CHAPTER XIV
MISFORTUNE
At full speed the Lena continued her voyage through the densefog.
"Is there any danger of our colliding with another ship, speedingalong like this without knowing what is ahead?" asked Frank insome anxiety.
"Certainly," replied Jack. "However, it is a chance we musttake. We know what lies behind, and the way I figure it is thatit is better to take a chance on what may lie before rather thanon what we know lies behind."
"Right," said Frank, and he became silent.
All night the Lena forged ahead at full speed through the fog,which hung thick and dismal overhead and all about; and all thistime the boys did not leave the bridge.
The men were allowed to rest at their posts, but were kept on thealert, for, as Jack said, "we must be prepared for anything."
Jack looked at his watch. It was 8 o'clock in the morning; and,even as he glanced at his timepiece, the fog lifted as suddenlyas it had enveloped them.
"This is better--" Frank began, and broke off with a cry ofamazement.
Not a hundred yards to the leeward his eyes fell upon the darkhull of the German cruiser which had pursued them the nightbefore. Evidently the commander of the vessel had anticipatedthe course of the Lena and had taken the same route. There is notelling in what imminent danger the two had been of a collisionduring the night, as both had sped along silently, each fearingto betray his presence to the other.
Jack espied the enemy at the same instant that Frank cried out;and he acted upon the instant.
Hoarse commands were shouted across the decks of the Lena, and amoment later her small guns burst into sound. In spite of thefact that the enemy must have been on the lookout for the Lena,it was apparent that the Lena had been the first to realize thepresence of the other.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" spoke the Lena's guns, and the soundwent hurtling out across the sea.
"Crash! Crash!"
At this close range a miss was almost out of the question, andthe Lena's shells crashed into the sides of the German cruiser.The German vessel staggered and reeled, but in a moment her bigguns answered the smaller caliber ones of the Lena.
The Lena quivered like a human thing under the deadly hail offire from the enemy. The great guns raked the merchant ship fromstem to stem, pierced her until her sides resembled nothing morethan a sieve. Men fell everywhere, many prisoners being killedby fragments. But still the Lena continued to fight back.
Standing upon the bridge Jack directed the fighting of his ship.He realized in the first moment of contact that the doom of theLena was sealed. She was no match for the German cruiser, but,before going down, it was his intention to do as much damage aspossible to the enemy. And the fire of the Lena was doingterrific damage.
Men fell on the cruiser as well as on the Lena. Shells crashedaboard, tumbling down masts, bursting in the mouths of the gunsand hurling showers of iron about. Grimy-faced men ran hitherand thither about the decks of both vessels. They had long sincelost all resemblance to human beings, and all fought like demons.
The German commander did not call upon the British to surrender.Evidently he did not wish to be bothered with prizes. To sinkthe enemy--that was his sole aim.
One by one the guns of the Lena were put out of action, untilfinally but two remained to reply to the fire of the enemy.Slowly the head of the Lena swung round, to permit of these lasttwo guns being brought to bear.
"Boom! Boom!" They spoke their last message, and two shellspierced the very heart of the German cruiser.
There was a sudden, terrific explosion. A fierce red sheet offlame leaped from the German cruiser, and shot high in the air.The center turret rose with the flame and fell back to the watersof the North Atlantic in a million pieces.
The magazine of the cruiser had blown up! Her vitals were openedand the waters engulfed her.
The two lads stood on the bridge of the Lena, open-mouthed, awedby this spectacle. Both were too surprised to speak. At thevery moment when the battle seemed lost, one well-directed shothad turned the fortunes of war in favor of the arms of theBritish.
At length Frank spoke.
"It is a miracle!" he exclaimed.
"No," replied Jack calmly, "not a miracle; rather, the courageand bravery of the sons of Britain are responsible for this goodfortune."
He turned his eyes upon the floating wreckage. Not a survivorwas in sight. "Poor fellows!" he said, half aloud, "may theyrest in peace!"
At this moment the chief engineer came rushing on deck. Bloodstreamed down his face and one arm hung limp at his side.
"The engines are out of commission, sir," he reported, "and thereis three feet of water in the engine-room. The ship is sinking!"
Jack drew himself up to his full height and shouted out hisorders:
"Man the boats!" he cried.
He called the second and third officers.
"Look after the wounded," he commanded. "See that they are allplaced in the boats. Release the prisoners, but they must shiftfor themselves."
"And the dead, sir?" questioned the second office.
Jack lifted his cap from his head.
"The dead," he said softly, "must be left to the mercy of thesea. We can do them no good."
The second officer saluted and hurried away.
Frank and Jack superintended the lowering of the boats. Eachsmall craft already contained a quantity of provisions and water,and, at Jack's command, such small arms as could be hurriedlysecured were thrown overboard. The wounded were lifted gentlyinto the boats--the dead left where they had fallen. The lastact was to release the prisoners. That was all that could bedone for them.
At last all the boats were manned, and, at a word from Jack, theyput away from the ship. Each boat was crowded, for some had beendamaged in the battle with the German cruiser and made unfit foruse.
Slowly the boats pulled away from the Lena.
"Which way?" asked Frank.
"Due east," replied Jack. "We must be some place off the coastof France, and, unless a storm arises, we stand a good chance ofreaching land safely."
He cast his eyes toward the Lena.
"And hurry!" he commanded. "The Lena is likely to go down anymoment, and, if we do not put some distance between us, she islikely to carry us under also."
The men in the boats bent to their work with a will, and soonthey were out of danger.
"There she goes!" exclaimed Frank suddenly, and, standing up inthe boat, he pointed a finger toward the Lena.
Slowly the ship had been settling by the head. Now she sanklower and lower in the water. A terrible hissing arose and wentforth across the sea. The water had reached her boilers.
Then the bow of the ship climbed clear out of the water, for amoment pointed almost straight toward the sky--it seemed thatshe would turn completely over--then suddenly lurched heavilyforward, and dived.
The water foamed angrily white, parted quietly for the Lena, asshe took her death plunge, rose high in the air; then, its furyover, closed calmly over her. The Lena was gone.
"And so," said Jack sadly, "goes my first command!"
Frank laid his hand on his friend's arm.
"It's pretty tough," he said, "but there is no use crying overspilt milk. What can't be cured must be endured, you know."
"You are right," replied Jack, "and the thing do now is to tryand reach land."
Standing up in the boat and shading his eyes with one band helooked eastward across the water for a long time. Then he satdown.
"See anything?" Frank asked.
"No."
"Have you any idea how far we are from shore?"
"I don't believe we can be very far away. With clear weather andsteady rowing I believe we should make land within twenty-fourhours, at least."
"Well," said Frank, "when we get ashore, what then?"
"Why," replied Jack, "we must return to London if we can andreport to the Admiralty."
"And the
n what?"
"Then," said Jack slowly, "I hope we shall once more be assignedto a ship that is going into battle, that we may avenge ourselvesfor the loss of the Lena, and, yes, the death of Lord Hastings!"
Boy Allies under Two Flags Page 14