JACK TO THE RESCUE.
Frank and Edwards both whirled hurriedly; and not a fathom's length away
rode a second small boat; and standing forward were two men, their
revolvers levelled directly at the heads of our friends.
"Up they go, Edwards," said Frank quietly, dropping his rifle and
suiting the action to the word. "It's no use; they've got the drop on
us."
"They have, sir," agreed Edwards.
His rifle also fell to the bottom of the boat with a clatter and his
hands went in the air.
"Good!" said one of the men in the other boat. "You will please keep
your hands where they are." He turned to his companion. "Fritz, you row
closer, while I keep them covered."
The latter obeyed and soon the two boats scraped.
"Now you will please come aboard my boat," ordered their captor, still
keeping them covered. "One false move and you are dead men. Come quickly
now."
Frank realized there was no hope for it, so he obeyed without a word.
Edwards followed suit.
"Take your places forward there," commanded their captor.
The prisoners obeyed.
"Very good. Now, Fritz, row to the boat."
The latter dipped his oars in the water and the rowboat moved toward the
motorboat, at which Frank and Edwards had so recently fired. There the
first captor--the man who seemed to be in command--ordered Frank and
Edwards over the side.
"Quick, now!" he commanded.
Frank climbed aboard first and as he rose to his feet there was the
sound of a shot and the lad felt a bullet whistle past his ear. He
dropped to the deck.
"Great Scott! I forgot about Jack being out there," he muttered. "He
almost picked me off that time." He raised his voice in a shout. "Hey,
Jack! quit that! It's me, Frank! We are prisoners!"
A moment later Edwards clambered over the side of the motorboat and this
time there was no shot. Frank felt sure that Jack had heard him and
understood the situation.
Now their two captors came quickly over the side and the first turned
upon Frank.
"Who were you shouting to?" he demanded.
"Oh, just a friend of mine," replied Frank, with a slight shrug of his
shoulders. "He's out there," and the lad waved an arm across the water.
"And what's he doing out there?"
"The same thing we were doing when you found us. Trying to get you
fellows."
"Oh, I see," was the reply. "You had us between two fires, eh. It's
lucky we put off before you got so close. We heard firing and came back
to have a look around."
"Then that's the way you spotted us, eh?" said Frank. "I didn't think
you could have got off without my seeing you."
The man made no reply to this, but turned quickly to the other.
"We'll have to get away from here at once, Fritz. Take the wheel."
The latter sprang aft with alacrity, while the first man leaned down and
began to tinker with the engine. Frank took a quick step forward and
seemed about to leap upon his captor, but the latter turned from the
engine and a revolver was in his hand.
"I wouldn't if I were you," he said quietly.
Frank stepped back.
"Oh, all right," he said.
The little motorboat began to move.
The captor raised his voice.
"Hans! Franz!" he called.
There was no answer and after a moment he repeated his calls.
"If you were calling your men, I fear you are wasting time," said Frank
quietly.
"What?" exclaimed his captor.
"Exactly," replied Frank. "It was necessary for us to shoot them before
you were fortunate enough to find us."
"I see," replied the boy's captor slowly. "Well, I shall have more to
say to you about that later."
He again began to tinker with the engine and the motorboat now increased
its pace; and then, as the man raised his head to look at Frank, he
perceived two dark figures suddenly clamber over the rail and dash
toward him.
Frank saw them in the same instant.
"Jack!" he cried.
The German, for such Frank felt sure his captor was, rose quickly to his
feet, revolver in hand. He raised it quickly, and pointing it at Jack,
who was dashing forward closely followed by Williams, fired.
The distance was so close that a miss would have been impossible and
Jack would probably have been killed had it not been for Frank.
The latter sprang quickly forward and seized the German's arm even as
his finger pressed the trigger and the bullet went wild. With a muttered
imprecation, the German whirled on Frank, reversed his revolver quickly
and brought it down on the lad's head.
Frank fell to the deck without a groan and lay still.
At the same moment a shot from the helmsman struck Williams in the chest
as he and Edwards dashed toward him and the man fell to the deck,
mortally wounded.
Edwards, unarmed, dashed upon the other, but even as he would have
grappled with the man, the latter dodged and Edwards went staggering by.
Before he could recover himself, the German had clubbed him over the
head with his revolver butt.
Thus were three of the friends put hors de combat almost quicker than it
takes to tell it. There remained now only Jack, with two against him,
both armed.
Jack raised his revolver at the moment Frank fell unconscious to the
deck and the German whirled quickly to face him. Both fired at the same
moment and both stepped aside as they did so. Jack felt a bullet graze
his hand and his revolver fell clattering to the deck. The other, he
saw, had not been touched.
Jack sprang forward and grappled with the German even as the helmsman,
having disposed of Edwards, took a snap shot at him. The lad stepped
forward just in time to escape the bullet.
Realizing now that he had a foe behind as well as in front, Jack seized
the first German in a powerful embrace, the man's pistol hand going over
his shoulder; and at that moment the German pressed the trigger.
A howl of pain came from the helmsman. The bullet had struck the
latter's revolver on the barrel and the force of the shock had
momentarily numbed the man's hand.
Jack seized the first German's arm and by a quick twist sent the
revolver spinning across the deck, and it passed beneath the rail and
into the water.
Now the lad brought rushing tactics into play and pushed the first
German the length of the deck before the latter could brace himself.
There Jack's eye caught the gleam of the helmsman's pistol and with a
quick kick he sent it hurtling overboard also.
But Jack's antagonist was a strong man and the lad knew that he had a
hard job on his hands to dispose of him alone, to say nothing of the
second man, who, the lad knew, would be fit again in a moment.
But it was no time for indecision; and Jack sprang forward. His right
fist shot out with stinging force--a blow that would have ended the
battle right there had it landed, but the German ducked and clinched. At
this kind of fighting, he was more Jack's match and he seized the lad in
a tight embrace.
"Fritz!" called the German, as he and Jack struggled about the deck. "A
hand, quick!"
Fritz was now on his feet and he came forward in response to this
command. One huge fist he raised, and would have brought it down on
Jack's head had not the lad seen him out the tail of his eye and moved
his head swiftly to one side.
The blow missed.
Jack, with one hand free for a moment, dealt the helmsman a blow in the
face as he swooped past; then again turned his attention to the first
man.
The latter now also freed an arm and Jack staggered back from a heavy
blow in the face. Blood streamed from a cut over his right eye, blinding
him momentarily.
Jack shook the blood out of his eyes with a toss of his head and stepped
forward angrily. He had no mind to let his adversary clinch again if he
could help it.
As the German rushed Jack met him with a stiff left to the face and the
man halted in his tracks with a cry of pain. Jack followed up this
advantage with a right-handed blow to the abdomen, doubling the German
up like a knife. Then the lad reached his opponent's jaw with a hard
left.
The man staggered back and crumpled up in a heap.
"So much for you," muttered the lad, turning just in time to meet the
rush of the helmsman, who had now recovered from the effects of Jack's
blow and was coming angrily forward.
Now, this second man was even larger and more powerfully built than the
first German, and one huge arm warded off Jack's first short jab for the
face. Instead of attempting to return the blow, the helmsman grabbed
Jack by the arm, and yanked him suddenly forward.
Jack, caught unprepared, went stumbling forward. The helmsman stepped
aside and struck heavily at the lad as he reeled past.
Had he taken his time and aimed carefully the battle would have ended
right there; fortunately, however, his haste was too great and he only
struck the lad a glancing blow.
In spite of this fact, however, the force of it was so great that it
staggered the lad. Apparently believing that this one blow would end the
fight, the German stepped back to watch the effect of it.
But Jack did not fall. Staggering forward, his hand caught the rail of
the boat, where he stood a moment, recovering himself.
The German advanced with a smile on his face. Jack turned to meet him.
Slowly the German came on, his great arms raised awkwardly and then it
dawned upon Jack that all that was necessary to dispose of this great
brute was a little skill and caution. His head was clear now and he
advanced confidently.
The German rushed forward. Jack side-stepped neatly and struck his
opponent a heavy blow just above the right ear as he passed. The man
turned quickly and just in time to catch a second powerful blow on the
forehead. Another man would have gone down, but the German sprang
forward ready for more.
And he got more. Jack stood off at arms' length and peppered him
beautifully. In vain the German struck out and sought to clinch. Jack
dodged his blows and evaded his clasp with ease. And then the lad saw
the opportunity he had been awaiting.
In a desperate attempt to clinch, the German exposed his jaw. Jack's
right flashed out quickly and then the lad stepped back. His fist had
found its mark; and the German staggered back, reeled, swayed--fell to
the deck unconscious.