Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-11-01

!
| sregated about tise motorboat to the
G sound, which was percepdble to
| them for Ducl grearer distance than
| the tone carried 10 the human ear.
| From within radius Of twenty miles
a cloud rolled in upon the motorboat,
| until MacBeard. invisible in the heart
| OF its blackneSs. like some arch-devil.
| controlled his devil crew.
| This cloud was quickly seen by the
| rear-admirafs patrol vessels, while If
! had this disadvantages prevented
| MacBeard from discovering the F55 as
| she slipped past on her way south
| ward.
She ran unchallenged through the
| destroyer f!Otilla and came alongside
the rear-admiral's flagship, a monster
| cruiser armed with powerful battery.
| on which he had hOiSted his pennant.
| 4 few minutes later Davies and Ida
| clambered aboard. leaving ClOuts in
| charge Of the submarine-and of the
queen Of the swarm.
Half an hour later Clouts received
| the command to take the F55 to Lon
| don as best he could. Davies inter
| view with the rear-adTiral had decided
the latter to open hOstilities immedi-
ately. The squadron spread out and
approached the Dogger fanwise, to en-
| circle the monsters.
MacBeard who had just awakened
| aboard the mOt0rboat, saw in terror
the great shells dropping all about
him. He thought this was the end of
all his plans. 1t seemed impossible to
escape.
But the monsters, terrified by the Vi
| brution dashed wildly in all directions,
and, finding themselves ringed in
churned up the water madly. The man
in the chains on the flagship looked at
his lead incredulously. It marked
- fathomS, where it should have
| marked 25. 1t marked ten, seven
four-and suddenly the sea seemed to
open. Half the vessels in the attack
ing squadron grounded. They lay on
their sides in the North sea sand, one
set of guns pointing heavenward. the
1ther toward the bowels Of the earth
linen huge, agIrateu wave, raulaI-
ing outward from the still vortex In
which the mOtorbOat reeled diZZily,
dashed them and buffeted them af1oat.
Beyond control, the dismantled, fleeing
squadron drove under the pounding
waves in all directions.
Out Of the vapOr chugged q motor
boat. Slowly, as the haze subsidized,
she drew alongside, In her stood Mac
Beard, triumphant in this display Of
his power
Five minutes later he stood IN the
presence of the rear admiral, Davies
and Ida, as we'll as of the junior Of
ficers.
You see, we are unconquerahle," he
said grimly, But have come to offer
you terms"
AS Il public enemy, many afterward
said that he should have been hanged
then and there, in spite of his envoy
ship. But the rear admiral refused to
violate the traditions of the sea-or
perhaps he realized that, MacBeard
dead, he could hope for no means of
subduing his unclaimed devils.
"What are they?" he inquired cour-
teously.
First" said MacBeard, personal
indemnity"
TN return for what?"
SIN return for the destruction of this
menace. I pledge my word that it
shall disappear forever"
"But hOwW
MacBeard hesitated.r Eager as he
now was to destroy the herd, he was
not overanxious to reveal his plans
However, he yielded the point.
"As you have observed" he said
"they are completely under my control
will take them into Skiold ford, on
the Norwegian coast. AS you know, it
is a huge body of water, surrounded
by cliffs of high basalt, and having an
entrance barely large enough to admit
small steamship. Once they are
there, the entrance can be blockaded
until they are dead of famine. In re-
turn l demand possession Of" and he
looked toward Ida.
He did not know her name, but it
did not strike him as peculiar.
A glance at Ida's horror STRICKEN
face was sufficient to enable the adj
miral to decide.
eve refuse" he said
But Ida stepped forward and laid
her hand on the admiral's arm.
81 cannot let you refuse" she said.
II am nothing"
"No!" cried Davies. "You shall not
accept his terms''
yes" answered the girl, facing him
| quietly. at is only myself, and there
| is the whole world at stake. Wouldnt
| Donald do as much for me?'
| And Davies was silent. For Donald
had said very much the same thing
when he thought Ida dead on Fair
| island,
Ida turned to MacBeard "You wish
me to be your wife?" she asked.
"Yes-if you like to call 1t So" he
| stammered in answer.
II will go with you" she said.
The admiral interposed.
IF you wish to go, Miss Kennedy,
I must accept the sacrifice" he said
| "But it can only come from you" He
addressed MacBeard. 81 am willing SO
far" he said. 1.-THE government can
| not refuse to ratify those terms What
| Is your next?"
| "My third and last demand is-ffty