The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-12-21

mans bow, "A coil OF cloud followed
II. A few seconds later the boom Of
the discharge echoed across the water
{ and pillar OF spray shot up near the
! Beotla's bow. The battleshlp turned
! toward her prey.
And Donald'a chance haa come.
Tbs Beotia had no intention OF SUR
rendering. The German, following
her, perceived the lurking danger, and
, az once his guns were trained on the
submarine.
The F55 dipped at the bow. A shell
h0oted over her. and second. falling
shorter deluged the snbmerslble with
water, But the F05 was stern down
and sinking. Her periscope shot
through the waves, the only target
and 10 the coming tower Donald sat
with his eyes fast on the mirror
Ten feet below the. surface the F55
plunged on toward the monarch OF the
sen.
The sound OF the guns was vastly
louder under the waves A single shot,
sent home, would smash through the
thin plates as II they were OF paper.
But Donald knew that II WIS the SUI
lpreine moment when danger must be
ignored lie seemed 10 sense the ship,
the crew, us single lentity, devoted
to n single purpose. lie ahmed his
how directly into hts enemg's port
funk. Sc was less than mne away.
AZ that Distance Il seemed miracle
that her shells failed 10 strike h0ne.
/ Down In the torpedo roofa tAree
men bore q torpedo from the rack and
placed II In the slInHs They swung
L forward into aiie breeeit OF tbs tube.
One man at the pump sapltSly filled the
hreeeh chamber with tho compressed
mir that was to asnd the MISSILE upea
its course.
Donald IN the oanning tswer, stilI
Iheid the cruiser within the ndrror- LIE
saw THE smoke eo1 from her gums. he
heard their dun reyerAeration, and
knew that at any momeutf the bllraahd
B'55 might be sent staggering TO her
death through the wake OF her wasii..
hut ne was animated bx the single
minded purpose which lnsplfae all and.
made the steel and human mechanism.
a bolt forged for death.
Clauts, at the whsei, did nut allsw'
the little craft 70 deviato' On hairs
breadth from her course.
"Stand By !"
The hiss OF the oxygen apparatus
dominated all other sounds AZ har
a5-knot speed the missile left the
launching tube with heavy thUd, and
tho ship aulvered as site shook herself
free.
Aud Donald knew tiiat his staet hail
gone home.
The whlr grew less, but ALL listened
until the end of the mile-long taurncy'
ON board the enemy ship everyone
could SEQ the air bubbles that came VS.
from the speeding missile and las
white, foamlng wakas There was NJ
time 10 maaeuver the giant ship They
I prayed--they could 10 no mere--thai
the torpedo might noe have been sho
true that Il might deviate from IL
imminent path.
Il came ON tnexosably. The frinl
i became wilder Inc gunners, ah
q sorhed as they were In their task
% seemed permeated with the contagieu
z terror caused by that white, ripplin
u pencil line that was extending towar
their ship.
n The missile struck the battle cruise
Ia amldships, blowing out a section {
II her huh. a single water-tight compar
ip ment. The cruiser hardly staggere
n from the blow.
The torpedo had struck glaneio
Ia ana missed the full force Of its deli
Cd ery. The wound was In Itself &
to small 90 sink or even badly cripple q
ie, great ship; triumph OF shipeulldin
ut aud calculated TO withstand just su'
an impact.
Unfortunately for her the maxima
~ az the shock was received beneath 4
ia, powder room. adjacent 70 the amm
I'd nitIon chamber. whose doors we
.de omen al that moment for the remoy
FOR 81 the i2-snch shells By the ammul
ton hoist.
M. The shock was followed by an In
de mite suspense. Perhaps 1t lasted
es- two seconds. The cruiser drO
iue through the waves like some sea m'
xter that had received a deadly thru
al unseathed.
ne. Then. with detonation that v
ted heard from Sumburgh to sutherla
ltia she went sey-high in tnmhling ~
ned Donald, within the coming tower, 5
eys. blur frost the mirror Of the p'
jer- scope.