d torpedo tubes.

"Remember, all of you, a lucky shot may turn the tide of battle.

"Officers and men, upon you depends whether the new _Kearsarge_ shall
win a name as lasting and illustrious as did the noble ship from which
that name was inherited.

"The eyes of the world are upon you."

A few minutes later the Captain and the executive officers are upon the
forward bridge, discussing the minor details of the plan of action, and
casting apprehensive glances at the low line of black smoke on the
eastern horizon.

The former is a fine-looking young officer, who has been rapidly
advanced to commanding rank through his zeal and untiring labors to
perfect the navy of his country.

Many an article from his pen on how a ship should be fought has been
published in the scientific papers of America; but now he must put his
theories to the test--to learn by experience, bitter or sweet, whether
he merited the commendation which his numerous articles on naval science
have won for him.

The _Kearsarge_, which was launched in 1900, is an armored cruiser of
9000 tons displacement, 420 feet in length, and 64 feet in breadth. The
main battery consists of four 10-inch breech-loading rifles, firing
projectiles weighing 500 pounds; two mounted in a 10-inch armored turret
forward on midship line, and two in a similarly placed turret aft, and
four 8-inch breech-loading rifles, firing projectiles weighing 250
pounds, mounted two each in a 6-inch armored turret on either beam.

The secondary battery consists of twelve 5-inch rapid-fire guns and
eight 6-pounders mounted in armored sponsons on a covered gun-deck. On
her superstructure rail, about 15 feet above the spar-deck, she carries
twelve 37-millimeter revolver cannon and four long 1-pounders. With this
tremendous battery she can hurl two tons of steel from one broadside of
her main battery every minute, and 362 pounds of steel from her
secondary broadside every five seconds. The velocity of this metal on
striking within battle-range would be about twenty-five miles a minute.
The heavy shells, if striking within the biting angle, can penetrate the
armor of any war-vessel afloat.

On her berth-deck she carries five torpedo-tubes with two automobile
Whitehead torpedoes for each tube. The charge used is sufficient to sink
any cruiser afloat if exploded within ten yards of her bottom plating.
The armor on her sides is 5 inches of steel, and her protective-deck is
3 inches in thicknes