SCOUTING
Harris remained prostrate on the deck.
Quickly, Jack pulled off his gloves and, leaning down, he picked up the
unconscious man and carried him to his own cabin. There he bathed the
man's face and brought him back to consciousness.
"How do you feel, old man?" he asked.
Harris looked at the lad queerly.
"So you beat me, eh?" he said. "Well, to tell you the truth, after the
fifth round I expected it. I am no match for you and I know it. Do you
realize that you are the champion of the British fleet now?"
"I hadn't thought of that," was Jack's reply.
"You have defeated the champion, so your title is undisputed," said
Harris.
He rose from the bunk where Jack had placed him and felt tenderly of
his chin.
"Quite a wallop," he said calmly. "Well, let me congratulate you. I am
glad that, as long as I had to be defeated some day, it was you who
turned the trick."
He extended a hand and Jack grasped it heartily.
"You would probably down me next time," he said.
"Not a chance," replied Harris. "I know when I have met my superior."
He moved toward the door. There he paused for a moment and said:
"Well, I must go and dress now. I hope that I may see you again before
long."
"I am sure I hope so, too," returned Jack.
Hardly had Harris taken his departure when running feet approached
Jack's cabin. A moment later a crowd of sailors burst into the room.
Before Jack realized what was going on, they had seized him, hoisted
him to their shoulders and rushed out on deck again. There, for perhaps
half an hour, they paraded up and down, cheering wildly.
They lowered him to the deck, however, when Captain Raleigh and Captain
Reynolds approached. The former spoke first.
"I must congratulate you upon your remarkable exhibition," he said.
"You are a brave boy."
Jack flushed and hung his head.
"When I am mistaken I admit it," said Captain Reynolds. "You are more
than a match for Harris at any time."
"I did the best I could," said Jack, sheepishly.
"Well, it was pretty good," said Captain Reynolds.
With Captain Raleigh he moved away.
Frank now approached and accompanied Jack back to their cabin, where
Jack got info his uniform.
"Some scrapper, you are," said Frank. "I thought you were done for once
or twice, though."
"I thought so myself," returned Jack, with a grin. "I was pretty lucky
in that last round, if you ask me."
"Harris was pretty unlucky, I know that," said Frank, grimly. "Hurry
up, it's time to eat."
Jack's fight was the talk of the day aboard the _Queen Mary_; and
aboard the _Indefatigable_, too, for that matter. In fact, all the
British fleet within wireless radius knew before night that there was a
new champion of the British fleet; and they cheered him, though he
could not hear.
It was upon the following morning, while the _Queen Mary_ steamed about
in the North Sea, that Jack and Frank embarked upon their first piece
of work since they had been assigned to the giant battleship.
Both lads were in their cabin studying, when an orderly announced that
Captain Raleigh desired their presence. They obeyed the summons at
once.
"And how do you feel today?" asked Captain Raleigh, as he eyed Jack,
quietly.
"First rate, sir."
"Feel like another fight?"
"No, sir. I don't make a practice of that sort of thing."
"I'm glad to hear that. How would you like to take a little trip?"
"First rate, sir. Where to, sir?"
"Well, that's rather a difficult question," returned Captain Raleigh.
"Here, read this," and he passed the lad a slip of paper.
Jack did as commanded. This is what he read:
"Large number of enemy aircraft reported flying over North Sea, fifty
miles south of you, every night. Investigate.
(Signed) "BEATTY."
Jack passed the slip of paper back.
"Well?" exclaimed Captain Raleigh.
"Yes, sir," replied Jack. "You want me to find out what's going on,
sir?"
"Exactly. Can you run a hydroplane?"
"No, sir; but Frank here can."
"Who?"
"Lieutenant Chadwick, sir."
"Oh," said the commander, "so he is Frank, eh? All right. Then here is
what I want you two to do. Take the hydroplane aft and fly south. Take
your time and see what you can find out. The matter may amount to
nothing, and then again it may forebode something serious."
"Very well, sir," replied Frank. "When shall we start, sir?"
"You may as well start immediately. It is hardly possible, judging by
the tone of that message, that you will find anything by daylight, but
at least you can be on the ground by night."
"Very well, sir," said Jack, and waited to see if there were any
further instructions.
Captain Raleigh dismissed the two lads with a wave of his hand.
"That is all," he said. "Report the moment you are able to do so."
The two lads saluted and returned to their own cabin.
"You see," said Frank, "we didn't have to wait very long to find
something to do."
"I see we didn't," agreed Frank. "Now, the first thing to do is shed
these uniforms."
"What for?"
"So that we shall not be taken for British should we fall among the
enemy. We'll put on plain khaki suits."
"Well, whatever you say," said Frank.
This was the work of but a few moments; and half an hour later the two
lads soared into the air in one of the _Queen Mary's_ large
hydroplanes.
"This is something like it, if you ask me," said Frank, as he bent over
the wheel.
"Pretty fine," Jack agreed, raising his voice to make himself heard
above the whir of the propellers and the noise of the engine. "I
wouldn't mind flying all the time."
"Where do we want to come down, Jack?" asked Frank.
"Let's see. The message said the enemy was flying about fifty miles
south. They probably won't be out before dark, so I should say it might
be well to go a little beyond that point."
"All right. But we may miss them in the darkness tonight."
"By Jove! That's so! Funny I didn't think of that. Let me think a
moment."
"No use of thinking," said Frank, "I have a scheme that will work all
right."
"What is it?"
"Why, we'll stop right in the path taken by the enemy planes and then
drop down upon the water."
"So the Germans can see us as they fly by, eh?"
"They won't see us in the dark," said Frank. "We'll be a pretty small
spot down on the water. They will be looking for nothing so small."
"I guess you are right, after all," Jack agreed. "At least it's worth
trying. We'll be sure to hear them flying above; and if we went beyond
the lane of travel, or didn't go far enough, we might not even see
them."
"Exactly," said Frank. "Well, there is no hurry, so I may as well slow
down a bit."
He did so and they went along more leisurely.
"Can't see what the Germans would be flying about here for," said Jack,
"and I have been trying to figure it out ever since I read that
message."
"So have I," declared Frank, "If they were Zeppelins I could understand
it; they would be going and returning from raids on the British coast;
but surely they would not venture that distance with aeroplanes."
"I wouldn't think so. Still, you never can tell about those fellows.
They do a lot of strange things."
"So they do. Say!" Frank was struck with a sudden thought. "You don't
suppose the presence of many of those fellows heralds the advance of
the German fleet, do you? They might be just reconnoitering, you know."
"No, I hardly think that could be it. The Germans are afraid to venture
out. They know they'll get licked if they do."
"Well, those aeroplanes come out every night for some purpose, that's
sure," said Frank. "It's a wonder to me the Germans haven't tried to
sneak out in great force before now. They could come along here without
any trouble, or they could make the effort farther north, say near
Jutland."
"Well, I suppose they'll try it some day," said Jack, "but not right
away. How much farther do we have to go?"
Frank glanced at his chart and then at his speedometer.
"About fifteen miles," was his reply; "and then we'll be there too
soon."
The lad was right. It was not three o'clock when the hydroplane came to
the spot the lads had selected to descend.
"Well, here we are," said Frank.
"Guess we may as well go down, then," said Jack. "Some of those fellows
are likely to be prowling about and spot us."
"Just as you say," agreed Frank.
He set the planes and the machine glided to the water, where it came to
rest lightly.
"Glad there is no sun," said Jack, "it would be awfully hot down here."
And there the lads spent the afternoon. Darkness came at last, and with
its coming, the lads made ready for whatever might occur. Eight o'clock
came and there had been no sounds of airships flying above. The lads
strained their ears, listening for the slightest sound.
And, shortly after nine o'clock, their efforts were rewarded. Jack
suddenly took Frank by the arm.
"Listen!" he exclaimed in a low voice.