Boy Allies with Uncle Sam's Cruisers

by Clair W. Hayes

  CHAPTER XXVIII

  PLANNING THE ATTACK

  "Think I'll have a little confab with my friend Virginia," said Jack,soon after they had returned to the fort.

  "With whom?" asked Captain Jack.

  "Oh, we haven't told you about that, have we?" said Jack. "I mean theUnited States cruiser Virginia. I picked her up on the wirelessyesterday."

  "You did, eh?" laughed Captain Jack. "Did you give them our location?"

  "I didn't know it," said Jack.

  "Well," said Captain Jack, "if you'll let me do the talking this timeI'll give it to them."

  "Better give them the location of the submarine base, instead," saidJack. "We'll make our start tonight, and it might be well to have acruiser or two drop in at the finish. But I didn't know you were awireless operator."

  "I'm not much of one," returned Captain Jack, "but I'm not so bad,either."

  The two went into the wireless room, where Captain Jack adjusted thereceiver over his head. Then he began to flash the Virginia call intospace; and at last he got an answer.

  "Kaiserland?" came the query.

  "Yes," Captain Jack flashed back.

  "Who's sending?"

  Captain Jack hesitated a moment and then replied:

  "Pirate chief."

  "So you have captured the other party, eh?"

  "No, we've just joined forces. We are going to raid the Germansubmarine base tonight."

  "Are you telling the truth or trying to throw me off the trail?"

  "I'm telling the truth. The man you talked to yesterday is here, ifyou care to talk to him."

  "Let me talk to him."

  Jack took Captain Jack's place at the wireless. It took someconversation to convince the commander of the Virginia that all waswell but Jack did it at last and gave the location Captain Jack gavehim.

  "We haven't been able to pick up any wreck," said the Virginia, "and wehad about given up hope of finding you. We tried all night and allmorning to pick you up."

  "We were busy," said Jack.

  "You must have been," was the answer. "You say you will make the raidtonight?"

  "Yes; when can you get on the ground?"

  "Not before morning. Maybe you had better wait so we can join forces."

  "Not much," Jack flashed back. "This is my plan and I'm going to dothe work."

  "All right, but be careful. I'll put other vessels in this water intouch and have them on the scene as soon as possible."

  "All right," said Jack. "How many vessels in these waters?"

  "Half a dozen."

  "Well, you'd better get as many of them as possible on the scene," saidJack. "There might be a slip, you know."

  "I'll do the best I can. Good-by and good luck to you."

  "Good-by!" flashed Jack.

  "Not much help to be expected from that source, unless we wait," thelad said to Captain Jack.

  "Well, we don't want to wait," said the chief of the pirates.

  "Right you are as you are."

  "I'm just as anxious for action."

  They returned to the other room, where Jack called a council of war.

  "The time to strike is now," he said when the others had gatheredaround the table, all except the pirates, who were still outside.

  "I agree with you," said Frank. "How long a march is it, CaptainJack?"

  "If we leave here two hours before dark we will reach the base soonafter midnight," was the reply; "but if you will allow me, I have aplan to suggest."

  "Let's hear it, Captain," said Jack.

  "To my way of thinking," said Captain Jack, "it would be better if weattack from two places."

  "Two places?" echoed Frank.

  "Yes. My plan would be to send the bulk of the men afoot, while I picka crew for my submarine and strike from the sea."

  "By Jove!" said Jack. "A first class idea! But will not the Germansubmarine base be mined?"

  "It wasn't when I was there before," said Captain Jack significantly."Otherwise I would not have come out whole with a submarine."

  "That's true," said Jack. "Well, I agree with you. Yours is by farthe best plan. How many men do you need aboard the submarine?"

  "Not more than fifteen. The others will go a foot."

  "There is a hitch in this plan, though," said Frank.

  "What is it?' demanded Captain Jack.

  "Well, your men may be willing to follow you all right, but will theyfollow me, or Jack here? You can't go by land and by sea both, youknow, Captain."

  "By George!" exclaimed Captain Jack. "I hadn't thought of that.However, I have no doubt it can be remedied."

  "I think I can point out the remedy," said Captain Glenn.

  "What is it, Captain?"

  "Well, Frank and Jack here know something about submarines, they tellme. My advice would be to put one of them in command of your menaboard the submarine rather than in command of the land party. Chancesare none of your men know aught of navigation and would have to dependupon the man in command, whereas, on land, they might think they couldshift for themselves."

  "I am of your opinion, Captain," said Captain Jack, "and shall act uponyour advice. Now, is Templeton or Chadwick the better man for thejob?"

  "I fancy one will do as well as the other," put in Williams.

  "Personally," said Frank, "I should like the job myself."

  "It's yours, then," said Captain Jack briefly.

  "Maybe the men will object," said Frank.

  "Let 'em," returned Captain Jack. "I'll fix that."

  "That's arranged then," said Jack. "Next thing, Captain Jack, is toselect the men for the crew. Williams, you'd better go aboard thesubmarine as first officer."

  "Suits me," said Williams briefly.

  "I'll draw up a list of the crew," said Captain Jack.

  He produced an old envelope and a lead pencil and scribbled. Directlyhe pushed back his chair.

  "That's done," he said. "What next?"

  "What's the lay of the land, Captain?" asked Jack.

  "Well," replied the pirate chief, "I'll give Chadwick here a chart thathe will find sufficient for his purposes. I made it, thinking I mightwant a second submarine some day."

  "But how about the land party?" asked Jack.

  "The German base," said Captain Jack, "extends along the southernextremity of the island for perhaps a mile. You see, therefore, thatit's small. I don't believe there are more than a dozen submarinesthere. Whether there are more large raiders, I can't say. I wouldn'tbe surprised, however, if the one you put a torpedo into the othernight was the last. That would mean that ashore, besides whatevernumber of the submarine crews that are aboard their vessels, therewould be comparatively few men. We'll count the submarine crews astwenty-five men to a ship. That's 300 men. There may be an additionalhundred men on the ground, but I doubt it."

  "But they must have some means of protection," said Jack. "Big guns,and rifles a-plenty."

  "Rifles, yes," was the reply, "but few big guns. They feel so securein their hiding places that they have made use of their guns mostly toarm merchant raiders."

  "I see," said Jack. "Well, we'll have to leave something to chance.Now the question arises as how best to destroy the place, submarinesand all."

  "Well, I can fix that, too," said Captain Jack. "Bombs are the thingsto do the trick. Half a dozen bombs scattered about and timed nicely,and there won't be a German submarine base at this time tomorrow."

  "All right so far as the land side goes," said Frank, "but how aboutthe submarines?"

  "Mines," said Captain Jack quietly, "timed to explode simultaneouslywith the bombs ashore. You can lay them from the submarine."

  "By Jove!" said Jack. "You'd make a first class combinedgeneral-admiral, Captain Jack," declared Captain Glenn.

  Captain Jack smiled slowly.

  "I've had all this planned for many a day," he said quietly. "I didn'tknow when the Germans might declare war on me, and when they did I wasdete
rmined to exterminate them."

  "Well, plans thus being decided upon," said Frank, "there is nothing todo but await the hour of departure."

  They discussed the plans in detail while they waited, however. At fouro'clock Captain Jack got to his feet.

  "Time to get busy," he said.