The Boy Allies at Jutland | Page 6

other reason for extinguishing all lights."
Near the bridge the lads stopped and waited to see what would happen. All was quiet aboard. Not a sound came from the officers or the men on deck. Then Captain Raleigh commanded:
"Try the forward searchlight there. See if you can pick her up!"
The light flashed aloft; and there, so far above the Queen Mary as to be little more than a tiny speck, hovered a giant Zeppelin; and even as they looked, the airship came lower.
"She's sighted us," said Captain Raleigh to his first officer, who stood beside him. "Try a shot, Mr. Harrison."
The first officer passed the word and a second later there came the sound of the anti-aircraft gun. The gunner had taken his range at the moment the flashlight revealed the airship.
The shot brought no noticeable result.
"Fifteen knots ahead, Mr. Harrison!" ordered the captain.
He was afraid that the Zeppelin might drop a bomb on the ship; and from that moment until the end of the battle the Queen Mary did not pause. First she headed to port and then to starboard, manoeuvering rapidly that the German airmen might not be able to reach her with a bomb.
"Another shot!" commanded Captain Raleigh.
Still no result.
"Funny she doesn't rise and try and escape," said Frank.
"No, it's not," returned Jack. "They don't know anything about this new anti-aircraft gun. They believe they are out of range."
"Well, they're likely to hit us with one of those bombs, and then where will we be?" said Frank.
"If they hit us you won't know anything about it," was Jack's response.
Again the Queen Mary tried a shot at the Zeppelin.
A cheer went up from the members of the crew who stood upon deck; for the Zeppelin was seen to wabble.
"Nicked her," shouted the first officer.
Jack, standing near the rail, heard something whiz by his head. Instinctively the lad ducked. He knew in a moment what had passed him; he heard something splash into the sea.
"Bomb just missed us, sir!" he cried, stepping forward.
"Where?" demanded Captain Raleigh.
"Right here, forward, sir," replied Jack.
Captain Raleigh gave a quick command to his first officer, who passed it to the man at the wheel.
"Hard a-port!" he cried.
The ship veered crazily; and at the some moment, Frank, who was standing where Jack had been a moment before, heard something swish past.
"Another bomb, sir!" he reported.
There was no reply from the bridge. Captain Raleigh felt that, by bringing the ship's head hard to port, he had spoiled the range of the enemy in the air.
For some time no more bombs dropped near.
Again the Queen Mary fired at the Zeppelin; and again and again.
The last shot was rewarded by another cheer from the crew. The giant Zeppelin was seen to drop suddenly.
The crew cheered loud and long for it appeared that the Zeppelin was about to drop into the sea. Down she came and still down; and then her descent suddenly halted.
To those aboard the Queen Mary this was unexplainable.
"Fire again, quickly!" shouted the captain.
The air gun boomed. At the same moment a man was seen to lean over the side of the Zeppelin. He dropped something.
Again Captain Raleigh acted promptly and brought the head of the Queen Mary around. The German bomb missed. Before another could be dropped, the man who manned the anti-aircraft gun fired again.
Another cheer from the crew.
The Zeppelin began to sink slowly.
"Full speed ahead!" cried Captain Raleigh. "They'll sink us!"
The Queen Mary leaped ahead just in time.
And then the Zeppelin dropped.
With a splash it hit the water perhaps a quarter of a mile from the British battleship. Came cries from the men, caught beneath the gas bag. At that moment Jack stood close to the bridge. Captain Raleigh saw him.
"Man a boat, Mr. Templeton," he called, "and rescue those fellows in the water."
Quickly Jack sprang to obey. Frank leaped after him. Hurriedly a small boat was gotten out and launched. A half dozen sailors sprang in and took up the oars. Frank and Jack leaped in after them.
The oars glistened in the glare of the searchlight as the men raised them and awaited the word.
"Give way," said Jack.
The boat sped over the smooth surface of the sea.
Close to the wreckage of the Zeppelin it approached; and cries told Jack that some of the Germans still lived.
"Hurry!" he cried, and the men increased their stroke.
Near the wreckage Jack gave the command to cease rowing. A German swam toward the boat. Hands helped him in and he lay in the bottom panting. Other forms swam toward them. These, too, were lifted in the boat. And at last Jack counted fifteen Germans who had been saved.
"Are you all here?" he asked of a German officer.
"All but Commander Butz, sir," was the man's reply.
Jack commanded his men to row closer to the wreckage.
"Ahoy there!" he shouted, when