Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

-jTSSeeS!*;: Every Tuesday to totter towards number four gun ol the field buttery. They began to fall, and at the tame moment the brecch- workcr of the gun thought the section lientenant had given liiui orders to lire. He jerked at the lanyard, and a broad pencil of flame leapt from the muzzle of whe weapon. "Battery, cease fire." the section lieutenant s-liouted. and rushed forward through the lifting emoko. "I'll teach you to call me a rotten cur," Bill was jelling again, aiming a deft blow at Herbert's jaw. Herbert stopped it as the lieutenant's hand fell on Bill's shoulder. He crouched lo>v. whimpering with fear at the nearness of the field gun above them. "Stop that lighting, you two." ih.- lieutenant ordered. "Get up and re- turn to your posts." "Oh. heavens." whimpered Herbe-t. "It nearly got us. I saw the flash. It almost hit me. I'd have been blown to pieces." "Come on. man," breathed Bill, for- getting his share of the quarrel with abrupt suddenness. "Don't show them you're a coward." Herbert scrambled to his feet as if he had been stung. The word "coward" had roused him from his terror. "I'm not a coward. I'm not^I'in not.". The section lieutenant laid his han;i.s on their shoulders. "Listen, you two," he said in a kindly tone, "don't you think this row has goiu> far enough? You nearly got killed just now, and I'm quite certain that ^^llate^or started it isn't worth a death. What about shaking hands an! calling tiie whole thing off':" Bill looked at Herbert, and Herbert looked at Bill. For several ecconds each hesitated. Then Bill's hand shot out. "I'm crying quits, Hcibert," he said. "So a!u I," Herbert replied. "Now I come to think of it. I suppose I've been a bit of an ass. Let's forget al! about it." "Sure thing we will,"' Bill said as their hands clasped. "But it'e not you that's the ass. It's me." "Nothingof the sort.' Herbert replied. "I was entirely to blame " "I tell you " Tiie section lieutcna:; stepped between then On his faco was a grin "Don't start it aP over again," he said " You'll be having a row over who started the other one in a minute, and we shall all be ns we were before." They both laughed The quarrel was over. Rammed. THE folio wing month's manocu vres were of a more responsible nature The cadet.s had to pu' a diaser barrier across the mouth of the Chesapeake River, some fifteen miles w'ide. and keep out five submarines that had been sent specialh fiom the West Atlantic Fleet. Bill and Herbert found themselves de- BOY'S CINEMA tailed to Submaritie-chaser SC7, v.hero they had to put into practice what they had learnt concerning four-inch semi- automatics—guns that could pump out high-e.Kplosive projectiles weighing sixty pounds each at the rate of thirty-seven rounds a minute. It was the most deadly weapon up to ranges of seven thousand yards that the Navy possessed. The SC7 had not been out for more than an hour before the shout came, "Periscope on the port quarter, sir!" from the look-out. The lieutenant on the bridge promptly settled down behind the range-finder. "Four thousand five hundred yards!" h,- shouted into the gun telegraphs "Deflection one five right." There was a clatter of feet as the ammunition hoists brought a supply of blank charges to the level of the deck, and the gun crews tensed themselves for the one order they wanted. "Add two hundred!" came over the telegraphs. "One six right!" There was silence while the range was being corrected. "Port number one—fire!" The immediate response was a spurt of cordite flame as the trun nmred. Almost before the sound had died down the breech closed over another round. " Steady at four thousand seven hundred, one six right!" the lieutenant went on. He looked down at the gleam- ing guns beneath him, and .'aw that all was in order. "Independent!" There was a shattering roar as four guns broke into life simultaneously, their crews throwing themselves with /.est into seeing how much ammunition they could get rid of before the order came to stop. The gunlayers, tclepad- over their ears, strained for the next word of command. The light craft began to rock under the force of the firing, while aeroplanes hovered overhead watching the progress of the battle in order that their observers could judge whether the attackers or the defenders were winning. Suddenly the submarine at which they had been firing disappeared beneath the surface. "Check!" shouted the lieutenant, and it was repeated by the gunlayers. The breechworkers drew out the safety handles, and the guns relapsed into silence. Almost at once the buzzer in the wireless cabin could be heard working. A few tense seconds passed, and the operator handed to the lieutenant a slip. "Not that time," the slip ran. 'He dived and eluded you." " Shucks," said Bill, when the mes- sage was made known to the crews. "I reckon we had him easily with our last five rounds. What do .you say, Herbert ''." Herbert, who had been in charge of the sights, shifted one of his telepads. "Sure we had him," he replied en- thusiastically. "If we had been using real ammunition instead of blanks, we'd have smashed in his conning-tower like an eggshell. I reckon that umpire in the 'plane doesn't know what he's talking about." "Change stations!" came the order. Bill and Herbert at once left their ■ posts and made their way to the bridge. During the comse of the da.y they had to take a spell at every task on the vessel, and this time they had been assigned to navigation. Herbert took the wheel while Bill pored over the charts with a pair of dividers. The .guns began to roar once again as the submarine broke surface, and fell into silence at a message from the aero- plane that the craft had been adjudged sunk by gunfire. The lieutenant rubbed his hands. "Good stulT," he commented to his ••econd-in-command. "That's one of them. I think we'll try for another part of the channel now. We might be lucky and !,Tab tuo. which would be more " Stop (hat fighting, you two ! " the lieutenant ^^ ordeicd. " Get up and re'uin to your posts." Icliruan utls, 19J0.