Ensign Merrill — page 143: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a om oa A * > « ink aed « fe he PRREES. ; THE COMBAT " BEGINS. would not be of any ereat use. What ee feared ahove™ everything was the possibility of being boarded. lf tlie junks could get near enough to pour their hordes on the Badger’s decks it would take hard fighting and good luck to defeat them. The danger lay in the sheer weight of overpowering numbers. Just then Watson fired the pivot gun. When the smoke cleared away Mark looked anxiously for the result. It wasa good line shot, buta little too high, and he could see the splashing in the sea a short dis- tance ahead where it ricocheted after striking the water. After an interval of: a couple of minutes another re- port sounded. This time the shell went true to its mark, and, to the ensign’s joy, hit the junk abaft the foremast, tearing a large hole in the bulwarks. It ex-° ploded a second later, sending a leaden hail through the ~ rigging, slitting sails and severing ropes in every direc- tion. The junk lost her way at once, wearing around until she drifted broadside to the sea. Merrill leaned on the bridge and shouted through his’ trumpet down the fore hatch, praising the second officer for his re- markable shot. ‘*T never saw a better one, or any that came more opportune,’’ he added to himself. ‘“‘Now they will have hard work getting away while we are ange with those other fellows. ’’ Mr. Watson, elated at his success, sent another shell hurtling through the air. It also struck the hull, doing much damage. This last shot caused the immediate hoisting of a white flag on the mainmast, at the sight of which Mark sent word to cease firing, He would have dispatched the boats to complete the capture, but every man was now needed in the impending combat — with the other junks, They were nen Be, bes: stacks , > « arene are a 5 ‘