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32 - Prisoner of Morro by Upton Sinclair · Prisoner of Morro

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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirty two, Cliff Faraday's Test. The excitement among the
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  Speaker 1: crew of the Spanish steamer was intense as they watched
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  Speaker 1: the light from the flagship and noted the course of
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  Speaker 1: the projectiles that came toward them. For this reason, they
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  Speaker 1: had not observed Cliff's movements and gave themselves no concern
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  Speaker 1: about him. Whatever may have been his intended course of action,
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  Speaker 1: he was at last compelled to abandon it, strain and
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  Speaker 1: tug as he would at the cords that bound his arms.
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  Speaker 1: They remained intact, nor could his ingenuity devise any way
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  Speaker 1: by releasing himself from their hold. Though hastily tied, the
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  Speaker 1: knots had been put there to stay, and Cliff at
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  Speaker 1: last realized that it was a hopeless task to try
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  Speaker 1: to undo them. But though he could not free his
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  Speaker 1: arms and legs, he could use his eyes, and the
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  Speaker 1: scene was one thrilling enough to rivet his attention. The
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  Speaker 1: fast moving steamer urged to its utmost speed, the exclamations
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  Speaker 1: of hope and fear among its crew. The more majestically
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  Speaker 1: moving flagship, whose deficiencies of speed were more than atoned
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  Speaker 1: for by the range of her guns, suggested possibilities to
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  Speaker 1: one in Cliff's position, that might well set one's heart
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  Speaker 1: to beating wildly. If the steamer should escape by reason
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  Speaker 1: of superior speed, it would bring joy to the crew,
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  Speaker 1: but disaster to Cliff, their helpless prisoner. If, on the
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  Speaker 1: other hand, a shot from the flagship should sink the
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  Speaker 1: Spanish boat, Cliff perforce would share death with them. Little
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  Speaker 1: wondered that, as brave as he was, he struggled anxiously
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  Speaker 1: to free his arms and legs from their bonds. The
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  Speaker 1: New York can never catch us, he exclaimed, when he
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  Speaker 1: had settled down to watching the flagship as best he could.
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  Speaker 1: She is too far away, and this boat is too fast.
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  Speaker 1: There was little need of the searchlight now, as dawn
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  Speaker 1: was approaching, the forms of the ships could be distinguished
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  Speaker 1: in the uncertain light. Without its aid. Cliff had been
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  Speaker 1: watching the flagship, which was astern, but now looking forward
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  Speaker 1: he saw a beam of light in that direction. It
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  Speaker 1: was several miles out to sea, and shot across their path.
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  Speaker 1: That must be the Wilmington, he exclaimed, cheered by a
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  Speaker 1: suddenly revived hope. She can cut across our path, and
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  Speaker 1: all may yet be well. He looked back at the
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  Speaker 1: flagship and saw the red and the blue signal lights
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  Speaker 1: flashing their message through the ship ahead, which was, as
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  Speaker 1: Cliff's surmised, the Wilmington, they also carried a message to Cliff.
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  Speaker 1: Nor was their meaning lost upon the Spanish crew. They
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  Speaker 1: have signaled the Wilmington to intercept her, exclaimed Cliff. But
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  Speaker 1: it will be a close race. He heard the signal
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  Speaker 1: from the excited captain of the Spanish boat for more speed,
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  Speaker 1: and the throbbing of the machinery told that they were
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  Speaker 1: endeavoring in the engine rooms to carry out the order.
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  Speaker 1: It seemed as if the engines were already doing their utmost,
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  Speaker 1: but Cliff could notice a slight increase in the headway
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  Speaker 1: they were making as a fast boat, and no mistake,
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  Speaker 1: Cliff thought, as he anxiously strained his eyes to see
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  Speaker 1: what the Wilmington was doing. Answering signals told that she
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  Speaker 1: had received the order from the flagship and that those
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  Speaker 1: orders would be obeyed. Cliff fervently hoped that she would
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  Speaker 1: be successful. He hated to think of the possibility of
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  Speaker 1: a hostile ship succeeding in running the blockade, and now
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  Speaker 1: this patriotic impulse was heightened by the fact that he
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  Speaker 1: was a helpless prisoner on board the very boat that
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  Speaker 1: promised to accomplish that feat. For as he watched the race,
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  Speaker 1: there was a growing conviction in Cliff's mind that the
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  Speaker 1: Wilmington was so far out to see that she could
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  Speaker 1: not hope to stop the Spanish steamer except by the
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  Speaker 1: power of her guns and a hole in the side
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  Speaker 1: of the enemy's vessel. However desirable under ordinary circumstances, did
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  Speaker 1: not coincide with his hopes or ideas. On this occasion,
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  Speaker 1: he had no desire to share a watery grave with
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  Speaker 1: his cat. The two boats were heading for the same point,
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  Speaker 1: the Wilmington seeking to block the path the other was following.
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  Speaker 1: One of her guns spoke out, but the shot fell short.
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  Speaker 1: She was not enraged. Faster went the Spanish boat, and
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  Speaker 1: nearer to the objective point, raced the two vessels. Cliff
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  Speaker 1: breathlessly watched the pursuing craft, whose success meant so much
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  Speaker 1: to him. Could she win? The Spaniards shared his excitement
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  Speaker 1: and watched their opponent with fully as much eagerness. At last,
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  Speaker 1: they broke out into a sheer. Cliff was not slow
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  Speaker 1: to understand its import The Spanish boat was making really
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  Speaker 1: a phenomenal run, and had reached a point where it
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  Speaker 1: was evident that if they maintained their speed, they would
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  Speaker 1: soon be past the dangerous line, that, once reached they
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  Speaker 1: could show the Yankee boat a clean pair of heels.
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  Speaker 1: Cliff's spirits fell when he realized that the Spaniards had
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  Speaker 1: good cause for their jubilation. There was no doubt now
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  Speaker 1: that the steamer could pass the danger line and then away.
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  Speaker 1: The Wilmington, too, seemed to realize that there was no
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  Speaker 1: hope of catching up with the other vessel for now.
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  Speaker 1: The cannon boomed out in rapid succession. They were rapidly
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  Speaker 1: drawing nearer and within range. A shot swept across the
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  Speaker 1: Spaniard's bow, but on she went. Then another struck the
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  Speaker 1: bridge upon which the captain stood, glass in hand, and
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  Speaker 1: he had a narrow escape from flying splendors. But the
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  Speaker 1: goal was too near for them to stop, and he
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  Speaker 1: signaled for more steam. Cliff could not but admire this
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  Speaker 1: officer's pluck. Under other circumstances, he would have said that
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  Speaker 1: the Spaniard deserved to win. The vessel seemed to struggle
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  Speaker 1: to do what was demanded of her, and stead on
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  Speaker 1: another shot from the Wilmington rattled across her bows, but
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  Speaker 1: the crew answered with a cheer, five minutes more and
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  Speaker 1: they would be round the point. And then what would
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  Speaker 1: happen then was never to be known. Suddenly, a loud
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  Speaker 1: explosion was heard from below, and the whole frame of
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  Speaker 1: the steamer shook from n to m. Men rushed on
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  Speaker 1: deck in a panic and wildly proclaimed the cause. A
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  Speaker 1: steam pipe urged beyond its strength had exploded, carrying destruction
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  Speaker 1: with it. The race was lost, and the captain promptly
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  Speaker 1: hauled down his flag, but as he did so, he
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  Speaker 1: gave orders to steer toward the land, and the steamer
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  Speaker 1: came to a standstill not far from the shore. The
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  Speaker 1: Spanish army officer carrying the despatches entered a boat that
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  Speaker 1: was quickly lowered, and when the prize crew from the
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  Speaker 1: Wilmington boarded the steamer, he was safe upon land and
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  Speaker 1: his escape was assured. When the officer in charge of
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  Speaker 1: the prize crew had finished the fore melodies, cliff attracted
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  Speaker 1: his attention. The cadet had apparently been forgotten by his
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  Speaker 1: captors in the excitement of the chase and the calamity
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  Speaker 1: that had come upon them. The American officer was astonished
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  Speaker 1: beyond measure to find one wearing the familiar use uniform
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  Speaker 1: in such a plight on that boat. Why, mister Faraday,
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  Speaker 1: he exclaimed, upon learning Cliff's identity and having released him
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  Speaker 1: from his bonds, we were not aware that they had
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  Speaker 1: an American on board as a prisoner. I thought not
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  Speaker 1: from the way you were firing at us, said Cliff,
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  Speaker 1: with a smile. I thought more than once that you
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  Speaker 1: would send this particular American to the bottom along with
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  Speaker 1: a shipload of the enemy. You were firing too accurately
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  Speaker 1: to suit me this time. Well, the American boys do
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  Speaker 1: come pretty near hitting what they aim at, responded the officer,
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  Speaker 1: evidently pleased at the compliment to their marksmanship. But I
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  Speaker 1: am curious to know how it has happened that we
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  Speaker 1: find you here. Cliff then briefly told of the adventures
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  Speaker 1: that followed his finding of the unexploded shell, which he
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  Speaker 1: picked up from its lodgment in the boat and held
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  Speaker 1: in his hand. So you have risked your life for
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  Speaker 1: that piece of steel, exclaimed the officer. What can it
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  Speaker 1: been your purpose in that? Does it nut say strike you, sir,
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  Speaker 1: that there is something peculiar about it, as Cliff, as
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  Speaker 1: the other examined it. Yes, replied the officer. It is
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  Speaker 1: decidedly out of date and might be interesting as a relic,
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  Speaker 1: but not of sufficient importance to risk one's life. For
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  Speaker 1: I had an idea that there was a mystery about
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  Speaker 1: it that was well worth solving, replied Cliff. And with
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  Speaker 1: your permission, sir, I will put the matter to a
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  Speaker 1: test as you like, responded the officer, with the air
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  Speaker 1: of a man who is indulging some childish fancy. Cliff
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  Speaker 1: was not slow to take advantage of the permission granted,
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  Speaker 1: and carried the shell to a table that stood upon
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  Speaker 1: the after deck. The officer, meantime, paying no further attention
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  Speaker 1: to him, but attending to some further detail of transfer.
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  Speaker 1: Cliff had procured a fuse and inserted it into the shell,
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  Speaker 1: and was upon the point of lighting it when the
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  Speaker 1: officer appeared. Stop sir, he commanded, will you blow us
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  Speaker 1: all the destruction? Others standing near made a move as
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  Speaker 1: if to stop Cliff, but it was too late. The
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  Speaker 1: fuse was burning rapidly. With a cry of alarm and amazement.
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  Speaker 1: The officer's American as well as Spanish sprang to one
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  Speaker 1: side and dodged in great fright. But Cliff calmly stood by,
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  Speaker 1: his arms folded and a confident smile playing about his lips.
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  Speaker 1: He was putting his theory to the test. End of
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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirty two. Recording by Tom West Tom's audiobooks dot com.