Morgan Robertson

“ He opened all his sponson ports, but nothing of the conversation could be heard at the distance. Soon, however, Miss Dolly raced ahead and demurely took her place at the dock. Then a deep-toned voice came over the water.
"So, you young whipper-snapper, just out of the cradle, you can thrash me, can you?"
"I answer for him," roared Warhorse, in a mighty burst of escaping steam. "He can not only thrash you with half his guns, but when you turn to run he can catch you under one boiler. He can toss you out of water with his nose, or climb over you and drown you with his weight. ”

“ And when, after a glorious battle with the mighty waves which tried their best to overwhelm him—a series of spurts ahead and backings astern, quick turns to the right and left under full speed, and a wild rush in a straight line in which he put forth his strength to the utmost, and quivered in every nerve and muscle, and roared and shrieked in his joy of might—he returned to his place in the harbor, fatigued and panting and hot with exertion, the joyous buzzing of the parasites equaled his mightiest roar. The buzzing was answered by other buzzing from other bugs on other ships in the harbor ”

“ He approached carefully and passed Miss Dolly the end of a four-inch steel hawser, which she tied to her forward bitts, and, being agitated, she tied an extremely hard knot—a mischance often happening in feminine experience with shoe-strings; then, with Warhorse leading and setting the pace—twelve knots an hour—the cavalcade proceeded, with the subdued young lady contentedly rocking along in the oil-smeared wake of Vengeful.
Steam-boats are hard to tow; and notoriously harder than all are torpedo-boats ”

“ When it strikes it explodes and dies; but its victim dies as well; for the mightiest craft on the sea cannot withstand the impact of two hundred and twenty pounds of exploding gun-cotton. Like all of his kind, Vengeful carried torpedo-tubes, but only because he was born with them. ”

“ Vengeful now fought with a strength and ferocity which would have soon ended the combat in his favor had not a slight difference between himself and Black Jack come into play as a factor in the interchange of force. The Russian's armor-belt was of equal thickness from bow to stern; Vengeful's, thicker than Black Jack's amidship, was thinner at the ends by several inches. And far down beneath the protective deck in the stern, shielded only by the thin armor-belt, was a vital part which deserved better protection—the tiller and steering-gear. ”

“ The fleet was frankly proud of him, and even the flippant comment of the unprotected sisterhood held none of the usual sarcasm, while the behavior of Miss Dolly was most exemplary—as old Warhorse put it: "Minding her own business, and sawing wood like a lady." ”

“ He shivered, and experienced the freezing sensation in his veins which comes to the bravest in time of sudden peril yet kept his head; and Warhorse bunglingly endeavored to bring a four-inch slow-fire gun in amidships sponson to bear on the angry female.
"I beg of you, Miss Dolly," said Vengeful, gently, "not to continue this scene. You do yourself an injustice." ”

“ Before he slipped his moorings he again turned a gun on Vengeful—this time a small four-inch—and discharged it unshotted, repeatedly, each bark holding a note of hatred and challenge.
"Don't answer, Vengeful," cried Warhorse, soothingly. "Act when the time comes; but—I'll do the talking." He "talked" with a series of barks from a still smaller gun, the intent in the choice meaning the same as Black Jack's—that big-gun fire would be wasted on so poor an adversary. The Russian said no more ”