FINISHING UP THE WORK
It was not until somewhat late the following morning that Captain
Marcus, accompanied by the commander of the British cruiser
Dwarf, reached Boak. Frank and Jack were at the little wharf to
greet him.
After expressing a few words of commendation for the manner in
which they had handled their men in the capture of the town, the
two British commanders took a turn about the village.
"It will be impossible for us to remain here for the sole purpose
of guarding these towns," said Captain Marcus. "We have other
work to do. So now the question arises as to what to do with
them."
"I would suggest," said the commander of the Dwarf, "that we put
a prize crew aboard the German merchantman still in Duala, iron
our prisoners, put them aboard her and send her home. We can
make a thorough search of the town and destroy all arms and
ammunition to be found."
"But," said Captain Marcus, "we shall first have to dispose of
those Germans who escaped to the forest."
"That shouldn't be a hard job," replied the commander of the
Dwarf, "I do not imagine there are many of them."
"About how many would you say?" asked Captain Marcus, turning to
Frank, who, with Jack, had accompanied the two officers on the
tour of inspection.
"Not more than a hundred, sir," was the lad's reply.
"Good!" replied Captain Marcus. "Do you feel equal to the task
of rounding them up?"
"Perfectly, sir," Frank made answer.
"So be it, then. You may act at your own discretion; only see
that you make a good, swift job of it."
Frank and Jack saluted and hurried away. Leaving half their
force to guard the village, the lads, with the other half, which
had dwindled to less than 100 by now, were soon lost to sight in
the forest. They went quickly, but as silently as they could,
for they wished, if possible, to take the foe by surprise.
"This is likely to be, a wild goose chase," declared Jack, when,
at the end of an hour of forced marching they had seen no sign of
the enemy. "There is no telling where the Germans are. They
know the lay of the land and we don't. If they continue to
retreat, there is no telling where we may come up with them, if
at all."
Frank's lips set grimly.
"We'll get 'em," he said, "if we have to follow 'em clear across
Africa."
They continued their march in silence. At length Frank drew his
friends' attention to the fact that, a little to the left, the
grass had been recently trampled, apparently by a considerable
body of men.
"They can't be far ahead of us," he said. "Evidently they are
not aware they are being pursued, for they apparently have been
traveling slowly."
The British became more wary. Frank divided his men into two
bodies, one of which he placed under Jack's command, while he
himself led the other.
For another hour or more they continued, still without sign of an
enemy.
The two British forces were now separated by at least a quarter
of a mile, when Jack unexpectedly came to the edge of the forest.
There, just ahead of him, lay the entire German command in a
little opening surrounded on all sides by large trees.
Jack raised his hand and his men came to a halt. Frank, at the
head of his command, perceived this movement, and also halted his
men. Then he covered the distance to where his friend stood
peering through the trees as quickly as possible.
Without a word Jack pointed out the Germans. Frank took a quick
look, and together the two boys drew back into the shelter of the
trees. They had not been seen.
"I believe I have a plan that will deliver the whole bunch into
our hands, possibly without bloodshed," said Jack.
"What is it?" demanded Frank.
"Well," said Jack, "you will notice that the opening in which the
Germans lie is entirely surrounded by trees. My idea is to
completely surround them, and, at a given signal, fire a volley
over their heads. Believing that our force is much greater than
it is, and apparently cut off from escape in all directions, the
Germans may surrender."
"A good idea," exclaimed Frank. "We will act upon it at once."
Quickly he scattered his men in a wide circle around the German
camp. Then, when he felt that all was in readiness, he gave the
signal--a shot from his revolver.
Immediately there was a fierce volley from the British, aimed
high. The German troops sprang to their feet in a moment; then,
at a command from their officer, dropped quickly to the ground
again.
Whatever idea Frank had had of a bloodless victory was quickly
dispelled, for the German troops--lying flat on their stomachs,
fired volley after volley into the woods at their unseen
opponents.
This was ineffective, however, because the British were well
protected by the great trees. At a command from Frank, which was
passed rapidly along the British line, the sailors trained their
rifles upon the enemy and fired.
The effect was fearful. Germans toppled over on all sides, and
some jumped to their feet and ran toward the trees. Bullets
greeted them from all sides, however, and, after making one last
stand, the entire German force threw their weapons to the ground
as one man.
"We surrender!" called the officer in command.
Slowly the circle of British emerged from the forest and closed
in on them. The German officer delivered his sword to Frank
without a word; then, at the lad's command, the British
surrounded the prisoners and started on their return journey to
Boak, where they arrived after a three hours' forced march, and
were greeted with acclaim by the sailors who had been left
behind. Not a single sailor had been killed in the short but
decisive battle, though two had been wounded.
Captain Marcus, and the commander of the Dwarf also, complimented
the lads highly upon the quick success of their expedition. The
village had been thoroughly searched for arms and ammunition
during their absence, and all was now ready for a quick
departure.
"Get the prisoners into the boats, and we will start down the
river at once," ordered Captain Marcus.
This was soon accomplished, and the little flotilla was on its
way back toward Duala. At Duala a second search was made for
arms, ammunition and other munitions of war. This done, the
commander of the Cumberland turned to Frank.
"You will go aboard that German merchantman in the harbor," he
said, "and take her to London. You are in command, and Mr.
Templeton shall be your first officer. The others you may select
yourself. A prize crew will be put aboard immediately."
Frank was somewhat taken aback at this good fortune.
"But I am not a navigator," he said in some confusion, wishing
now that he was.
"That makes it different," was Captain Marcus' reply.
"But I am, sir," Jack interrupted. "I have studied navigation
for years."
"Good then!" said Captain Marcus. "In that event, I shall
appoint you to take command and your friend as first officer."
"But--" Jack started to protest, when Frank interrupted him.
"I shall be glad to serve under him," he said.
So it was arranged, and several hours later the two lads found
themselves aboard the German steamer Lena. For the first time in
his life Jack trod the bridge of his own ship, and he could not
but be proud of that moment; Frank, too, was elated at his good
fortune.
With this parting injunction, Captain Marcus dropped over the
side of the Lena:
"Make straight for London. Although you carry some guns, if
attacked do not fight back unless absolutely necessary. Show the
enemy your heels, if possible. However, if you do have to fight,
fight as the true sons of Great Britain."
"We shall, sir," replied both lads grimly, and Captain Marcus
realized that he could not have put the ship in better hands.
From among the crew Jack now selected a sailor named Jennings for
second officer, and another by the name of Johnson for third
officer. There was a hissing of steam from below, slowly the
cable was loosened, and the Lena put off down the river.
The two British commanders followed in small boats. At the
entrance of the river the steamer slowed down, and the boys
watched the two commanders go aboard their respective cruisers.
A moment later guns on both ships boomed loudly. It was a
salute, carrying a cheery "Good luck" to the ears of the two
lads. As they sailed out to sea they could perceive that the
cruisers also were getting under way, and were heading in the
same direction as the Lena.
The Lena quickened her pace and sped off toward the north,
heading for the open water. Night fell and still she steamed
rapidly on, the cruisers following in her wake.
Frank took the first watch, and Jack turned in. The sea was
perfectly smooth and the Lena steamed on, rolling gently on the
even swell of the waves.
At 7 o'clock, the sun streaming high in the heavens, Jack
appeared on deck. A moment later Frank who had been relieved by
the second officer during the night, also emerged from his cabin.
Both turned their eyes over the stern, where the night before the
two British cruisers had been following, offering protection in
whatever danger threatened.
The cruisers were not in sight. There was not even a cloud of
smoke to show their presence anywhere on the wide sea. They had
turned off on another course during the darkness.
"Well," said Jack, "it's up to us to get into port safely. We
have been thrown upon our own resources."
"Yes," Frank agreed. "Captain Marcus has put great confidence in
us. It's up to us to make good."
"Well," declared Jack slowly, "we'll do it."
"Yes," said Frank, "we will!"