The Boy Allies with Uncle Sam's Cruisers Part 13

With a desperate effort the two broke through the ma.s.s of the enemy and leaped safely to the bridge. Four Germans piled forward with them.

Meantime Lord Hastings' force was so hardly pressed that he for the moment lost sight of the bridge. Under the volleys of the Germans who still stuck to the forecastle, the Americans and English threw themselves to the deck for what little shelter they could find. There they sniped off what numbers of the enemy they could.

Then the Germans who held the forecastle charged.

There was nothing for Lord Hastings to do now but order his men to their feet to meet this situation. At command, they leaped up quickly and presented a solid front to the foe.

In the foremost of the fighting was Captain Stoneman, erstwhile commander of the Algonquin. He had long since discarded his empty automatics to favor of bare fists, and now he flung himself into the midst of the battle. Others sprang forward with him, those who were still armed firing point blank into the ma.s.s of the foe.

The Germans gave ground.

The men who had been released last by Jack and the big negro now dashed forward with wild cries of joy and fell upon the enemy from the rear.

On the bridge, Jack, Frank and the negro Tom now were battling with fully a dozen men. No shots were fired. All on the bridge had exhausted their ammunition, and now fell to with b.u.t.ts of revolvers and their naked fists.

"Charge 'em!" shouted Jack suddenly, who realized that the enemy was working back so that they could get their hands on the machine guns.

Frank and the negro asked no questions. Jack dashed forward; they followed him.

"I'm coming, suh!" shouted the negro.

His long arms flew about like flails, and wherever those bra.s.s knuckles struck a man went down. Jack felled two men with as many blows. The negro accounted for two more. Frank dropped one to the deck.

There were still seven against three, and the Germans pressed forward with wild cries.

Again the bra.s.s knuckles found their mark and a German toppled to the deck. Glancing around, the huge negro saw Frank locked in a close embrace with a powerful German.

The negro stepped back and struck out viciously. The grip on Frank relaxed.

There were but five men to deal with now.

One of these Jack disposed of with a blow to the point of the chin.

Frank brought his revolver crashing down on the head of another. Tom's knuckles went home again.

There were only two Germans on the bridge now. These turned to run.

Tom stepped forward with quick strides and grasped one by the arm, twisted sharply and sent him hurling into the sea. Then, with the rage of battle still in his heart and before Frank or Jack could stop him, he struck the remaining German a powerful blow in the face. The man crumpled tip and lay still.

The three now were the undisputed masters of the bridge. But along the deck the battle still raged.

Jack sprang to the nearest machine gun. Frank and Tom each manned another.

CHAPTER X

VICTORY

"Never mind that gun, Frank!" shouted Jack. "Take the wheel!"

Frank obeyed without hesitation. He knew that one machine there would be as good as a dozen, and he realized that to keep the big ship on an even keel would be of great a.s.sistance.

Again Jack raised his voice. "Lord Hastings!"

His hard pressed commander caught the sound of the lad's voice. He glanced about.

"To the bridge!" cried Jack. "Get out of the line of fire, sir."

Lord Hastings gave a sharp order to his men. Immediately they jumped back, and at a second command, dashed toward the bridge, fully two hundred of them. The others lay about the deck in scattered heaps.

Realizing the import of this ruse, the Germans ran swiftly after them that they too might be out of the line of fire from the machine guns on the bridge.

But the men under Lord Hastings had acted too promptly for the Germans. With the British and Americans out of harm's way, Jack turned the machine gun loose on the deck.

Shrieks and cries arose. Jack stopped his fire.

That single machine gun had done more execution in one single instant than the attacking party had done in the rest of the battle.

"Throw down your arms!" Jack commanded.

The Germans obeyed.

"Jack," said Lord Hastings, "take twenty men and search the ship below. Shoot any man who offers resistance. Tom, take the wheel.

Frank, take twenty men and go to the engine room and make prisoners of the stokers."

The two lads hurried away on their several errands.

Frank found the men in the engine room working as though nothing had happened. In some unaccountable manner they had not heard of the fighting above. Frank's men covered them. There was no resistance.

Jack, descending the hatch with his men, encountered opposition in the captain's cabin. Half a dozen men had taken refuge there and refused to emerge.

"Come out or we shall fire through the door!" Jack shouted.

Revolvers spoke from the inside and bullets crashed through the door.

This was the German reply.

"Break down the door, men," said Jack quietly.

This was the work of an instant, although one man dropped while it was being done. The door flew inward.

A single volley greeted Jack and his men as they appeared in the doorway but the men had stooped low and none was. .h.i.t.

Before the Germans could fire again, Jack and his men dashed forward.

The Germans were soon overpowered. Jack marched them back on deck.

There Lord Hastings had just accepted the surrender of the vessel from a young ordnance officer, the sole German officer left alive with the exception of Captain Koenig, who was still unconscious in his cabin.