OFF TO THE WAR.
"So you want to go to war, eh?"
It was Lord Hastings who spoke. Frank and Jack had lost no time in
putting their plans before him when he returned home the evening on
which the two lads had talked over their future.
"Yes!" replied both lads, in the same breath.
Lord Hastings stroked his mustache.
"Well," he said, "if you have set your minds on going, I know there is
no use of my trying to stop you. Now, I have a plan that I believe will
meet with your approval."
The boys listened eagerly as Lord Hastings continued:
"As you know, the British home fleet is in the North Sea, bottling the
Germans up in Kiel and Helgoland. There is likely to be a battle there
almost any time. My yacht, the _Sylph_, has been converted into a scout
cruiser, and has been heavily armed.
"Although the _Sylph_ is listed as being able to make a speed of only
twenty knots, nevertheless it is swifter than any of our war vessels.
This unknown speed has been useful more than once. My naval rank is that
of captain, and I have been ordered to the North Sea with the _Sylph_!"
"What!" exclaimed the two lads, and Frank continued:
"Why cannot you take us with you?"
"Just what I was about to propose," declared Lord Hastings. "Would you
like to go with me, or would you prefer to join the army?"
"The sea for me!" exclaimed Jack.
"For me, too!" declared Frank.
"Good!" replied Lord Hastings. "Then that part is settled."
"But what will be our duties?" asked Jack.
"Well, while you will be only unofficial members of the crew, in view of
the service you have done for England, I believe my influence is great
enough to have you rated as midshipmen."
"But we know nothing of naval warfare," declared Frank.
"The chances are that we won't have to do a great deal of fighting,"
explained Lord Hastings. "But I guess you will both be able to give a
good account of yourselves if we do."
"We shall do the best we can," declared Frank.
"You won't find us shirking our duties," Jack agreed.
"I'm sure of that," replied Lord Hastings, rising. "I must go now, and I
shall try and get your appointments to-night. I shall let you know what
success I have in the morning. Good-night."
Lord Hastings left the room, and Frank and Jack immediately fell into a
discussion of the times that were to come. So interested did they become
in their talk that it was well after midnight when they finally went to
bed.
They were up bright and early the next morning, however, so eager were
they to learn the result of Lord Hastings' mission, and were already
there when that gentleman entered the breakfast room with a smile on his
face.
"Well," demanded Frank, so anxious that he was unable to wait for Lord
Hastings to speak, "is it all right?"
"Did you fix it?" asked Jack.
Lord Hastings nodded.
"Yes; it's all right," he replied. He drew from his pocket two official
and important looking papers. "Here are your appointments as midshipmen
in his majesty's navy. You have been assigned to the _Sylph_, under my
command."
"Hurrah!" cried Frank.
"Hurrah!" shouted Jack.
Lord Hastings smiled quietly at their enthusiasm.
"I am glad you are pleased," he said.
"You bet we are pleased," said Jack. "We can never thank you enough."
"We certainly can't," declared Frank. "But when do we go?"
"Now, don't get excited," laughed Lord Hastings. "There is plenty of
time. We shall go on board the _Sylph_ to-night and sail about midnight.
Now come with me, and we'll see about getting your uniforms."
Their uniforms obtained and their other needs having been supplied, the
boys spent the rest of the day strolling about the city. So great was
their impatience to be off that the hours dragged by slowly and time
hung heavily on their hands as they wandered about, waiting for six
o'clock, when they were to meet Lord Hastings at his home.
As with everything, however, the time came and passed, and Frank and
Jack at last stood again upon the deck of the _Sylph_. It was almost
midnight when the little scout cruiser finally slipped her cable and
steamed proudly down the Thames.
"Well," said Jack, "we are off at last. I wonder where we shall be next
month at this time?"
Frank shrugged his shoulders.
"Who knows?" he replied.
For several hours the two lads stood upon the deck, gazing over the rail
into the dark waters of the river; but at length they turned in.
The _Sylph_ was manned with a crew of 100 men, besides her officers. A
small cruiser, she nevertheless had been an extremely large-sized yacht.
All told she mounted ten eight-inch guns and several smaller pieces.
Used frequently as she had been by Lord Hastings on diplomatic and
political missions, the _Sylph_ had always been prepared to resist an
attack, so that her present armament was only twice what it had been.
While the _Sylph_ would stand little chance against one of the great
German dreadnoughts or battle cruisers, Lord Hastings had little doubt
that she could give a good account of herself in an encounter with some
of the enemy's smaller vessels. If he encountered one of the enemy's
bigger vessels, it was Lord Hastings' plan to run, and he was positive
that he could not be overhauled; for the _Sylph_ had the heels of
practically anything afloat.
Officers and crew were trained to the minute. Picked from among the
flower of Britain's sailors, drilled so that they went about their work
like well-oiled cogs in a great machine, they were all eager to get into
action.
Although rated as midshipmen, Frank and Jack were not assigned to fixed
stations. They had been given a cabin just off the one occupied by Lord
Hastings. The _Sylph_, ostensibly a pleasure yacht, had been fitted up
with roomy and beautiful cabins, and this space, although the yacht now
was a war cruiser, necessarily had to be utilized.
Under Lord Hastings, Lieutenant Edwards was the second in command. The
next two ranking officers were Second Lieutenant Taylor and Third
Lieutenant Harvey.
Bright sunlight streamed into the cabin occupied by the two boys when
they awoke the morning following their departure from London. They
jumped up, dressed hurriedly, and went on deck. There was no land in
sight, nor was there even a sail in the distance; nothing but water as
far as the eye could see.
The little cruiser steamed swiftly along, rising and falling gently with
the swell of the sea. For a long time the boys stood gazing out over the
water, and they were still there when Lord Hastings approached.
"Good morning," he greeted them. "How do you think you will like life on
the ocean wave?"
"It's glorious," replied both lads in a single voice. "Where are we?"
"We are headed straight for the North Sea," was the reply.
"Is there any danger of our meeting a German warship?"
"Very little. Of course, there may be a cruiser prowling about, but I
doubt it. I did hear, however, that there was a German cruiser in these
waters several days ago. Nothing has been heard of her since, in spite
of a keen search. She has probably put into some neutral port. In that
event she must either leave in twenty-four hours or disarm until the end
of the war."
"Are we to join the fleet immediately?"
"No, not immediately. We shall do some scouting for several days off the
Scandinavian coast, trying to pick up some of the Germans who, under
neutral colors, have been laying mines in the North Sea."
"But isn't there some danger of our striking a mine?"
"Not around here. Farther along, of course, we shall have to be
extremely careful."
For two days the _Sylph_ continued on her way without incident.
Frank and Jack quickly fell into the routine life aboard the cruiser,
and performed such duties as were from time to time assigned to them in
such manner as to draw forth the praise of Lord Hastings and his
officers.
It was on the third evening after leaving London that Frank and Jack,
who were standing on deck, were startled by a cry from the lookout:
"Cruiser off the port bow, sir!"
The word was passed and Lord Hastings quickly appeared on deck.
"A German, as sure as I am a foot high!" he declared, after a long and
careful scrutiny through his glass.
"She's a German, sir," agreed Lieutenant Edwards, "and she is headed
directly for us."
"We'll go a little closer, and try to make out her identity," was Lord
Hastings' order. "Slow down to fifteen knots!"
Soon the ship, at first but a speck in the distance, was close enough
for Lord Hastings to make out her colors.
"American!" he said; then turning to Lieutenant Edwards, added:
"Try her on the wireless!"
"No reply," came the answer from the wireless room a few moments later.
Still the ships continued to draw nearer to each other.
Suddenly the American flag at the masthead of the stranger fluttered
down, and a moment later the German colors were run up in its stead.
At the same moment a loud boom sounded from across the water, and there
was a great splash in the water behind the _Sylph_.
The wireless operator approached Lord Hastings:
"A message from the German, sir!" he said.
Lord Hastings took the slip of paper extended to him, and read aloud:
"Surrender, or we shall blow you out of the water!"