“This beats anything I’ve ever run across!” exclaimed Amos, enthusiastically.
“It certainly is a great sight, and one we never expected to see,” added Jack, though both of them were compelled to speak much above their ordinary tones on account of all the thunderous noise that came over the water.
Some of the vessels were already within the straits, and engaging the enemy to the right and left. Smoke shrouded them from view, and through this pall the flash of the big guns could be seen now and then. Such a din the boys had never listened to. It was like ten thunder storms rolled into one, and “then some,” as Amos declared.
“Talk to me about the Lower Regions!” he exclaimed, “but this is a pretty fair imitation of what I’ve always believed they looked like. Oh! did you see that hit when a shell exploded aboard that cruiser? It must have done heaps of damage, and killed or injured many of the crew. But you don’t notice any slackening of her fire, do you, Jack?”
“If the boat received serious damage she will pull out pretty soon, and allow a substitute to take her place,” Jack explained. “I understand there’s no haphazard work about all this, but every warship has a line of attack laid out that must be pursued.”
“Yes,” Amos admitted, “I can see that while one tackles the batteries over on the Asiatic side of the straits, another sets boldly in and shells a fort on Gallipoli. It will be our turn pretty soon now, for we are entering the jaws of land. Seddul Bahr lies over on the left, and down on the other jaw is Kum Kaleh, both of them long since smashed to pieces, we heard.”
“If the straits were all five miles wide the battle fleet would have passed on through before now,” Jack asserted. “It’s because of the Narrows, and the swift current that carries all the floating mines with it that has held them up. And in my opinion it will be a long time before they break through to Constantinople, for the Turks are fierce fighters, and Mohammedans at that.”
“Why do you add that remark; how does the fact of their being followers of Mahomet make any difference, I’d like to know?”
“Only this,” explained Jack, “as a part of his religion a Mohammedan believes that it is a great honor to be killed in battle, and anyone dying in that way will be transported direct to Paradise. This makes them utterly fearless, and has accounted for most of their victories.”
“Well, well! But it’s almost time for us to get busy, seems like, Jack. There, you can see the big gun is moving with the turret, so as to get in line with some strong Turkish fort far up the waterway, perhaps Kilid Bahr itself in the Narrows.”