Ensign Merrill — page 140: what you’re looking at

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

— Mark sent a man to the foretop to report the first ine a: - PE BADGER BREAKS DOWN. 135. - dications of the enemy. The sailor had hardly reached. — his post when he climbed hurriedly down again, and stated that the masts of the two junks were in plain sight a little offshore and a short distance to the east-— ward. ‘here was no sign of the other. By this time the steamer had nearly reached the open sea. A few minutes later and she passed beyond the ~ islands. The ensign’s first thought was of the one carrying the leader. One glance in that direction re- vealed the unwelcome fact that she was steering close hauled to the westward. ‘They had evidently taken alarm again and were trying to escape. ‘‘tlard aport!’’ cried Merrill to the man at the wheel. “Over with her, lads, over with her.”’ Running to the speaking tube leading to the engine- room, he roared down an order to crowd on every pound of steam possible. “That junk will not get away this time if I can help it,’ he said to Miller, grimly. Then looking hastily toward the quarter he saw the other vessels of the fleet moving down with the wind. There were two of them; large, well-built, and, as he saw at a glance through the spy-glass, armed with sev- eral guns each. The decks seemed black with men, crowding every conceivable space from the forecastle to the poop. Aft, near the huge unwieldy tiller on the foremost one, stood a man whose actions proclaimed him the commander. Although dressed in the Mon- golian costume yet Merrill was able to see that he was not a native. Further examination was summarily stopped by a puff of white smoke bursting from the junk’s forecastle. Before the sound reached them a splash in the water to the right showed the spot struck _by the ball. The combat had commenced. Eomicbooks:.co m