Argosy, Vol. 85, No. 3 — page 135: what you’re looking at

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

“IT WAS WAR.” shock quite distinct from that of our bump. Somehow it seized every nerve and bone and sinew. It seemed as if the whole of life’s en- ergy had been blown out of me and left me standing. I hadn’t strength to put the bottle of stimulant again to my lips. And Louie, the imperturbable —I could hear his teeth rattling together as if in a chill. The captain, hardly yet completely re- covered from the stunning he had got a few moments earlier, sat motionless where he had fallen. The girl’s shaking hand was laid on my shoulder in her effort to rise. It lost its grip, and I had to catch her, with an effort that called for strength which had left me. It could not have been more than a fraction of a second, but it seemed a deadly hour before the engines, recover- ing from the sudden load on the propel- lers, first in spasmodic coughs, then in more regular rhythm, at length in their normal purr—settled down to their heroic test of dependability. “Is that the engines?” Louie gasped faintly. Then he added, “ They won’t run long. That did for us.” ‘I’m not so sure,” argued the captain from a wider range of experience with the sensations of the sea. “That was Rudy, and he missed us a purpose,” the girl now whispered. ‘‘ Give him a little light aft, and he’ll miss us some more—if they don’t chase him out of there too soon on account of that miss.” “God!” hoarsely ejaculated the cap- tain, ‘I hope he misses us a little farther next time. Another shake up like that—” The two six-inch guns on the opposite sides of the harbor’s mouth spoke almost at once. It did seem as if the Louisa II was getting more than she had ever been built to take. Once more the whole craft shivered as a Shell exploded directly over her stern. We forgot the scattering bits of steel in our efforts to cling fast to the railings and stanchions. “The automatic pumps are starting,” ATT Louis Hartmann remarked a moment later. Since they would not run until there was water for them to take, their running now showed that the terrific shocks had opened seams. ‘“ We didn’t need any ballast for getting over what’s ahead.” Then it seemed as if we all settled into a sort of apathy that no longer cared what became of us. The next attempts of the larger guns to find our range were total failures. Somehow their very noise seemed to have weakened. A second mine exploded a couple of hundred feet to the right of our course. I doubt if any of us batted a strained eye. We knew that we were drawing deeper than when we had first approached the island; we were making no attempt to dodge those mines we might set off by contact. There was no means by which we could have dodged them. Two more of the mines under electric control from shore blew up. I doubt if one of us noted the relative positions of their explosions and our boat. We just waited to see which second would bring death—and waited more seconds, indif- ferent whether they brought death or no. “Well,” came from the captain’s lips in a voice that rattled across cords half paralyzed, ‘“ we’re a good ten miles off shore and out of the way of the mines. The patrol boat, you say, won’t be back around before twelve. We'd better find out what we can as to what shape we’re in for getting back to Key West. And the engineers ought to have a chance to give the machines the once-over before we start any racing again.” Not a word or sigh of relief from any one that our worst danger was over—yJust a reminder that our work might be mo- mentarily changed to advantage. None of us felt any relief. We were just numb. ‘“ Well,” put in the girl, ‘‘ we got to wait for Rudy and them now anyhow.” “ Rudy?” Louie and I gasped together. “How do you mean?” “You don’t suppose I’d be here if he wasn’t comin’?” she snorted. comicloool C©