FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71  
72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   >>   >|  
he gun had not changed a particle. As the dark outline of the Vampire passed in range of the selected tree, the midshipman sprang down from the gun-carriage. "Fire!" shouted he, in a determined though not very loud tone. It was a tremendous explosion, and the echoes rolled out from the hills as though they were armed with heavy guns, and were taking part in the conflict. Probably the rattling windows and the shaking frames of the houses roused all the sleepers within a mile of the ship. The Bellevite was enveloped in the smoke from the discharge, and though Christy mounted the carriage again to obtain a better view, he could see nothing, for there was not wind enough to sweep it away at once. But the young commander watched, with almost as much interest and anxiety as before, the signal station he had established. But there was no occasion for desperate haste, for the gun was ready for use a second time if the first shot had failed to do its work. On the other hand, if the Vampire was disabled, she would stay where she was, or drift down the river with the turn of the tide, and it was just about "full sea" at this time. The smoke was very aggravating to the midshipman, but he could not help himself. The light air swept it away in time, and, with his strained eyes, Christy discovered that two Roman candles were burning at the signal station. "Did you hit her, Christy?" asked Paul Vapoor, leaping on the gun-carriage. "I did," replied the midshipman, trying to control a certain feeling of exultation that took possession of his mind, for he did not consider that some of the party below might have been killed by the shot. "I suppose you don't know anything about the effect of the shot yet?" added Paul. "I only know that the Vampire is disabled." "How do you know that, for I can't see anything?" "Do you see those two blue lights burning at the side of the river?" asked Christy, as he pointed to the place. "I see them, and they light up the river like a flash of lightning." "They mean that the steamer is disabled; and for that reason she can't come any nearer than she is now." "But those villains will make their way to the shore, and there are boats enough about here to enable them to get alongside, and lay us aboard. This is not the end of the affair," said the engineer, very seriously. "Decidedly not; but I hope to have further information in the course of a few minutes," replied Christy. "B
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71  
72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Christy
 

midshipman

 

Vampire

 

disabled

 

carriage

 
station
 
burning
 

signal

 
replied
 

Vapoor


candles

 

leaping

 
control
 

possession

 
exultation
 

suppose

 
killed
 
effect
 

feeling

 

alongside


aboard

 

enable

 

affair

 

information

 

minutes

 

engineer

 

Decidedly

 

pointed

 

lights

 

lightning


villains

 
nearer
 

steamer

 

reason

 

windows

 
shaking
 

frames

 
houses
 

rattling

 
Probably

taking
 

conflict

 
roused
 
discharge
 

mounted

 

obtain

 
enveloped
 

Bellevite

 
sleepers
 

selected