Banzai! | Page 9

board--I noticed it only this morning."
The Mindoro now lay fast beside the wharf, and Colonel Prettyman
hurried across the gangway to the gunboat and went straight to
Parrington's cabin, where the two shut themselves up with the German
officer.
A few minutes later an excited orderly rushed on board and demanded
to see the colonel at once; he was let into the cabin, and it was found
that he had brought a confirmation of Parrington's suspicions, for a
wireless message from Manila informed them that the Monadnock had
been destroyed in the roads of Manila through some inexplicable
explosion.
Parrington sprang from his chair and cried to the colonel: "Won't you at
least pay those cursed Japs back by sending the message, 'We suspect
that the Japanese steamer anchored beside the Monadnock has blown
her up by means of a torpedo?' Otherwise it is just possible that they
will be naïve enough in Manila to let the scoundrel get out of the harbor.
No, no," he shouted, interrupting himself, "we can't wait for that; we
must get to work ourselves at once. Colonel, you go ashore, and I'll
steam toward Manila and cut off the rogue's escape. And you"--turning
to the German--"you can return to your ship and enter the bay; there are
no"--here his voice broke--"no mines here."
Then he rushed up on the bridge again. The hawsers were cast off in

feverish haste, and the Mindoro once more steamed out into the bay at
the fastest speed of which the old craft was capable. Parrington had
regained his self-command in face of the new task that the events just
described, which followed so rapidly upon one another's heels, laid out
for him. An expression of fierce joy came over his features when,
looking through his glass an hour later, he discovered the Kanga Maru
holding a straight course for Corregidor.
As calmly as if it were only a question of everyday maneuvers,
Parrington gave his orders. The artillerymen stood on either side of the
small guns, and everything was made ready for action.
The distance between the two ships slowly diminished.
"Yes, it is the Japanese steamer," said Parrington to himself. "And now
to avenge Harryman! There'll be no sentimentality; we'll shoot them
down like pirates! No signal, no warning--nothing, nothing!" he
murmured.
"Stand by with the forward gun," he called down from the bridge to the
men standing at the little 12 pounder on the foredeck of the Mindoro.
The Mindoro turned a little to starboard, so as to get at the broadside of
the Japanese, and thus be able to fire on him with both the forward and
after guns.
"Five hundred yards! Aim at the engine room! Number one gun, fire!"
The shot boomed across the sunny, blue expanse of water, driving a
white puff of smoke before it. The shell disappeared in the waves about
one hundred yards ahead of the Japanese steamer. The next shot struck
the ship, leaving in her side a black hole with jagged edges just above
the waterline.
"Splendid!" cried Parrington. "Keep that up and we'll have the villain in
ten shots."
Quickly the 12 pounder was reloaded; the gunners stood quietly beside
their gun, and shot after shot was fired at the Japanese ship, of which
five or six hit her right at the waterline. The stern gun of the Mindoro

devoted itself in the meantime to destroying things on the enemy's deck.
Gaping holes appeared everywhere in the ship's side, and the funnels
received several enormous rents, out of which brown smoke poured
forth. In a quarter of an hour the deck resembled the primeval chaos,
being covered with bent and broken iron rods, iron plates riddled with
shot, and woodwork torn to splinters. Suddenly clouds of white steam
burst out from all the holes in the ship's sides, from the skylights, and
from the remnants of the funnels; the deck in the middle of the steamer
rose slowly, and the exploding boilers tossed broken bits of engines and
deck apparatus high up into the air. The Kanga Maru listed to port and
disappeared in the waves, over which a few straggling American shots
swept.
"Cease firing!" commanded Parrington. Then the Mindoro came about
and again steered straight for Manila. The act of retribution had been
accomplished; the treacherous murder of the crew of the Monadnock
had been avenged.
When the Mindoro arrived at the harbor of Manila, the town was in a
tremendous state of excitement. The drums were beating the alarm in
the streets. The spot where only that morning the Monadnock had lain
in idle calm was empty.
* * * * *
The explosion of the Monadnock had at first been regarded as an
accident. In spite of its being the dinner hour, a