SMOKE ON THE HORIZON.
Late that afternoon Jack, who had just come on deck, was in time to
notice an unusual thrill of excitement among the already overwrought
passengers. On the northern horizon was a smudge of smoke, and a dark
hull bearing down on them. Those who had glasses had already announced
the other craft to be a warship, although, of what nation, it was as yet
impossible to say.
Jack hurried to the wireless room. Young Poffer declared that he had
received no wireless, nor intercepted any message which might have any
bearing on the identity of the strange ship. On the bridge, the ship's
officers were in excited consultation. The warship was drawing closer
every moment. She was black and squat, with two fat funnels from which
volumes of dark smoke rolled. At her bow was a smother of white foam
showing the speed at which she was being pushed.
"Ach, now comes it!" exclaimed Poffer the next instant. He wrote rapidly
and then handed the message to Jack. The wireless boy read:
"Heave to at once.
"Dutton, commanding His Majesty's ship _Berwick_."
"I'll take it forward right away!" exclaimed Jack. "You listen with all
your ears for any more messages, Hans."
"You bet you my life I will undt den some," Hans promised. "Vot you
dink, dey shood us up, Jack?"
"I don't know. I suppose if we don't heave to, they will," said the
wireless boy as he hurried off.
"Chust as I thought," declared Captain Rollok, after he had read the
message.
"Shall I tell Hans to send back word we'll stop?" asked Jack.
"Stop! I vouldn't stop for der whole British navy," declared Captain
Rollok vehemently.
He stepped to the engine room telegraph and set it violently over to
"Full speed ahead." Then he picked up the engine-room telephone and gave
orders to pile on every ounce of steam possible. The great ship quivered
and then sprang forward like a grayhound from a leash. Clouds of black
smoke rose from her funnels, deluging the decks with ashes as force
draught was applied to the furnaces.
Jack hastened back to the wireless room. He found Poffer, pop-eyed and
frightened looking.
"There's another cruiser coming up on the other side!" he exclaimed. "I
just heard her talking to the _Berwick_."
"That's nice," commented Jack, as Bill Raynor and de Garros appeared in
the doorway.
"Hullo, Bill," he continued. "You'll have a chance to be under fire
now."
"What do you mean?" demanded young Raynor.
"Surely it is that the captain will stop?" asked the French aviator.
"Stop nothing," rejoined Jack. "He doesn't appear to care what he risks,
so long as he saves his ship."
"I thought I felt her speeding up," said Bill. "So he's going to cut and
run for it?"
"That's the size of it," responded Jack, while the Frenchman shrugged
his shoulders.
"They are not understandable, these Germans," he commented.
"Here comes it anudder message," struck in Hans, holding up his hand to
enjoin silence.
They all looked over his shoulder as he wrote rapidly.
"Your last warning. Heave to or take the consequences."
It was signed as before by the commander of the _Berwick_.
"My friends, this captain had better heed that warning," said de Garros.
"Englishmen are not in zee habit of what zee call 'bluffing.'"
But when Jack came back from the bridge, whither he had sped at once
with the message, it was to report the captain as obdurate as ever. His
only comment had been to call for more speed.
"I guess he thinks we can show that cruiser a clean pair of heels," said
Raynor.
"That looks to be the size of it," agreed Jack, "but he is taking
desperate chances. Let's go outside and see the fun."
The cruiser was coming toward them on an oblique line now. From her
stern flowed the red cross of St. George on a white field, the naval
flag of England. They watched her narrowly for some minutes and then
Jack exclaimed:
"Jove! I believe that with luck we can outrun her. The _Kronprinzessin_
is the fastest ship of this line, and if her boilers don't blow up we
may be able to beat that cruiser out."
"I hope so," declared Raynor, fervently. "I'm not exactly a coward but I
must say the idea of being made a target without having the chance to
hit back is not exactly pleasant."
"As I shall be in zee thick fighting not before very long, I might as
well receive my baptism of fire now as any other time," said the
Frenchman. "I expect to be placed in charge of zee aviation corps, and I
am told zee Germans have some very good aeroplane guns."
"Look," cried Bill, suddenly, "they are going to----"
A white mushroom of smoke broke from the forward turret of the cruiser,
followed by a screeching above their heads. Then came an ear-splitting
report.
"Great guns! Where is this going to end?" gasped Bill, involuntarily
crouching.