Adventure Magazine Cover, April 3, 1918 — page 166: what you’re looking at

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

164. Yi Sun-sin, the great sea-fighter and in- ventor of Korea. As the Japanese gazed with open eyes and mouths, the dragon’s jaws spat smoke and flame, and a heavy cannon-ball tore through the crowded waist of one of Kuru- shima’s junks. The shrieks of the wound- ed rang piteously; but through and above them beat a thunderous yell of defiance from the whole Japanese fleet. ‘Tall, nar- row banners, bright with the insignia of a hundred fighting feudal chiefs, were waved on high. From junks and sampans swords, spears and halberds glistened in the sun. The archers of Japan bent their seven-foot bows, and a storm of burning fire-arrows flew through the air. But the thick shafts flew in vain, for they only rebounded from the tortoise-boat’s iron deck, and fell hissing into the sea. Matchlock-men fired their shot, but the balls glanced from the Korean’s iron plates with a sound like that of hail-stones on a metal roof. “Tf we, too, had cannon—” cried Kuru- shima’s helmsman; but the Daimio cut him short. “Why should we use the weapons of cowards?” he exclaimed. “We have not needed them on the land, why on the sea? ‘The sword is the soul of the Samurai.’ ” It was his favorite proverb; and now he and his men, in open boats, were ready to put their trust in the sword, even against an ironclad. By this time the monster was right among them. Besides the dragon-mouth forward, there were six similar embrasures on each side, and another aft. Burning to come to hand-grips, the Japanese pressed up in their swarming open boats, striving to close and board. But one after another, they were shattered by crashing broad- sides. Between broadsides, while the Korean gun-crews rammed home fresh charges, the bowmen beside them shot fire-arrows into the crowded vessels of Japan. The wooden hulls caught fire easily, and several were soon ablaze. An abortive cheer rang out as one daring sampan, carrying a company of eager men-at-arms, pulled squarely athwart the tortoise-boat’s bows. But the cheer died as the Korean’s long, sharp ram cut her in two as if the sampan had been a straw, spilling her swordsmen into the sea. With unchecked speed, the ironclad passed over Adventure the swirl where her brave enemy had been, brained the struggling swimmers with her swinging oars, and rammed the largest junk in the Japanese fleet. Her side crushed in at the water-line, the junk heeled over, filled and went down with all on board, as the tortoise-boat backed away and started for a fresh victim. Through the length of the entire fleet the ironclad tore her way, mangling helpless sampans with her terrible beak, sinking great junks with the fearful balls from her well-directed cannon. With frantic cour- age, the Japanese bore in, hoping against hope for a chance to board and avenge their butchered comrades. But all was in vain. The tortoise forced a path through them all, and sped on toward the south, as if sated with destruction. Undaunted, her surviving enemies put about, doubling on their former course, and hastened to pursue their now fleeing foe. Soon the Japanese squadron was strung out in a long, scattering line ahead, as the speedier of them outdistanced their laboring fellows. But not even the swiftest held its own with the tortoise-boat, whose well-modeled racing hull beneath the over- hanging gun-deck gave the lie to her name. On they pressed, pursuers and pursued, oars churning the water white; till the Japanese line was punctured with great aps. Suddenly the ironclad’s speed slackened, her oars trailed idly. With loud shouts of ‘Banzai’ the leading Japanese bore down upon her. When barely two ship’s lengths separated them, the Korean oars struck the water again; but with a difference. Admiral Yi Sun-sin had built his vessel alike at both ends; he had ordered his rowers to face about, and what had been the stern of the tortoise-boat was now her bow. Hardly had his nonplused pursuers realized the maneuver, when the ironclad, tearing toward them with growing speed, rammed and sank the foremost sampan, and came back down the line of her widely scattered adversaries, ee backing and striking again. It was too much. Crying that this sea- monster was the work of gods or demons, but not of men, the crews of several ships hurled their useless weapons into the sea. Some, fleeing swiftly, were fortunate enough to reach the shore, where they beached and set fire to their vessels to save them from Gomicbdooks (C@ |