The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-09-15
"She,s almost ready. SIR

An hour later the light mist had
risen, and almost suddenly the Ariadne
seemed to come into the field Of bat.
tie. Dyck Calhoun could see the strug-
gle going on. The two sets Of enemy
ships had come to close quarters, and
In some cases were locked In deadly
conflict. In other cases ships, still
apart, fred at point-blank range, and
all the horrors of slaughter were In
full swing.
From the square blue flag at the
mizzen tOpgallant masthead of one Of
the British ships engaged, Dyck
realized that the admiral's own craft
was In some peril. He saw with salts
faction that the way lay open for the
Ariadne to bear down upon the French
ship, engaged with the admiraps small
ship, and help to end the struggle sue
cessfully for the British cause.
While still too far away for point
blank range, the Ariadne's guns be-
gan upon the French ships distinguish
able by their shape and their colors.
Before the first shot was fred, how
ever, Dyck made a tour Of the decks
and gave some word of cheer to the
men. The Ariadne lost no time In get
ting into the thick of the fight. The
seamen were stripped to the waist,
and black silk handkerchiefs were
tightly bound round their heads and
over their ears.
What the French thought Of the
coming of the Ariadne was shown by
the reply they made presently to her
firing. The number of French ships
in action was greater than the British
by six, and the Ariadne arrived just
when she could be of greatest service.
The holiness of her seamanship, and
the favor of the wind, gave her an ad-
vantage which good fortune helped to
justify.
AS she drew In upon the action, she
gave herself up to great danger; she
was coming In upon the rear of the
French ships, and was subject to fierce
attack. To the French she seemed
like fugitive warrior returning to
camp just when he was most needed.
as was indeed the case. Two of her
shots settled one of the enemy's yes.
sells; and before the others could con.
verge upon her, she had crawled slow
ly up against the off side of the French
admiral's ship, which was closely en-
gagged with the Beatitude, the British
flagship, on the other side.
The canister. chain-shot and langrel
Of the French foe had caused much in
jury to the Ariadne, and her canvas
was in sore plight. Fifty of her sea-
men had been killed, and a hundred
and fifty were wounded by the time
she reached the starboard side of the
Aquitaine. She would have lost many
more were 1t not that her onset de-
moralized the French gunners, while
the cheers of the British sailors aboard
the Beatitude gave confidence to their
mutineer comrades.
On his own deck, Dyck watched the
progress Of the battle with the JOY Of
a natural fighter. He had carried the
thing to an almost impossible success.
There had only been this In his favor,
that his was an unexpected entrance
a fact which had been worth another
ship at least. He saw his boarders
struggle for the Aquitaine. He saw
them discharge their pistols, and then
resort to the cutlass and the dagger;
and the marines bringing down their
victims from the masts of the French
flagship.
Presently he heard the savagely
buoyant shoutsNof the Beatitude men,
and he realized that, by his coming.
the admiral Of the French feet had
been obliged to yield up his sword, and
to signal to his ships-such as could
to get away. That half Of them sue.
ceeded In doing so was due to the fact
that the British fleet had been heavily
handled In the fight, and would have
been defeated had II not been for the
opportune arrival Of the Ariadne.
Never, perhaps, In the history Of tho
navy, had British ships clamped the
enemy as the Aquitaine was clampe0
by the Beatitude and the AriadnA
Certain II Is that no admiral Of tho
British fleet had ever to perform two
such acts In one day as receiving thu
submission of French admiral and
offering thanks to the captain of q
British man Of war whom, while
thanking, he must at once place I'M
der arrest as a mutineer.
What might have CHANGED further -
Dyck's disadvantage can never be-
known, because there appeared on the
deck of the Beatitude, as Its captain
under the rear admiral, Captain Ivy.
who, five years befofe, had visited
Dyck and his father al Playmore, and
had gone with them to Dublin.
The admiral had sebt word to the
Ariadne for It's captain to come to the
Beatitude. When the captains gig
arrived, and a man In seaman's
clothes essayed to climb the side OF
the flagship. he was at first prevented
Captain Ivy, however, Immediately
gave orders for Dyck to be admitted