The Boy Allies at Jutland Part 23

"Well, they probably will be in sight by the time we come up with the _Glasgow_," said Captain Raleigh.

But two hours later, when the _Queen Mary_ and _Indefatigable_ came up with the other British ships, no enemy had been sighted yet. It was then almost nine o'clock.

"You are sure you have not miscalculated the time?" Captain Raleigh asked of Frank and Jack.

"Positive, sir," replied the former. "Besides, you have the doc.u.ment relating to the attack."

"True enough. The enemy probably has been delayed. Or perhaps they will await the coming of daylight."

"It would be better if they did, for us, I mean, wouldn't it, sir?"

asked Frank.

"Much better," replied his commander briefly.

"Then let us hope that is what happens."

"But I am afraid it won't happen," said Jack. "If the Germans get this far safely, they won't wait for us to overtake them."

"No; you're right there," said Captain Raleigh. "The thing that worries me is that, if they do get by us, they will spread out all over the sea. They will be able to raid the British coast, may succeed in running through the English channel, and then we shall have to round them up all over again. They would scatter over the seven seas."

"Then we've got to lick 'em," declared Frank, grimly.

Captain Raleigh smiled.

"That's the spirit I like to see," he said quietly. "It is the spirit that has carried the British flag to victory against overwhelming odds on many occasions."

"But he is not an Englishman, sir," said Jack with a smile.

"What?" exclaimed Captain Raleigh. "Not an Englishman? Then what is he?"

"American," was Jack's reply.

"Oh, well, it amounts practically to the same thing," declared Captain Raleigh.

"Next to being an American," said Frank, quietly, "I would be English."

The first officer, Lieutenant MacDonald, burst into the captain's cabin at this moment.

"Message from the _Glasgow_, sir!" he exclaimed. "German battle squadron, steaming at twenty knots, sighted five miles off Jutland, sir!"

CHAPTER XV

THE FIRST GUN

Skagerak, in which the greatest naval battle of history was about to be fought, is an arm of the North Sea between Norway and Denmark. The scene of the battle was laid off Jutland and Horn Reef, on the southern extremity of Denmark.

From the reef of Heligoland, the main German base in the North Sea, to Jutland, is about one hundred miles as the crow flies. Therefore, it became evident that the German high sea fleet must have left the protection of that supposedly impregnable fortress some time before.

That the advance of the German fleet had been well planned was indicated by the very fact that it could successfully elude the British cruisers patrolling the entrance to the mine fields that guarded Heligoland itself. Could a British fleet of any size have got between the German high sea fleet and Heligoland the menace of the German fleet would have ended for all time.

At the moment, however, the British warships were scattered over the North Sea in such a manner as to preclude such an attempt; and the best Admiral Beatty and Admiral Jellicoe could hope for was to come up with the German fleet and give battle, preventing, if possible, the escape of any units of the fleet to other parts of the sea and to drive all that the British could not sink back to Heligoland.

The German dash of one hundred miles across the North Sea was a bold venture and one that the British had not believed the Germans would attempt at that time. British vigilance had been lax or the German fleet could never have gone so far from its base without discovery; and this laxity proved costly for the British; and might even have proven more costly still.

Above the German fleet came a fleet of aircraft, augmented to a great degree by three powerful Zeppelin balloons. Lying low upon the water also was a fleet of German submarines.

As the German fleet approached Jutland on the night of May 31, it was shrouded in darkness. The night was very black and a heavy fog hung over the sea. The night could not have been better for the attempt, which would, in all probability have succeeded, had it not been for the fact that the British had been forewarned.

Forewarned is forearmed; and this fact alone prevented the Germans from carrying out their designs. It is history that the approach of the German fleet had been reported to the commander of the British cruiser _Glasgow_ by an aviator, who had sailed across the dark sea in a hydroplane. Whether the Germans knew that there were but three British vessels in the Skagerak cannot be told, but certainly they believed they were in sufficient strength to force a pa.s.sage, particularly by a surprise attack, which they believed the present venture would be.

Therefore, it must have been a great disappointment to the German admiral when a single big gun boomed in the distance.

This was the voice of the British battleship _Queen Mary,_ which, taking directions from the _Glasgow's_ aviator, had fired the opening shot, telling the Germans that their approach had been discovered and that the pa.s.sage of the Skagerak would be contested.

Immediately the German fleet slowed down; for the German admiral had no means of knowing the strength of the British fleet at that point.

Hurried orders flashed back and forth. A few moments later three aeroplanes, which had been hanging low above the German fleet, dashed forward.

They had been ordered forth to ascertain the strength of the British.

In almost less time than it takes to tell it they were directly above the British fleet, which, so far, consisted only of five ships of war-- besides the _Glasgow,_ an armored cruiser, the _Albert_ and _Victoria_, torpedo boats, being the _Queen Mary_ and _Indefatigable_.

As the Germans approached in the air, a hydroplane ascended from each of the British ships and British aviators gave chase to the enemy. One, which had come too close, was brought down; but the other two returned safely to the shelter of the German fleet, where the British dare not follow them because of the presence of a superior force of the enemy.

But the German aviators had learned what they had been sent to learn.

They had discovered the strength of the British. Again sharp orders were flashed from the German flagship.

The fleet came on faster.

Captain Raleigh, because of his seniority, had taken command of the small British squadron. He had drawn his ships up in a semicircle, heads pointed to the foe. As his aviators signalled that the Germans were again advancing, Captain Raleigh gave the command that had been long eagerly awaited by the men--a command which the commander of the _Queen Mary_ had delayed giving until the last moment because he desired to give his men all the rest he could.

"Clear for action!" he thundered.

Jack glanced at his watch and as he did so eight bells struck.

"Midnight!"

The exclamation was wrung from Frank.

"And no aid for at least three hours," said Jack, quietly.

As the lad spoke the fog suddenly lifted and gave to the British a view of the advancing German fleet.

"Forward turret guns!" cried Captain Raleigh, "Fire at will!"

A terrible salvo burst from the 16-inch guns in the forward turret.