The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-06-20
AnAdventurous
American
By ALAN HlNSDALE


with no especial sympathy with either
side In the pan European war. left
luxurious home to take part in it seems
mystery. And when we consider
that he entered the aviation service to
face the dangers of the land far up in
the air. position trying enough by
Itself without adding tc the fact that
one is liable to be dropped, not from
break of machinery, but shot fired
for the purpose. his action is hard to
understand.
corps composed Of Americans. He
made flights from that part of Belgium
which is nearest Zeebrugge, the base of
the German flying machines. One day
when he was sailing over the North
sea near the coast he saw a little
cigar shaped boat beneath him on the
surface of the water. which he took
for a submarine 1t occurred to him
that If he could swOOp down low
enough to get good aim he might
toss a bomb on to it and sink it. He
didn't have much fear of it, for its
guns were not made for sending shot
into the upper air.
Circling, he drew a spiral down to
within a couple of hundred feet. lie
feared to lose the game by its being
submerged. But the captain had no
such intention. Delano dropped
bomb. which stirred the water a hun.
drcd feet from the submarine. Not
receiving a shot in return, he descend
ed within hundred feet of his
enemy and dropped another bomb.
This struck the water about fifty feet
on the other side of the submarine
Hc was getting third bomb ready
when man with a rifle appeared on
the submarine and fired shot which
exploded Ned's gasoline tank.
Ned was dropped into the water n
dozen feet from the submarine. There
was nothing for him to do but to
strike out for the cigar shaped boat
and give himself up. This he did and
| was received on board with praise for
his daring.
However, there was no place to con
, fine him, and there seemed to be no
necessity to do so. He was made to
do the work of one of the crew, the
vessel being short handed. and this
gave him the liberty of man with
duties to perform. His love for nov.
city was satisfied, for the boat fire.
quently divcd, and when she did Ned
dived with her. Used as he was to
sailing up in the air. he could not re
press a sense Of smothering at going
down under the water the first time.
One day when the submarine was on
| the surface of the water ship came
| in sight flying the British flag Ned
saw at once that he was liable to wit
! ness the destruction Of a vessel The
submarine Kept to the eastward of It's
intended victim and when the evening
| twilight came had the ship against it,
J while the submarine was in darkness
! Then she pushed forward till within
! striking distance and called on the
! Britisher's crew to get into their boats.
The order was obcyed. and a mum.
| ber of shots were put into the hull be-
! low the water line. Ned saw her go
! down stem first. almost as n swimmer
taking a dive, only the diver reap
! pears, which the vessel did not
! While this was occurring darkness
1 was falling. The last Ned saw of the
ships crew they were in their boats.
! fha rownrc raStiDo IN tboir oarc
| ing their ship make her last plunge.
What they did afterward could not be
seen for the darkness. Ned wondered
what they would do. Would they pull
for the English or the Belgian coast
! The distance to land eastward was so
much less than westward that he be-
] lieved they would take that direction.
Likely they had taken compass into
their boats, which would give them
their course
Naturally the idea of escape from
| the submarine connected itself in his
mind with the boats, though the hope
of reaching them seemed madness. He
] was obliged to take his turn with the
watch on deck A couple of hours aft
! er the sinking of the ship he heard the
sound of oars. Inferring that they
were from the boats of the sunken
ship, he listened eagerly. The sound
there were a number of boats pulling
together-came from the west toward
the submarine. The crew OF the latter
heard them, but, inferring that they
were the sailors they had dispossessed.
paid no attention to them.
Ned paid a good deal of attention to
them. Getting as far from the rest of
the watch as possible, he awaited the