The Boy Allies Under the Sea Part 22

Suddenly Edwards, who stood forward on _The Hawk_, caught the peculiar fluttering of the signal flags aboard the _Glasgow_.

"_Glasgow_ signalling, sir," he reported to Lord Hastings.

Lord Hastings quickly drew the attention of Commander Thompson to the _Glasgow's_ signals, at the same time deciphering them for Frank and Jack.

The first signal read:

"Small vessel dead ahead."

Commander Thompson flashed back his response:

"Submarine?"

"Can't make out yet," was the answer.

There was some further wig-wagging; and then the need for this means of communication suddenly ceased.

There came a sharp blast from the _Glasgow's_ horn and the big ship slowed down abruptly. Then came the sound of a shot from dead ahead and there was a splash between the _Glasgow_ and _The Hawk_.

"The enemy!" exclaimed Lord Hastings.

Aboard each of the small motorboats every man sprang to his post. Soft commands carried back and forth across the water, while the signal flags of the Glasgow continued to flutter.

Then, even as Lord Hastings received from the _Lion_ the command to advance, he read the last signal of the _Glasgow_.

"Submarine has halted us," it read. "Dead ahead."

The motorboat fleet came to life upon the instant. Again it divided into two parts, one pa.s.sing on each side of the _Glasgow_, and darted forward toward the enemy.

Aboard each the forward guns were manned, the gunners ready to fire at the word.

On the _Glasgow_ all was confusion. Pa.s.sengers, attracted by the sound of the shot from the submarine, sprang from their tables and dashed on deck. There, as they made out the submarine, they turned pale. Only the rea.s.suring voices of the officers averted a panic.

Then the pa.s.sengers turned their attention to the fleet that was now pa.s.sing around the big liner to the attack.

Rapidly the little craft sped forward and before the submarine commander had divined their presence, they were swooping down upon him, seemingly from all directions. Stunned at this unexpected arrival and before he could give a word of command, _The Hawk_ unloosened her forward gun.

The sh.e.l.l went wide, but it brought immediate action from the submarine commander. Evidently he had no mind to try and torpedo the little craft, realizing, perhaps, that did he sink one the other would destroy him.

Motioning the other three men on deck before him, he sprang toward the little conning tower, bent on flight.

At this juncture the _Lion_ came within range and her forward gun spoke loudly. The sh.e.l.l kicked up the water a few yards from the submarine.

"Hoorah!" came the British cry.

"A little soon to cheer," muttered Frank to himself, as he stepped forward to take his second shot at the submarine.

"Boom!"

The gun spoke sharply.

Ahead there was a terrible crash. The German submarine seemed to soar in the air like a skyrocket, and came down in a thousand pieces.

Frank's one well-directed shot had ended the battle.

Then a mighty cheer went up from the men of the mosquito fleet, in which the pa.s.sengers aboard the _Glasgow_ joined with a will.

Jack sprang forward and gave his chum a resounding slap on the back.

"That's what I call shooting," he declared fervently.

"Good work, Frank," said Lord Hastings quietly, stepping forward. "An excellent shot."

Ma.s.ses of wreckage floating upon the surface of the sea were all that was left of the German submarine, with here and there a few floating bodies. Soon these disappeared and there was nothing to indicate that an under-sea craft had so recently been near.

From aboard the _Lion_, Commander Thompson signalled his compliments to The _Hawk_.

"And now I suppose we will go back again," said Frank to Lord Hastings.

"Well, no," was the reply. "The _Glasgow_ is not safe yet. There may be other submarines in these waters. I should say that we shall escort her all of a hundred miles."

"What I would like to know," said Frank, "is why her commander, instead of trying to escape at once, didn't launch a torpedo or two. He might have disposed of one of us."

"But the others would have surely done for him," said Lord Hastings. "He probably figured he could submerge before we could hit him."

"He guessed wrong that time," declared Frank.

"Rather," agreed Jack with a smile. "There is no use talking, Frank, you are some boy when it comes to shooting."

All that afternoon the motorboat flotilla trailed the _Glasgow_; but until nightfall no other German submarine had appeared. An hour after nightfall, Commander Thompson gave the command to put about and return.

Slowly the little craft came about and started back toward Bantry Bay.

Behind them now, the _Glasgow_, safe at last, steamed rapidly away, bound for the distant port of New York, and "home," said Frank to Jack.

"Do you wish you were on her," asked his chum curiously.

"No," replied Frank, slowly, "unless I was sure I would find my father waiting for me when I reached there. However, I am having a pretty good time on this side and I know that I shall return safely some day."

_The Hawk_, last in line, made her way back slowly.

An hour after the lights of the _Glasgow_ had faded from view, Frank, glancing forward, was unable to make out the distant light of a single of the other motorboats. He called Lord Hastings' attention to this fact.

"Is that so?" exclaimed his commander in some surprise. "I had no idea we had been going so slowly. We'll step out a bit."

He issued a command, and the speed of _The Hawk_ increased. But still, after an hour, they had failed to come up with the others.

"Well, it's nothing to worry about I guess. We know the way back as well as the others; besides, there is no particular hurry."

Accordingly _The Hawk_ continued at rather slow speed.