Evening star., 1928-11-04

the glee Of action so much as the won-
der whether my previous calculations
would prove themselves. 1t seemed like
an hour before the after gun reared
magnif1cently into view, and the click
Of the locking bolts told that 1t was in
position. The range was 1000 yards,
when Collins loosed off his first round.
Would it hit or nisS-should We be
lifted out Of the water by torpedo be-
fore We could do good work? A thou
sand niggling questions were busy all at
once; but they vanished into q sur
prising crescendo of satisfaction as
saw livid burst of fame show by the
foot of the u boats coming tower, top
ped by thin film of smoke, and knew
that Collins had fulfilled his boast-hit-
ting vulnerably at the first fire. Never
in all a checkered life have I known
such an en1otion-exultation satiSfac-
ton, fear. too-aS realized that we
were finally committed to the fight.
Without hope of withdrawal, it had to
be gone through. But we'd hit--we'd
hit; we'd compelled the enemy to ac-
cept action or be blown out of water.
THE fight closed down; a confusion
i sprinkled with half-seen, detached
incidents. Collins. swearing hard at the
4-inch guns, shifting his aim from the
wrecked coming tower to the enemy'S
gun, just as it came into action-his
second shot striking that pieces mount
ing and crippling it, hinging the crew
in bloody ruin about the breech or clean
overheard; the Germans after gun en-
veloped in smoke, as my 12-pounder got
the range; the line of foam running up
toward his coming tower as Brown
trained his Lewis gun into action and
made the control platform untenable.
another desperate attempt on the
enemy'S part to loose fresh torpedo
into us-though his bow already was
badly down. Then swift spray of
machine gun bullets about the 4-inch;
the sightsetter lying down, gasping with
bullet-pierCed throat. and always the
brig leaping and threatening to shake
her timbers apart to the conclusion Of
her own guns.
My first lieutenant had danced aloft
as soon as we removed our canloufiage,
and was directing the fire of the 12-
FOUNDER. Shot after shot, as swiftly as
the piece could be reloaded, was plump
ed into the enemy, whose flag still
showed from his radio mast It seemed
cruel work. ceased fire and signaled:
do you surrender" The flag remain
CO dAOAG dCAAdAALAN 4AACAE AdS
for it but to sink him. I got my en-
gines in motion and moved down toward
him: with few of his men climbing
out into the open and extending them
selves on his deck, loosing of at us
with rifles.
Collins. after missing with two shcts.
got his range again and sent shell
through his forepart that apparently
touched off a magazine. for he suddenly
blew up with dull, muffled roar and
much flying debris and pitched for
ward. He began to turn turtle as i1n
went. his propellers shining in the
morning sun. Such as survived Of his
crew plunged overheard and commenc-
cd swimming toward us, and the action
was over as the U boat disappeared
in swirls that sleeked with quick-run-
ming oil.
An hour Of suffering heavy fire, i've
scanty minutes of retaliation--but It
seemed worth 1t. With a curious adn1ix-
ture Of emotions saw my victim dis
appear.
spared a glance for the ship: she
was wreck; much work was ahead
before she could limp into a port Of
refuge. Looking aloft saw the dingy
Italian merchant flag still at the peak
the fighting flag was not floating
there. We'd done our work as pirates,
the signalman having forgotten his
| duty. Anyhow, We had done our work.