Produced by Sean Pobuda
THE BOY ALLIES UNDER TWO FLAGS
By Ensign Robert L. Drake
CHAPTER I
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
"Boom! Boom!"
Thus spoke the two forward guns on the little scout cruiserH.M.S. Sylph, Lord Hasting, commander.
"A hit!" cried Jack, who, from his position in the pilot house,had watched the progress of the missiles hurled at the foe.
"Good work!" shouted Frank, his excitement so great that heforgot the gunners were unable to hear him.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The Sylph had come about, and now poured a broadside into theenemy.
Then, from the distance, more than a mile across the water, camethe sound of many guns. The German cruisers Breslau and Goebenwere returning the fire.
Shells, dropping in front, behind and on all sides of the Sylphthrew up the water in mighty geysers, as if it were a typhoonthat surrounded the little vessel. Shells screamed overhead, butnone found its mark.
All this time the vessels were drawing closer and closertogether. Now, as the little scout cruiser rose on a huge swell,a single shock shook the vessel and a British shell sped true.
A portion of the Breslau's superstructure toppled; a second laterand the faint sound of a crash was carried over the water to theSylph.
"A hit!" cried Jack again.
A loud British cheer rose above the sound of battle, and thegunners, well pleased with their marksmanship, turned again totheir work with renewed vigor.
"Lieutenant Templeton on the bridge!" came the command, and Jackhastened to report to Lord Hastings.
"What do you make of that last shot, Mr. Templeton?" demanded thecommander of the Sylph. "Is the enemy seriously crippled, wouldyou say?"
"No sir," replied Jack. "I think not. You may see that thewreckage has already been cleared away, and the enemy is stillplugging away at us."
"Mr. Hetherington!" called the commander. The first lieutenantof the little vessel saluted. "Yes, sir."
"I fear the enemy is too strong for us, sir. You will have tobring the Sylph about."
"Very well, sir."
A moment later the head of the little scout cruiser began toswing gradually to the left.
Jack returned to the wheelhouse.
"What on earth are we coming about for?" demanded Frank, as hisfriend entered.
"Lord Hastings believes the enemy is too strong for us," was theother's reply.
"But that's no reason to run, is it?"
"I don't think so, but it appears that Lord Hastings does. Iguess he knows more about it than we do."
"I guess that's so; but I don't like the idea of running."
"Nor I."
At this instant there was a. hail from the lookout:
"Steamer on the port bow, sir!"
"What's her nationality?" bellowed Lord Hastings.
"British, sir," was the reply.
"Can you make her out?"
The lookout was silent for a moment and then called back. "Yes,sir; Cruiser Gloucester, sir!"
"Good!" shouted Lord Hastings. "Lieutenant Hetherington! Bringher about again."
The Sylph came back to her course as if by magic, and once morerushed toward the enemy. Several miles to port, could now beseen the faint outline of the approaching British battle cruiser,sailing swiftly, under full steam, as though she were afraid shewould not arrive in time to take part in the battle.
"Full speed ahead!" came the order from the Sylph's commander,and the little craft leaped forward in the very face of her twolarger enemies.
A shell from the Goeben, which was nearer the Sylph than hersister ship, crashed into the very mouth of one of the Sylph's 8inch guns, blowing it to pieces.
Men were hurled to the deck on all sides, maimed and bleeding.Others dropped over dead. An officer hurriedly reported the factto Lord Hastings.
"We'll get even with her," said His Lordship grimly. "Give her ashot from the forward turret."
In spite of the tragedy enacted before his eyes only a momentbefore, the British gunner took deliberate aim.
"Boom!"
There was silence, as all watched the effect of this one shot.
"Right below the water line," said Lord Hastings calmly. "Apretty shot, my man."
By this time the Gloucester had come within striking distance,and her heavy guns began to breathe defiance to the Germans. Butthe Breslau and the Goeben had no mind to engage this new enemy,and quickly turned tail and fled.
Lord Hastings immediately got into communication with the captainof the Gloucester by wireless.
"Pursue the enemy!" was the order that was flashed through theair.
The two British ships sped forward on the trail of the foe. Butthe latter made off at top speed, and in spite of the shellshurled at them by their pursuers, soon outdistanced theGloucester. The Sylph, however, continued the chase and wasgradually gaining, although, now that the battle was over for thetime being, the strain on the little cruiser relaxed. Woundedmen were hurriedly patched up by the ship's surgeon and hisassistants, and the dead were prepared for burial.
Jack and Frank approached Lord Hastings on the bridge. Thelatter was talking to his first officer.
"They must be the Breslau and Goeben," he was saying, "though Iam unable to account for the manner in which they escaped theblockade at Libau. They were supposed to be tightly bottled upthere and I was informed that their escape was impossible."
"Something has evidently gone wrong," suggested LieutenantHetherington.
"They probably escaped by, a ruse of some kind," said Jack,joining in the conversation.
And the lad was right, although he did not know it then.
The two German ships, tightly bottled up, even as Lord Hastingshad said, in Libau, had escaped the blockading British squadronby the simple maneuver of reversing their lights, putting theirbow lights aft and vice versa, and passing through the blockadingfleet in the night without so much as being challenged. This ishistory.
"Well," said Frank, "we succeeded in putting our mark on them,even if we didn't catch them."
"We did that," agreed Lieutenant Hetherington.
Darkness fell, and still the chase continued; but the Sylph wasunable to come up with her quarry, and the two German cruiserssucceeded in limping off in the night.
"We shall have to give it up," said Lord Hastings, when he atlast realized that the Germans had escaped. "Mr. Hetherington,bring the ship back to its former course."
The lieutenant did as ordered.
"Now, boys," said Lord Hastings, "you might as well turn in forthe night."
A few minutes later the lads were fast asleep in their own cabin,and while they gain a much needed rest and the Sylph continues tospeed on her course, it will be a good time to introduce the twoyoung lads to such readers as have not met them before.
Boy Allies under Two Flags Page 1
