Then we doubled back on our course. As we came
about he called, "Ready with your mines, Guy?"
"Ready, sir!"
"Let go!"
At the word over went the big raft. We sailed on for a quarter mile or
so. "Let go!" Over went the second. A quarter mile farther and the third
one went. Each mine had its time-fuse. In a very few minutes--the _Bess_
was in by the corner of the delta again--the inshore mine exploded.
Following the noise and flame there was a quiet and a great darkness,
and then from the southerly guard-ship a rocket, while from the shore
burst forth new lights. If the surf had not been roaring, we knew that
we could have heard those joyful yells from the watchers up that way.
Everybody on the coast knew that the _Bess_ carried two long-toms and no
lack of ammunition for them. We could imagine their chuckling over our
explosion.
Then came the second explosion, and five minutes later the third, and
from her a great flame which continued to burn.
"Captain Blaise, I don't understand. Why that fire-raft?" Miss Shiela
had reappeared on deck.
"Why? We are hoping that they will think that we are sailing out to sea
in line of the explosions, just the opposite from what we are doing. If
they will but think that that burning raft is our burning hold and that
we are in distress, why--Look, Miss Shiela!"
Two war-ships were now signalling to each other recklessly, and their
signals gave us a chance to reckon pretty nearly the course that they
were steering.
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