The Military MEGAPACK® by Stephen Crane & Ambrose Bierce

Author:Stephen Crane & Ambrose Bierce [Crane, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: battle, military, action, war, fighting
ISBN: 9781434438256
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Published: 2020-04-20T16:00:00+00:00

“Who fired that shot?” came Ensign Robards’ voice shrilly from the bridge. “Who gave orders to fire that shot?”

“This bright and shinin’ light out of the armed guard, sir!” Purdy answered angrily. “Nobody give him orders. He was just runnin’ things to suit hisself, sir!”

“Relieve him! Send him up here instantly!”

When Wolver got to the bridge, he faced not only the ensign, but all the senior officers of the cruiser, who had arrived at the run, wakened by the roar of the five-inch.

“Who told you to fire that shot?” Captain Banning demanded grimly. “Don’t you know that we’ve been trying to move through this zone with the absolute minimum of noise? And you nearly sank the Burmese Rajah! Answer up! What have you to say for yourself?”

Wolver sagged wearily before them. Regulations! Formalities! Orders! Everything on the earth and the sea but some common sense. And how could he say anything that would explain his point of view.

“Nobody told me, sir,” he said slowly. “I just let go on my own hook.”

“Oh, you did! Well, well, well,” the captain said unpleasantly. “And I presume it was merely to relieve the tedium of your watch? You wearied of monotony, perhaps?”

“I figured, sir, that sinkin’ subs was what I was supposed to be there for. Hadn’t been for the helmsman changin’ course just as I whanged away, there’d have been a right sick tin fish out there now. I was steady on it, and as I pressed the button, the ship heeled over to sta’b’d, and my shot went wild. Two seconds more and I would have gethered him in.”

“Utter nonsense, sir!” Mr. Robards said disgustedly. “I was scanning the water all around the ship with my glasses. There wasn’t a sign of anything there, except the Burmese Rajah’s wake.”

“It looked like it was just comin’ up,” Wolver said without interest. “Just barely awash. I got a glimpse of the connin’ tower, seemed like, with a double bow wave a-runnin’ aft along the sides.”

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