THE ENGAGEMENT.
Meanwhile the British fleet, consisting of five first-class battle
cruisers, together with a flotilla of perhaps twenty torpedo boat
destroyers, was steaming rapidly in pursuit of the fleeing enemy.
The German fleet, while not as powerful as the British, nevertheless
presented a formidable array of fighting ships. Three first-class battle
cruisers and one second-class battle cruiser and a torpedo boat flotilla
greater than that of the English were in line, and it seemed to Frank
and Jack that the odds were nearly enough equal for the German commander
to give battle.
However, such was not the enemy's plan; for, once having turned tail to
the British, the German ships put on full speed and made as fast as
possible for the protection of the German mine field which protected the
entrance to Heligoland. It became evident that the enemy would fight
only as a last resort.
The British fleet was in full chase. First came the _Tiger_, the
flagship of Admiral Beatty. Next in line was the _Lion_, a cruiser of
the same class, and behind these followed three other powerful English
cruisers.
At a command from the flagship, the British torpedo boats headed in the
direction of the German ships of the same class, which had borne off a
trifle to the north.
So far not a shot had been fired, for the British had not yet drawn
close enough to the flying enemy to be within range. Half an hour
passed, an hour, and then the great forward turret guns of the _Tiger_
opened upon the rear German ship, which proved to be the _Bluecher_, a
cruiser of the second class.
The first shot went wide, and the second. But with the third shot the
British gunners found the range, and a shell dropped squarely upon the
bridge of the _Bluecher_. A veritable cloud of steel and débris of all
sorts rose high in the air above the _Bluecher_, and, falling, showered
death among the crew.
A second and a third well-directed shell struck the _Bluecher_ amidships
and staggered her. She reeled like a drunken man, seemed about to roll
over on her side, then righted herself and steamed on, but slower than
before.
Now the _Tiger_, the first British ship, was upon her; but the _Tiger_
did not stop. She had no time to waste on the _Bluecher_, already
wounded unto death. As she steamed majestically past, however she poured
a broadside into the reeling ship; then sped on in pursuit of the other
enemies.
Now the _Lion_ also came abreast of the _Bluecher_, and she, too, as she
passed, poured in a broadside. It was more than the sinking _Bluecher_
could stand. One last shot she hurled toward the _Tiger_, and almost
before the British vessel had drawn away from her, she reeled once more
and disappeared beneath the sea. As she did so, her crew hurled
themselves into the water.
Now the _Lion_ and _Tiger_ had drawn within range of the other German
cruisers and their huge shells were raining death and ruin upon them.
Suddenly the rear German ship burst into flames, and her pace slackened.
Flushed with success, and with victory within their grasp, the British
sailors raised a loud cheer, and the British guns spoke oftener and with
greater effect than before.
But the Germans had not been idle. Outranged by the British as they
were, they had opened with their great guns the moment the British had
come within range. One shell raked the forward deck of the _Tiger_, and
carried away a part of the turret, killing several men. A second struck
the _Lion_, wounding several officers and a number of sailors, though
none was killed on the second ship.
Now, with victory almost in their hands, the British fleet, at a signal
from the flagship, gave up the chase and fell back. Only the _Bluecher_
had been sunk, though two of the enemy's remaining three cruisers were
in flames and the third had been badly damaged.
A cry of dismay went up from the British when the order to slow down was
given. For the moment the men were at a loss to account for this action,
and the officers of the various ships themselves were, for the moment,
disappointed.
But Admiral Beatty had acted wisely. Ten minutes' further steaming and
the Germans had entered the protection of the mine field, where it would
have been death for the British to have followed without a map of the
mined area. Admiral Beatty's action in calling off his fleet was given
at the right moment, for had the British followed the chase would have
ended disastrously.
When the German cruiser _Bluecher_ had disappeared beneath the waves,
the crew of one of the British cruisers had manned the boats and was
endeavoring to save the lives of the Germans who had leaped into the
water.
Almost two hundred of them had been picked up. Suddenly, right in the
spot where the British sailors were engaged in the work of rescue, a
torpedo flashed by with a sharp hiss. Had it struck one of the boats,
all near must have been killed. A second followed closely after the
first, and the British were forced to give up the work of rescue, for to
have remained in the spot would have been to invite certain death.
Thus, by firing at British sailors engaged in the task of saving
surviving German sailors, a German submarine had been the means of
losing several score of German lives.
Meanwhile what of the British submarine D-16, which, before the battle
commenced, was bearing Frank and Jack swiftly toward the German fleet?
Beneath the water, Lord Hastings had no way of determining what was
going on above. The D-16 had submerged until her periscope was of no
value, but Lord Hastings had deemed this advisable, because, had the
periscope been allowed to protrude above water, it might have been
carried away by a German shell.
Now the D-16, besides being able to remain under water indefinitely, had
as before stated an added superiority over other under-the-sea-fighters,
for she was able, when pushed to the limit, to make a speed of thirty
knots--a speed much greater even than that of any of the cruisers above
her.
Therefore, when the British fleet came within range of the enemy, the
D-16 was far in advance of her fellows, under the water.
"We'll leave the big fellows to settle with the German cruisers," said
Lord Hastings calmly. "We'll try our luck with the torpedo boats."
Jack and Frank nodded that they understood and approved of the plan.
"I guess the big fellows can take care of them all right," replied Frank
dryly.
"They always have been able to," agreed Jack.
When, finally, Lord Hastings judged that they must be in close proximity
to the German torpedo flotilla, he ordered that the D-16 rise until her
periscope showed them their surroundings. Then, as he viewed the scene
about him, he stepped quickly back and ordered:
"Submerge!"
Instantly the D-16 dived, and Lord Hastings turned to the two lads.
"I didn't calculate just right," he told them. "We went up right in the
midst of the enemy."
"Did they see us?" asked Jack anxiously.
"I don't know. However, I have the range. Have the men stand by the
torpedoes."
The men sprang quickly to their posts at Jack's command, and then Lord
Hastings gave the order to rise slowly.
Slowly the water was forced from the tanks once more, and gradually the
submarine arose, until her periscope once more protruded just above the
water.
"No. 2 torpedo!" ordered Lord Hastings. "Ready?"
"Aye, aye, sir," came the reply of the man, who stood almost at his
commander's elbow, and therefore could plainly hear the command.
For the others, further away, it would be necessary to use the signal
board.
"Fire!" cried Lord Hastings.
A sharp metallic click was the only answer, and all on board stood
quiet. Lord Hastings kept his eye glued to the periscope.
Then those on board saw him throw up his hand with a gesture of
satisfaction, and none needed to be told that the torpedo had gone true.
Now the attention of all was given to the signal board, at Lord
Hastings' side. The men stood at their posts, as did Frank and Jack,
awaiting the signal that would mean the firing of another torpedo.
There was not a sound to break the stillness other than the purr of the
engine. But the stillness could only be termed such because there were
no regular noises. In spite of this a voice could be heard but a few
feet away, because of the heavy pressure of the water above.
Suddenly the signal board flashed red. The men read:
"No. 3 torpedo! No. 4 torpedo!"
Lord Hastings had decided upon a bold stroke. He had determined to
deliver a double blow to the enemy before he was forced to submerge, to
escape the fire of the enemy.
He gauged the range for each torpedo, and this was flashed upon the
signal board. Then came the next command:
"Attention!"
Eagerly, though quietly, the men awaited the next command. There was not
a nervous hand aboard. All bore themselves with the easy nonchalance
that has been the character of the British sailor through all the ages;
but their fingers twitched with impatience.
And then the signal board again glowed in burning letters:
"Fire!"
"Click! Click!"
Not another sound, and even these only audible to the men who had
launched the torpedoes, and two powerful engines of destruction, aimed
true, sped on the errand of death and disaster.
At the same moment the signal board flashed:
"Submerge!"