Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-10-03

LlluCs
Look" said Miss Bishop, point
ing. Did she realize, he wondered.
what was afoot Her next sentence
resolved his doubt. "She is Eng
fish, and she comes resolutely on.
She means to fight"
God hep her, then" said his
lordship gloomily. Her captain
must be mad. If they could so cas-
lily blow the Royal Mary out Of the
water, what will they do to this
vessel? Look at that devil Don Mi
gueL He's utterly disgusting in his
glee."
OF necessity now, under dimin-
ished sail, the advance Of the Ara
bella was slower; but it was none
the less steady. She was already
within shaker shot, and they could
make out the figures stirring on hsr
forecastle and the brass guns
cleaning on her prov. Thu gun
ners of the GIilagrosa raised their
linstocks and blew upon their smol-
dering matches, looking up impa-
tiently at the admiral. But the ad-
miral solemnly shook his head.
"Stab mel" said his lordship
This Englishman may be gallant
enough to accept battle against
such odds. But there are times
when discretion is a better quality
than gallantry In a commander.
Presently you will suffer me to
place you under cover"
Il can see best from here she
answered him. And added quietly:
Il am praying for this Englishman.
He must be very brave"
The Arabella was advancing,
now, along a course which, if con-
tinued, must carry her straight be-
tween the two Spanish ships.
But even at that moment the Ad-
miral raised his hand; in the waist,
below him, a trumpet blared, and
Immediately the gunner on the
PROV touched off his guns. AS the
thunder of them rolled out, his
lordship saw, ahead, beyond the
English ship and to larboard of her,
two heavy splashes. Almost at
once two successive spurts 81
flame leapt from the brass cannon
on the Arabelia's beakhead, and
scarcely had the watchers on the
poop seen the shower Of spray
where one Of the shots struck the
water near them than, with a rend-
ing crash and a SILVER that shook
the Milagrosa from stem to stern,
the other came to lodge in her fore
castle. To avenge that blow, the
Hidalga blazed at the Englishman
with both her forward guns But,
even at that short range (between
two and three hundred yards) mel.
Their shot took effect.
At a hundred yards the Arabel-
las forward guns, which had mean
while been reloaded, fred again at
the Milagrosa, and this time
smashed her bowsprit into splin-
tiers, so that for a moment she
waved wildly to port. Don Miguel
swore profanely, and then. as the
helm was put over to swing her
back to her course, his own PROV
replied. But the aim was too high,
and, whilst one Of the shots tore
through the Arabella's shrouds and
SCARED her mainmast, the other
again went wide. And when the
smoke of that discharge had lifted
the English ship was found almost
between the Spaniards, her bows IN
line with theirs and coming stead
| lily on. At last the Arabella was
right between the Spanish ships.
Prov to poop and poop to Prov.
Don Miguel spoke to the trumpeter.
who had mounted the quarterback
and stood now at the admiral's ell
bow. The man raised the silver bu-
gle that was to give the signal for
the broadsides Of both ships.S But
even as he placed it to his lips, the
admiral seized his arm to arrest
him. Only then had he perceived
what was so obvious - or should
have been to an experienced sea
fighter; he had delayed too long
and Captain Blood had outmaneuv-
cred him. In attempting to fire
now upon the Englishman, the MI
lsgrosa and her consort would also
be firing into each other. Too late
he ordered his helmsman to put the
tiller hard over and swing the ship
to larboard, as preliminary to
maneuvering for a less impossible
position of attack. At that very
moment the Arabella seemed to ex.
plode as she swept by. Eighteen
guns from each Of her tanks emp
tied themselves at that point-blank
range into the hulls Of the two
Spanish vessels.
The Milagrosa staggered slowly
ahead. Don Miguel was bawlinS
orders wildly, and peering ever and
anon through the curtain Of smoke
that was drifting slowly astern, in
his anxiety to ascertain how e
might have Jared with the Hidalga.
Suddenly, and ghostly at first,
through that lifting haze, doomed
the outline Of ship; gradually the
lines Of her red hull became more
and more sharply defined as she
swept nearer with poles all bare
save for the spread Of canvas on
her spirit.