He looked to the other side-pota-
to parings floating there. He was by
them and now was passing bits of
bread, vegetable tops, more potato par
ings and scraps of all sorts-the leav-
ings from the plates of 10000 men
who had eaten their rations at the
same hour, the fotsam from q fleet.
Lieutenant Commander Barrett set
his helm hard to the right When the
Salem had circled he ordered again
formally to Hanlon to give full speed
ahead" He must have passed the ap-
preaching feet q few miles off in the
morning mist Their course, as well
us Lit (Oul0 lC(hOA IiOln LII 6SAopS OAi
the sea. was more to the south than
he had expected. He had overrun them
and now was in their pursuit.
Lieutenant Marston, the second in
command, came quietly to the bridge,
his revolver belt buckled about him.
Mr.. Banland and Mr.. Gordon both
seem to be asleep, sir. Shall l have
H.. -rot-oI .- 1ha11 I 1n.xyA Ahann nc
they areT"
81 was thinking about Them" Bar
rett replied as evenly. "I1l see to
them"
Smoke ahead, SIR" a lookout In the
foretop hailed. "More TO the left.
Destroyers to the right and turning
about"
"Aeroplanes approaching us, sir!'
The hail came this time from the bow,
and the sailor there was pointing Ut
and ahead Barrett shifted his glasses
from the four vessels rushing toward
him to the dim, soaring specks high
above In the sky. They descended as
they approached.
"They went up high at first to make
sure we were alone" Barrett comment
ed to Marston.
Eyes, sir. Looks like now they may
try bomb attack"
"I think So" Barrett took pad and
pencil from a pocket and wrote slowly
and carefully:
Large feet sighted about 1887 west
38.42 north, steaming west apparently
at about sixteen knots. We make out
definitely thirty vessels, destroyers ant
a cruiser, accompanied by air craft
coming toward u.s."
He reread it and handed 1t to Mar
ston. code that and have It sent al
once" He gazed again at the aero
planes and the destroyers and looked
back at the engine room dial. 1t show
ed revolutions Of the turbines which
tSfd that the Salem was still making
about twenty-six knots. The engine
-