Chapter 7 OFF ON A LONG CRUISE

At the very instant the lad disappeared beneath the water there was a flash of fire above the submarine, followed by a violent explosion-fearful, terrific.

The upper work of X-9 was blown high into the air and came down in splinters, scattered to the four winds of heaven. The deck was rent and open up with a great, yawning scam, through which the ocean rushed, driving the craft below the waves as though it had been drawn down by some mighty whirlpool. A minute later, where had been one of Germany's most terrible fighters, there was only a seething flood of water covered with floating wreckage.

The force of the explosion sent the water spouting high in the air like giant gushers. The sea boiled and lashed out angrily at what was left of the German craft. Not a living figure was to be seen upon the wreckage.

The deadly melinite had done its work.

Beneath the waters of the North Sea, where Frank and Jack had sought what shelter they could, the water tossed them about at will, in spite of their frantic efforts to hold themselves steady and remain below the surface.

Frank, not having time to take such a long breath as Jack, because of the suddenness with which he had dived, was the first to come to the surface. He was tossed high on the still angry waves, but by a Herculean effort, the lad managed to keep his head above water.

His first thought was of the small boat he had so recently left. Glancing around, he saw it floating, bottom up, about a hundred yards away. He swam rapidly toward it; and as he hurried along, a head suddenly bobbed up directly in front of him.

It was Jack, struggling and gasping. Frank swam rapidly to him, and lent what assistance he could. Soon Jack was swimming easily with his friend toward the little upturned boat.

They laid hold of the little craft, and after a struggle, succeeded in righting it and clambering aboard, where they sat down, wet and weak, Then, for the first time, Jack turned his eyes toward the spot where so short a time ago had been the German submarine. He saw the mass of floating wreckage.

"Gone," he said simply, "and the poor fellows with it." He turned to Frank. "You certainly did a good job. I never knew that you were so handy with a gun."

"I am a pretty fair shot," Frank admitted modestly.

"But if you had missed the first time-?" began Jack.

"I couldn't miss," replied Frank quietly. "I knew that before I pulled the trigger. Some way, I felt certain the bullet would go true. Why, I hardly even aimed."

"Well," said Jack, "I'm sure I don't ever want you blazing away at me."

"I guess we might as well get away from this spot," said Frank.

"I wonder where we are?"

Jack stood up in the boat and looked long across the sea. Dawn was just breaking, and in the faint morning light he could see a considerable distance.

"No land in sight," he said finally, and sat down again. "At a guess, though, I should say we must still be off the coast of Holland."

"Yes; but how are we going to tell which way the coast of Holland is?"

"I'm sure I don't know. We'll just have to take a chance at it till the sun comes up, and then we can get our bearings. We'll have to be very careful though, for there are likely to be mines floating about. If we had some oars we could row a bit it would warm us up."

But no oars were in sight, either near the boat or among the floating wreckage.

"They must be at the bottom of the sea," said Frank, in some despair. "I should have thought to have made them fast."

"Never mind that," said Jack. "The question now is, what are we going to do?"

"Well, you know as much about it as I do," replied Frank. "What are we going to do?"'

"It looks to me as though we should have to drift and take a chance of being, picked up," returned Jack.

"Or be blown up by a floating mine," said Frank.

"That's a chance we shall have to take," said Jack calmly. "You should have thought of that before you bored a hole through that mine on the submarine."

Frank did not reply. At length he rose to his feet and took off his coat. Then he turned to Jack.

"Give me yours," he said briefly.

Jack obeyed without question.

Tying the two coats securely together, Frank loosened one of the thwarts in the little boat. He pulled some strong string from his pocket and soon had improvised a little sail. Then tying one sleeve to a cleat on one side and another sleeve to a cleat on the other he soon had his sail bellying before the stiff breeze.

"It's pretty low," he said, leaning back and surveying his work, "but it may move us along a little."

"How do we know we are going in the right direction?" asked Jack.

"We don't; but we might as well be moving as to stay here. We'll let her have her head and keep her steady as she goes."

Slowly the little craft, before the freshening wind began to make headway.

"This does beat lying still," said Jack. "I don't believe I would have thought of rigging up such a sail as that."

"I guess you would if I hadn't," replied Frank. "Now you try and take a little snooze, while I keep a lookout for a vessel of some kind."

"All right; only, you wake me up in a couple of hours and I'll stand watch."

Frank agreed to this, and Jack rolled over in the bottom of the boat, where, in spite of his wet clothing and the chilling wind, he was soon fast asleep. He was completely exhausted, and any kind of a bed would have felt good to him right then.

Frank, holding the rudder of the boat, sat silent, with his eyes scanning the distant horizon for the sign of a ship. But his watch was vain. Not even the smoke of a patrolling vessel did he see in the distance. His two hours of watch up, he shook Jack vigorously.

The latter was up in an instant, and soon Frank was occupying his place in the bottom of the boat.

For an hour Jack scanned the horizon without making out a ship; then, directly ahead, he saw a cloud of smoke.

"Must be a ship!" he muttered to himself, and turned to arouse Frank. Then he drew back, muttering: "No, there is no need to wake him! He's tired out.

"Besides, the ship may not sight us, in which case he would be bitterly disappointed."

Slowly the cloud of smoke grew larger, until at length Jack was certain that the vessel was bearing down on them. As it drew closer, he saw that the approaching ship was a cruiser; and as it drew still closer, that it was British.

Then he bent over and aroused Frank.

"Look!" he said, pointing across the water, "what do you think of that?"

Frank was wide awake in an instant

"A British cruiser," he ejaculated, "and coming right toward us.

If she keeps on her course we are sure to be seen."

Frank sprang to the little sail and tore it down. Then each lad picked up a coat, and standing at his full height, waved the garment and yelled lustily.

For some moments this was unrewarded. Then the boys saw signs of excitement aboard the cruiser, and a big gun boomed-

"She's seen us!" cried Frank, and dropped into a seat, laughing happily.

Both lads watched silently the oncoming cruiser.

"Can you make her out?" asked Frank at length.

Jack rose and looked sharply across the water.

"Yes," he said finally. "She is the Cumberland."

A small boat was lowered from the cruiser and put off toward them. Soon it scraped alongside the boys' craft, and they were taken aboard where they were received with expressions of great surprise, both by the officer in command and by members of the boat's crew.

"How did you get away out here?" asked the surprised boatswain.

Briefly Jack explained.

"By Jove!" exclaimed the officer when the lad had concluded his story. "You certainly have seen excitement. And so you blew up the German submarine?"

"My friend here did," replied Jack, indicating Frank.

"Sure," said the boatswain, "Captain Marcus will be glad to hear the yarn. It's a good one you can spin."

The little boat now drew up against the cruise and quickly all clambered aboard.

As Jack came over the rail, a man of great height-fully six feet five inches-greeted him. He was smooth-faced and ruddy, and the fane-anchor on his collar proclaimed him captain.

"Captain Marcus?" queried Jack, as he leaped to the deck.

"At your service," came the reply in a hearty sailor-like voice.

"I am Lieutenant Jack Templeton, scout cruiser Sylph, sir," said Jack, "and this," turning to Frank, "is Lieutenant Frank Chadwick of the same vessel."

"What are you doing in a dingy in the middle of the North Sea?" demanded the captain.

Briefly once more Jack explained.

"The Sylph sunk!" exclaimed Captain Marcus. "And what of my old friend Lord Hastings?"

"Gone down with his ship, sir," replied Jack, Patiently.

"Hastings dead!" cried the commander of the Cumberland. "It is impossible!"

"No, sir," said Frank. "It is true."

For a moment the commander bowed his head in reverence. Then he raised his eyes and looked at the boys.

"He was my very good friend," he said simply, and motioned the boys to follow him below.

Inside the cabin of the commander of the Cumberland, the captain motioned the lads to seats.

"Now we shall see what is to be done with you," he said. "At present, because of the loss of the Sylph, you are, of course, unattached. How would you like to go with me?"

"Where to, sir?" asked Jack.

"I'll explain," replied the captain. "Until yesterday the Cumberland was one of the blockading fleet off Heligoland. You can understand, therefore, that I have already heard of you lads. I have been ordered to patrol the west coast of Africa, and, if I mistake not, there will be fighting. I have recently lost two of my midshipmen through illness. You may have their places. What do you say?"

Both lads had taken a great liking to Captain Marcus at first sight, but it was Jack who made answer for both:

"Thank you, sir. We shall be glad to go with you."