Page:Barbour--For the freedom from the seas.djvu/111

 tumbling sea without reward. In the wireless house the blue sparks sizzled and spat busily, and rumors flew about above deck and below incessantly. But Nelson, like many others, turned in that night a prey to disappointment.

It was shortly before six bells the next forenoon that the welcome, long-deferred and exciting news went the rounds that the foretop lookout had sighted smoke. All hands who might crowded forward, but from the deck nothing was as yet to be seen. It was well over an hour later when the quarry raised above the horizon sufficiently to be visible to the crew. Then began a long, hard chase. The Gyandotte's boilers roared as never before in that ship's sixteen years of existence and black smoke belched from her two high funnels and poured off to port. But after a short while it became evident that the enemy, if she was the enemy, which there was no reason to doubt, was making nearly if not quite as good speed. By the middle of the afternoon it was apparent that there was no hope of overtaking the raider before dark, if ever, for the Gyandotte's best effort had gained only a few miles in the six hours that had elapsed since sighting the quarry. There were grumbles and mutters uncomplimentary to the Gyandotte amongst the men, and it is not to be doubted that 89