CHAPTER XXII.
TOWARD OSTEND AGAIN.
Jack had been ready for this command and repeated Lord Hastings' wordsimmediately. Not a second was lost, and a moment later the tanks beganto fill and the submarine sank lower and lower in the water.
Jack, who had glued his eye to the periscope, gazed at the Germanbattleships as long as it stayed above water. In the few moments that ittook the craft to submerge, he saw that two of the enemy's craft hadbeen struck and that the other two had trained their big guns upon theU-6. His heart beat fast, for he was afraid the submarine would beunable to put a thick enough blanket of water above it to withstand theGerman shell, should the first shot be gauged accurately.
Just before the periscope disappeared beneath the surface, cutting offthe lad's view, he heard the faint sound of a gun. He braced himself forthe shock that he expected; but none came. The first shell had gone wideand he breathed easier. Before the second shot came, the U-6 was safe inthe depths.
"Pretty close," the lad muttered aloud.
"What was pretty close?" demanded Frank, who had not heard the sound ofthe shot. "Didn't we hit either one of them?"
"Oh, yes, we got them both," replied Jack. "I was talking about our ownescape. The Germans fired one shell at us and they can't have missedvery far. Fortunately, we came down before a second."
"Shape your course due east, Mr. Templeton," commanded Lord Hastings atthis juncture. "We'll have a try at another of them."
Jack gave the command.
"Twenty knots!" ordered Lord Hastings.
The U-6 leaped forward beneath the water like a thing alive. For fifteenminutes she sped on and then rose until her periscope showed above thesurface.
"As I expected," said Lord Hastings. "The enemy is making for home, butwe have outrun them and are now between them and their goal." He gaugedthe range carefully and then ordered: "No. 2 torpedo!"
Again all was expectancy aboard the submarine as all eagerly awaited thenext command. It was not long coming.
"Attention!" the signal board read.
And a moment later came the next command:
"Fire!"
A shell sped across the water straight for the third German battleship.Through the periscope Lord Hastings saw the German vessel give a greatlurch, then leap almost clear from the water, where it seemed to hangsuspended for a full minute, before it came down again. As it did sothere was a blinding flash and a detonation that was heard in thesubmarine.
"Pierced her magazine!" said Lord Hastings quietly.
He stepped aside that Jack might have a look above.
The latter's eyes sought out the spot just in time to see the giantbattleship split in twain and disappear beneath the sea. Farther back hesaw the two others of the enemy listing badly to port, and knew thatthey had received their death blow.
The fourth and last vessel was still unharmed and was bearing down onthem at full speed. Even as Jack looked there came a puff of smoke fromone of her forward turrets and a great splash, less than a hundred yardsahead of the U-6, told that the submarine had been discovered.
"Submerge!" cried Jack.
Lord Hastings repeated the command immediately for he realized that thevessel must be in danger. Even as the periscope disappeared from sight,there was a second flash from the German and a shell glanced off thebow, sending the U-6 staggering and hurling the officers and crew to thefloor.
The men picked themselves up quickly and all stood silent for a moment.
"Test the pumps quick!" was Lord Hastings' first command after he hadregained his feet.
"No damage there, sir," came the cheering news a moment later.
"Signal the engine room! Something may have given way," ordered LordHastings.
This was done, but the engineer reported no damage.
Frank and Jack both breathed easier, as did Lord Hastings.
"A pretty narrow squeak," remarked Lord Hastings calmly.
"Rather, sir," agreed Jack dryly. "And now shall we go after the otherone, sir?"
"I guess not," replied his commander. "After this day's work we canafford to let one escape. There is no use taking further chances.Besides, she'll be on the lookout for us and might cripple us the momentwe showed ourselves. No; we'll head west again and won't come to thesurface until we are well out of this. You may come about, Mr.Templeton, and proceed due west at ten knots."
This was done and the U-6 did not come to the surface again until hercommander felt sure that he had no longer need to fear the singleremaining German battleship. Then, upon the surface again, LordHastings, Frank and Jack ascended the bridge.
Through their glasses, far back, they could still see the Germanbattleships, which, though wounded unto death, were still afloat,apparently battling desperately to resist the sea that was trying todraw them under. The water was still full of bobbing heads--the Germansailors who had leaped into the sea.
"Poor fellows," said Lord Hastings compassionately.
"Why didn't the other ship stop and pick them up?" demanded Jack.
"Didn't have time, I guess," returned Jack dryly. "Her commander was intoo big a hurry to get away from there. He deserves the same fate forrunning away from them, if you ask me."
"He certainly does," agreed Lord Hastings. "However, there is nothing wecan do for the poor sailors in the water; we have no room for them here.They will have to shift for themselves. It's the fortune of war."
"And now where to, sir?" asked Frank.
Lord Hastings looked at him amusedly.
"I guess that is the hundredth time you have asked me that question," hesaid. "However, I don't mind answering it, although you will find someday, should you chance to serve under another commander, that suchquestions are not received with very good grace. I believe we shall takeanother little run into Ostend."
"Good, sir!" said Jack. "We did very well on our last trip. Perhaps weshall be fortunate enough to learn something this time."
"Who knows?" said Frank, with a shrug of his shoulders. "However, thenearer the enemy we are, the more chance for action. The sooner we getstarted the better I shall be pleased."
"It's a short run from here," said Lord Hastings, "and I believe weshall be safe enough if we make the attempt in broad daylight. We'lltake a chance."
He gave the command to go forward and the U-6 moved swiftly ahead.
As Lord Hastings had said, it was not a long run, and two hours later,standing on the bridge, the boys made out in the distance the loftyspires and steeples that they felt sure was the Belgian seaport. Andthey were right.
The U-6 was not molested, not even challenged, as she moved slowly intoport, flying the German flag, her officers and crew all attired inGerman uniforms.
"Where are all the big German battleships?" asked Frank in surprise,after sweeping his eye over the water in all directions in a vain effortto locate one of them.
Jack smiled.
"You ought to know there are no German battleships here," he said.
"But----" began Frank.
"The battleships are still safely bottled up in Heligoland," Jackexplained. "While Ostend is called a German naval base, it is, strictlyspeaking, nothing but a submarine base. The under-sea boats have beenable to run in here without much difficulty, but the larger vesselscould hardly get by on the surface."
"I see," replied Frank. "I hadn't thought of that."
"But it seems to me we are getting in pretty easily," said Jack. "It's awonder we are not challenged. I'm always suspicious of anything that isattained too easily. I wonder if we can be suspected?"
"Not likely," remarked Lord Hastings. "We've come pretty straight, inspite of our short stop. They could hardly have had word of the sinkingof their vessels in the Thames as yet."
"Unless from Davis and his crew, sir," suggested Frank.
"I don't believe they have learned anything from Davis," Jack declared."That bunch of vagabonds are probably prowling about seeking whom theymay devour."
"And I have a
faint hope that they may seek to devour us before long,"said Frank with a smile.
"I've sort-o had that wish myself," Jack seconded his chum. "However, Ifeel certain that we shall come upon them sooner or later."
"And still," said Lord Hastings, "there really is no telling where theyare likely to be. They can't wander too far from their base. They'llhave to put in some place every so often, you know."
"They will live off their victims, providing they have any," said Frank."To find them is like looking for a needle in a haystack. We might haveto search the seven seas."
"And then not find them," Jack added.
"Well, if we do come up with them, I'd like to lay my hands on Davis,"declared Frank.
Jack smiled.
"You laid hands on him last time, if I remember rightly," he said. "Alsohe laid hands on you, and a deal more roughly, too. He might not let youoff so easily again."
"Think so, do you," said Frank, a little sulkily. "He was just lucky,that's all."
"It may have been a little luck," Jack admitted. "At the same time, youwill have to give the fellow credit. He can use his hands. I guess if weencounter him again it will be up to me to handle him."
"You don't seem to have much confidence in yourself," remarked Franksarcastically.
"Well, a fellow has to have confidence in this world," was his chum'sreply. "It may be that he would be too much for me, too; but I've anidea I could take care of him."
"Well, you won't. He's my meat next time," declared Frank.
"We won't argue about it," smiled Jack. "We'll let events shapethemselves when the time comes. Only, if he falls to my lot, I'll try toeven up your score, too."
"And if he comes to me," grinned Frank, "I'll put in a few blows foryou, seeing that you are so obliging."
Boy Allies Under the Sea; Or, The Vanishing Submarines Page 22