The Boy Allies Under Two Flags | Page 2

bleeding. Others dropped over dead. An officer hurriedly reported the fact to Lord Hastings.
"We'll get even with her," said His Lordship grimly. "Give her a shot from the forward turret."
In spite of the tragedy enacted before his eyes only a moment before, the British gunner took deliberate aim.
"Boom!"
There was silence, as all watched the effect of this one shot.
"Right below the water line," said Lord Hastings calmly. "A pretty shot, my man."
By this time the Gloucester had come within striking distance, and her heavy guns began to breathe defiance to the Germans. But the Breslau and the Goeben had no mind to engage this new enemy, and quickly turned tail and fled.
Lord Hastings immediately got into communication with the captain of the Gloucester by wireless.
"Pursue the enemy!" was the order that was flashed through the air.
The two British ships sped forward on the trail of the foe. But the latter made off at top speed, and in spite of the shells hurled at them by their pursuers, soon outdistanced the Gloucester. The Sylph, however, continued the chase and was gradually gaining, although, now that the battle was over for the time being, the strain on the little cruiser relaxed. Wounded men were hurriedly patched up by the ship's surgeon and his assistants, and the dead were prepared for burial.
Jack and Frank approached Lord Hastings on the bridge. The latter was talking to his first officer.
"They must be the Breslau and Goeben," he was saying, "though I am unable to account for the manner in which they escaped the blockade at Libau. They were supposed to be tightly bottled up there and I was informed that their escape was impossible."
"Something has evidently gone wrong," suggested Lieutenant Hetherington.
"They probably escaped by, a ruse of some kind," said Jack, joining in the conversation.
And the lad was right, although he did not know it then.
The two German ships, tightly bottled up, even as Lord Hastings had said, in Libau, had escaped the blockading British squadron by the simple maneuver of reversing their lights, putting their bow lights aft and vice versa, and passing through the blockading fleet in the night without so much as being challenged. This is history.
"Well," said Frank, "we succeeded in putting our mark on them, even if we didn't catch them."
"We did that," agreed Lieutenant Hetherington.
Darkness fell, and still the chase continued; but the Sylph was unable to come up with her quarry, and the two German cruisers succeeded in limping off in the night.
"We shall have to give it up," said Lord Hastings, when he at last realized that the Germans had escaped. "Mr. Hetherington, bring the ship back to its former course."
The lieutenant did as ordered.
"Now, boys," said Lord Hastings, "you might as well turn in for the night."
A few minutes later the lads were fast asleep in their own cabin, and while they gain a much needed rest and the Sylph continues to speed on her course, it will be a good time to introduce the two young lads to such readers as have not met them before.

CHAPTER II
TWO FRIENDS
Frank Chadwick was an American lad, some 15 years old. In Europe when the great European war broke out, he succeeded, with his father, in getting over the border into Italy, finally reaching Naples.
Here the lad lost his father, and while searching for him, had gone to the aid of a man apparently near death at the hands of a sailor. After thanking the lad for his timely aid, the man had immediately shanghaied the lad, who, when he recovered consciousness, found himself aboard a little schooner, sailing for he knew not where.
There was a mutiny on the ship and the captain was killed. The mutineers, putting in at a little African village for supplies, attempted to fleece Jack Templeton, an English youth out of his just dues. Jack, a strapping youngster, strong as an ox, though no older than Frank, succeeded in getting aboard the mutineers vessel, and by displaying wonderful strategy and fighting prowess, overcame the mutineers.
The boys became great friends.
After capturing the schooner from the mutineers, a prisoner was found on board, who proved to be a British secret service agent. The boys released him, and then, with Lord Hastings, who had come to Africa in his yacht, succeeded in striking such a blow at the Triple Alliance that Italy refused to throw her support to German arms in spite of the strongest pressure the Kaiser could bring to bear.
So valuable was the service the boys rendered in this matter, that when they expressed their intentions of joining the British navy, Lord Hastings, who had taken an immense liking to them, secured them commissions as midshipmen. Later they were assigned to duty on his yacht, the Sylph, which, in the meantime, had been converted into