Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-12-14
A YANKEE
TRICK
BY WARREN MILLER


oyer European cities, since he had
done some of that sort of work him
self. He admitted that there was a
difference in the height from which
the bombs were dropped. but beyond
this there was no difference.
"When the big war broke out" he
continued, that sucked into its vortex
pretty nearly all there was of the civ
ilized world | was third mate of a ship
sailing under the British flag. She
was owned by Americans, but sailed
under those colors for the same rea-
sons the big ships did-beeause she
could be worked cheaper.
"Now, what I'm going to tell you
happened ON the high seas, and there
were things about it that it was agreed
shouldn't come out. So all of us who
were concerned in the affair signed a
pledge that we wouldn't say anything
about it. You needn't expect names of
men or ships. When the war broke
out we were carrying ammunition to
the Servians. We were on the Adriat-
ic sea with a load of stuff WHICH. If 1t
had exploded, would have blown us
all Into the region of the aeroplanes.
1--WE got the news that everybody
had declared war on everybody else
or was about to do SO from an italian
cruiser going southwark, We pointing
north. There were warships of diff
ferent nations In the Adriatic, and If
MO mot my Of tbapn ayaapf tha British
we would be captured sure. OF course
we didn't want to lose our ship and
cargo, at least the captain didn't, for
he was one of the owners. But there
we were right in among them and liza
BILE to meet one any minute.
ut wasn't long before we spied on
the horizon a film of smoke, and the
captain as soon as he saw 1t looked a
bit anxious. But he kept right on, for
If he turned back he was just as liable
to meet something as bad. We soon
saw that the craft making the smoke
was plain 1t was some sort of a war
vessel.
81 was standing by the captain, and
he handed me his glass. | brought it
to peal on the craft and saw a gun
boat about an eighth the size of our
reminded me of one of those little bull
dogs the ladies use for pets. She flew
the Austrian flag.
Captain said |, it's notifying to
have to surrender to a snarling little
beast like that, isn't itT
~ don't know that l will surrender
he answered, drawing down the cor
ners of his mouth.
"'What can we dor
Tie came close up to me and whis-
pered in my ear. l went off and sent
a mar down into the hold for some
thing and ordered another to get the
derrick we used for loading and un-
loading ready so that 1t could be swung
in a jiffy. When the man had sent
below came up he had a box In his
arms. l told him to put 1t ON the deck
and go aloft on the mast to which the
derrick was swung. He took a rope
with him that he put through a pulley.
Meanwhile the Austrian gunboat
was coming nearer, stirring up the wa
ter and making a lot of fuss. We were
flying the British flag, and war had
been declared between England and
Austria. So the gunboat signaled us
to heave to and was getting ready to
send q boat aboard of us. She was In
command of a little fellow in a fancy
uniform, and he was dancing around
on his deck like a figure in a Punch
and Judy show.
Instead of stopping entirely our ship
was moving SO slowly that 1t wouldn't
be noticed that we were moving at all.
The captain took the wheel himself
and steered toward the Austrian. Be
fore the little bulldog knew it we were
drifting alongside of him. / had the
box that had been brought on deck or
the end of the rope put through the
pulley, and it took me about five sec
onds to run the box up to the man on
the derrick. As soon as he got it he
Skinned out on the derrick. l signaled
a man who had the end of a rope at
tached to the derrick, and, giving it a
pull, ne swung the man with the box
out beyond the gunwale of our ship.
"The Austrian commander of the gun-
boat was jabbering orders to his crew,
fearing a collision, but when we were
about twenty feet from the pesky little
thing we sheered off. When we were
at the nearest distance the man on the
derrick heaved the box on to her deck.
"Well, | reckon they heard some
thing drop. That box was full of an
explosive intended to blow up a fort.
The waters divided, and the gunboat
went down between them to the bot
tom of the Adriatic."
"Didn't it jar your own craft a bit?'
asked the other.
"Well, you see we were on the edge
of the gap made in the waters. If
we'd have been ten feet nearer it we'd
have been engulfed.