The Boy Allies Under the Sea | Page 3

taken part in many and dangerous other exploits, having more
than once been in the heart of the enemy's territory; and always they
had returned safely.
But there was once when it seemed that all--Lord Hastings, Frank and
Jack--had come to their end. It came about in this wise: After a long
cruise, which resulted in great successes, their submarine, D-16, had
come to grief in the Dardanelles. They were caught below and it
seemed that all must perish.
Then Jack had decided that it was futile for all to die; there was safety
for all but one. A deck of cards decided who was to stay, and Jack had
drawn the fatal card--the ace of spades.
Officers and crew were launched to safety by means of a torpedo tube;
and Jack sat down to await the end. But, in some unaccountable manner,
the submarine had suddenly risen to the surface, and Jack, taking
advantage of the single instant the vessel was above water before it
took its final death plunge, flung himself clear. And thus all were
saved.
But, because of their desperate experiences, they were unfit to
immediately resume new duties; so all had returned to England until
such time as they would be physically in shape again.
Now Jack Templeton, although young in years, was wise in the ways of
the world. Also he was of huge stature and as strong as an ox, as he had
proved more than once when put to the test. Frank, although by no
means as large as his chum, was sturdy and strong, and able to give a
good account of himself when occasion required.
The one noticeable difference between the two was that Frank was
high-tempered and quick, whereas Jack was always cool and collected.
And this very fact had more than once showed that Jack, while not
exactly more dependable, could always be relied upon to keep his head.

While both were skillful in the use of weapons, here was a place where
Frank excelled. He was a dead shot with rifle or revolver and was a
strong swordsman. Jack was a good shot himself and a skillful fencer,
but he was not in Frank's class when it came to the use of sword or
firearms.
Upon their last expedition Jack and Frank had acted as first and second
officers respectively of the submarine, and both now held the rank of
first lieutenant. Their promotions had come deservedly. They had the
implicit confidence of Lord Hastings and more than once had offered
valuable advice, which Lord Hastings had acted upon.
Now a few words about the progress of the war. The seven seas had for
some time, save for the presence of the German submarines, been
swept clear of German, Austrian and Turkish fighting ships. Not a one
remained at large to prey upon the shipping of the Allies. The real
fighting strength of the navies of the three central powers still remained
in their own fortified bases, well guarded by mines.
The Allies had established such an effective blockade that none dared
to venture forth. So the naval situation was practically at a standstill,
where indications pointed to its remaining until the main German fleet,
bottled up in Heligoland, and the main Austrian fleet in the Adriatic
should summon sufficient courage to sally forth and give battle; and
there had been nothing to indicate any sudden action on the part of
either.
On several occasions British submarines had penetrated the mine fields
and created considerable havoc, and aircraft had dropped bombs from
the air. But along these lines the German submarines had been more
successful and now were the one real menace confronting the naval
supremacy of the Entente powers.
Hundreds of ships, large and small, had fallen easy prey to these
under-sea terrors. Big ocean liners, crowded with passengers,
non-combatants, had been sent to the bottom with terrible loss of
innocent lives. Chief among these tragedies laid to the door of the
German submarines was the sinking of the Cunard liner Lusitania, in

which more than a thousand men, women and children had been
drowned.
And, so far as the British public knew, England had taken no steps to
combat this under-sea peril. However, as Lord Hastings had told the
boys at the opening of this story, Great Britain had taken such steps,
and that they were effective was evident from his additional statement
that in the neighborhood of a hundred submarines had "vanished."
But this warfare was not to end until the submarine evil had been
eradicated. The German under-sea craft must be disposed of so
effectively as to preclude further danger to British shipping. And it was
in this work that Jack and Frank were soon to play a prominent part.
CHAPTER II.
ON ACTIVE SERVICE