CHAPTER XII.
A BRUSH WITH THE ENEMY.
Lord Hastings turned to the operator with a smile.
“Tell him to blow away!” he said, and the operator departed, grinning broadly.
The first shades of darkness were now beginning to encircle the little vessel.
“The enemy has the range of us,” said Lord Hastings to Lieutenant Edwards, as a second shell whistled over the bow of the vessel, kicking up a great splash in the water.
“Yes, sir,” was the reply; “our guns are ineffective at this distance.”
Under Lord Hastings’ command, the Sylph came about, and headed back in the way she had come.
“What would you say she is making?” asked Lord Hastings of Lieutenant Edwards, indicating the approaching German cruiser.
“About twenty-one knots, sir.”
“Good. Set our speed at twenty-four, then.”
“Very good, sir.”
The Sylph seemed to leap forward. Then Lord Hastings took the time to explain his plans.
“We don’t want to run entirely away from her,” he explained. “We want to keep just enough ahead of her so she will continue the chase. Darkness will be upon us in an hour. I should like to capture that cruiser single-handed, and some method may present itself. But in the meantime we must keep out of range of her big guns.”
The Sylph gradually drew away from her pursuer. When the distance between the two vessels was such that Lord Hastings deemed accurate shooting by the German impossible, the speed of the Sylph was reduced to twenty-one knots.
These relative positions the two vessels maintained until darkness fell; then the glare of a searchlight aboard the German fell upon the Sylph and lighted her up like day. So the chase continued for another hour.
Suddenly the wireless operator came on deck, and rushed breathlessly up to Lord Hastings.
“I have just picked up the British cruiser Lancaster,” he cried. “I told her we were being chased by a German cruiser, and she is coming to our aid. She gave her position as twenty miles west of us, sir.”
“Good,” replied Lord Hastings. “Keep in touch with the Lancaster.”
The operator departed.
“How is she headed?” demanded Lord Hastings of Lieutenant Edwards.
“Due west, sir,” was the reply.
“Make it west by south,” ordered Lord Hastings.
“Very good, sir!”
Gradually the Sylph bore off toward the south, the German cruiser still in pursuit.
For more than an hour the chase continued, the Sylph still keeping the same distance ahead of the German. Then from the northwest came the distant flash of another searchlight.
“Ship off the starboard bow, sir!” came the cry of the lookout.
“Slow to fifteen knots!” came Lord Hastings’ order, and there was a perceptible diminishing in the speed of the Sylph.
Still the German cruiser came on, quickly reducing the distance between the two vessels. Then, suddenly, the light that illumined the Sylph disappeared; the searchlight on the German had been turned in another direction.
“She has sighted the Lancaster, sir,” said Lieutenant Edwards.
“So she has,” replied Lord Hastings. “Bring the Sylph about, and make your course north by east, Lieutenant Edwards.”
“Very good, sir,” was the lieutenant’s reply, and the Sylph came about quickly.
Hardly had the little vessel laid herself out on her new course, when Lord Hastings’ voice rang out:
“Full speed ahead!”
The Sylph jumped forward like some live thing, and headed in the direction of the German cruiser, still bearing somewhat to the south.
Frank and Jack watched all these maneuvers with the greatest of interest. When the word was passed that the vessel approaching was a German cruiser, the boys had been greatly excited; and, when the Sylph had turned and fled from the enemy, their disappointment knew no bounds.
“Great Scott!” Frank exclaimed. “We are running away!”
“I don’t believe Lord Hastings is the man to run very far,” Jack replied. “Besides, you can see as well as I can that the Sylph is no match for the German. She would shoot us out of the water before she approached within range of our guns.”
“Perhaps so,” returned Frank, “but just the same I would rather fight than run away from that cruiser, big as she is.”
“I feel the same way. But 'discretion is the better part of valor,’ you know. Besides, I believe Lord Hastings has some scheme in his mind.”
“Well, I hope so,” declared Frank.
The boys had spied the distant light of the approaching Lancaster practically at the same moment as had the lookout; and, when the Sylph once more came about and headed toward the German cruiser, Jack exclaimed:
“What did I tell you? I said Lord Hastings wasn’t the man to run far, no matter how great the odds against him.”
“You are right,” was Frank’s reply. “It looks as though we were to see a little action.”
“Yes, and it’s likely to be a pretty sizable fight, or I miss my guess,” returned Jack.
For fear of giving notice of their approach to the enemy, who now apparently had forgotten the existence of the Sylph in the approach of the Lancaster, the call to quarters was not sounded on the Sylph. Upon orders of Lord Hastings, Frank and Jack went quietly about the ship, summoning the men to their posts.
There was not a light upon the Sylph as the little vessel bore down upon the enemy. The searchlight of the Lancaster now enveloped the German, and the searchlight of the latter now played upon the swiftly oncoming British cruiser.
On the Sylph everything was ready for the struggle. The perfectly drilled crew had cleared for action in no time. Lord Hastings and Lieutenant Edwards made a round of inspection, and spoke inspiring words to the members of the crew.
“Remember the words of Lord Nelson,” cried the former, “'England expects every man to do his duty!’”
A cheer was quickly silenced when Lord Hastings raised his hand for quiet.
“Our chance of coming out of this engagement alive,” Lord Hastings said to the gun crews, “is that you make every shot count. A vital spot must be hit at the first fire. The enemy’s great guns would tear us to pieces. If we can take them by surprise, we have more than an even chance of success.”
Lord Hastings returned to his place on deck.
Nearer and still nearer the Sylph crept toward her foe; and now the speed was reduced to fifteen knots.
“Another ten minutes and we shall be near enough to strike,” declared Lord Hastings to the group of officers about him. He turned to Jack and Frank. “Take your posts,” he said, “and keep me informed if we are struck and what damage is done by the enemy’s fire.”
Frank and Jack descended to the lower deck—now converted into the gun deck. Both lads were trembling with eagerness and excitement.
“How do you feel, Jack,” asked Frank, “scared?”
“No, not exactly,” was the reply. “I feel rather funny, though.”
“Same here,” said Frank, “but I guess we’ll get over that as soon as things break loose.”
“Yes; and they’re about due to break,” declared Jack.
Members of the gun crews joked each other good-naturedly, as they waited for the command to fire.
And still there was a death-like silence on the Sylph.
“Great Scott!” exclaimed Frank at last. “This is the longest ten minutes I ever saw!”
“Don’t you worry,” replied Jack, “they’ll be over——”
Then suddenly it came. Even from where they stood, the boys could hear the clear, quiet voice of Lord Hastings:
“Lieutenant Edwards, you may fire at will!”