THE BATTLE AND THE ATTACK ON THE U-6.
Another few hundred yards from the two other submarines, Lord Hastings ordered the U-6 brought to a stop.
"We'll stop here a bit and watch the battle," he said.
The U-6 rose to the surface and the three officers ascended to the bridge. The pirate craft, The Vulture, was still upon the surface and they were able to see that Davis at that moment had climbed over the side. Together with the man who was already on the bridge he hurried below.
"Now they will submerge," said Lord Hastings.
He was right, for a moment later The Vulture began to sink lower in the water. At this moment the German craft fired her first torpedo. It struck a hundred yards to the right of The Vulture.
"Poor shooting," declared Jack.
The others nodded.
"She'll do better next time," said Frank.
The lad proved a good prophet for the second torpedo skimmed over the water missing The Vulture by inches. At the same time The Vulture launched a torpedo and the three aboard the U-6 gasped as it seemed that the missile would surely strike home.
But the German submersible swerved just a trifle and the torpedo missed by a narrow margin. At the same moment the German submarine began to submerge. She escaped the fire of the pirate until her periscope also was all that was visible.
Then the pirate rose; a moment later the German craft came from below and both vessels launched torpedoes simultaneously.
Lord Hastings uttered an exclamation of astonishment.
"Of all the remarkable things I ever saw!" he ejaculated.
Frank and Jack were equally astonished; and the reason was this: both torpedoes had gone true and the periscope of each vessel fell away.
"There'll be no more diving," said Lord Hastings quietly.
Now the fighting submarines, both upon the surface, launched torpedo after torpedo at each other. A shot from the pirate struck her adversary a glancing blow on the bow and the head of the little craft ducked a trifle. But she bobbed up serenely again a moment later and returned the fire.
This time her aim had been true and the torpedo grazed the top of the conning tower. The Vulture also ducked, but came up again.
"It all depends upon who gets in the first square shot," said Lord Hastings, and at that moment the square shot struck.
The Vulture, swerving suddenly, barely escaped a torpedo from her foe, while the pirate's next torpedo struck the enemy squarely upon the bridge. There was an explosion and the German craft seemed to leap from the water. A moment later she came down in pieces, blown to atoms.
"It's all over," said Lord Hastings quietly. "Now it is time for us to put an end to that troublesome craft."
He led the way below and gave the order to submerge.
But it appeared that Davis, instead of fleeing as Lord Hastings and the two lads had expected him to do, had determined to square accounts with his British enemies. The Vulture headed toward the U-6.
Before Lord Hastings could give the command to launch the first torpedo, a missile from the enemy carried away the periscope of the U-6.
Lord Hastings gave an exclamation of dismay.
"We'll have to fight it out on the surface," he said quietly.
Now the U-6 launched her first torpedo and missed. A missile from The Vulture struck close to port. Again the U-6 missed and swerved just in time to escape another torpedo from the enemy.
Then suddenly Lord Hastings gave the command to submerge.
The command was obeyed quickly and he explained to the lads.
"We'll try and run closer to him while we're below. They'll be expecting us to go the other way, and if we are not seen the moment we come up we'll take them at a disadvantage. Of course, it's a long chance, but we must do something."
Ten minutes later he gave the order to rise again. There was no response. Again Lord Hastings gave the signal and still the U-6 failed to rise.
"What's the matter?" demanded Lord Hastings quickly.
"Something wrong with the tanks, sir," replied Jack hurrying up at that moment. "I've just had Simpson out and he says he can fix the damage without going to the surface."
"All right," said Lord Hastings. "Then we shall remain stationary until Simpson reports O.K."
Fifteen minutes later Simpson completed his work and again Lord Hastings gave the signal to rise. Slowly the U-6 moved upward.
Suddenly there was a shock that threw all on board to the deck, and the U-6 staggered. For a moment her upward progress was stayed, but for a moment only; then she continued upward and suddenly flashed upon the surface.
Quickly Lord Hastings jumped to his feet, and unmindful of any danger he might encounter, dashed to the bridge. Jack and Frank followed close upon his heels. And there a peculiar sight met their gaze.
To leeward, not half a dozen rods away, lay The Vulture almost upon her side. Half a dozen men were floating in the water and one still clung to the tilting vessel.
Frank uttered an exclamation of astonishment.
"So that's what was wrong," he ejaculated. "We came up directly beneath her, sir."
Lord Hastings nodded.
"And it seems to me we did a pretty good job," he declared. "Now——"
The appearance of one of the crew on deck cut short his sentence. The man approached and saluted.
"Well, sir?" questioned Lord Hastings.
"Boat leaking, sir," was the reply. "Two feet of water in the hold now, sir. We can't stop it. We shall have to take to the boats, sir."
Lord Hastings looked at the man in dismay for the space of several moments. Then he said quietly:
"All right, Jackson. Get out the boats and order the men on deck."
Again the man took the time to salute and then disappeared below. A few moments later the full crew of the U-6 appeared on deck and the boats were quickly gotten out.
"Rifles and revolvers for each man," ordered Lord Hastings.
The men already had armed themselves; so Lord Hastings gave the word to take to the boats. This was done, and pulling away from the rapidly settling submarine, all turned their eyes again to The Vulture.
To their surprise The Vulture was not settling as fast as was the U-6 and several figures could still be seen struggling about on board.
"They are launching the boats, sir," said Frank.
"So they are," replied Lord Hastings. "And they are arming themselves. I guess we shall have to fight this thing out yet. How's your arm, Jack?" he called to the lad, who was in another boat.
"Feels pretty good, sir," was the reply. "Why?"
"And your head, Frank?" demanded Lord Hastings, paying no heed to Jack's question.
"First rate, sir, doesn't hurt a bit."
"All right. Rifles ready, men. We'll swoop down on those fellows before they are prepared to hold us off."
But already they had delayed too long to surround the pirates without a fight. The Vulture's boats were afloat now and were manned by the crew; and from the distance the British could see they were all armed.
Lord Hastings gave his commands quickly.
"Mr. Templeton, make a short detour to the right," he commanded. "Take them from the flank." He motioned to Edwards, who was steering the boat next to his own. Edwards approached. "Climb in there and take command, Frank," said Lord Hastings.
Frank did so quickly.
"Now make a detour to the left," Lord Hastings commanded. "I'll try and hold them off here until you reach a proper position. Then we can bear down on them from all sides."
The first shot of the battle came from the pirates and was fired by Davis himself. A man in the bow of Lord Hastings' boat muttered an imprecation and wrung his hand. The bullet had struck his left little finger and carried the tip of it away.
"Hurt much, Price?" asked Lord Hastings.
"Not much, sir," was the quiet response. "May interfere with my shooting a little though, sir."
"Fire when ready," Lord Hastings commanded his men.
He threw his rifle to his shoulder and it cracked viciously. A man in the foremost pirate boat threw up his arms, sprang to his feet and pitched into the sea head first.
"One less," Lord Hastings muttered to himself.
In the meantime, while Lord Hastings engaged the enemy, Frank and Jack were nearing their respective positions. Jack came into action first, sweeping down upon the enemy from the right.
The forces were about evenly divided, three boats to a side, but it appeared that in men the pirates slightly outnumbered the British.
A man dropped in Jack's boat now, fatally wounded. The others did not even pause, but returned the fire steadily. Another man in Jack's boat dropped his rifle and fell back gasping. A pirate bullet found two victims in Frank's boat and Lord Hastings now suffered the loss of another.
But the enemy was paying for these victims. In the center pirate boat three men were no longer able to handle a rifle, while in the craft to the right two had been wounded. The boat to the left also had suffered.
And all this time the boats had been nearing each other and the crack of the rifles mingled with the hoarse shouting of the German sailors. The British, for the most part, fought coolly and silently, only the groans of the wounded breaking the stillness from their part of the water.
Frank, now that the boats were close enough together not to call for instructions to his men, left them to do their own fighting and opened with his revolver.
Now Frank was a crack shot, as he had proved on more than one occasion, and this time his aim was deadly. He found himself opposite the boat in which Davis stood erect and he picked off the men about the British traitor with ease.
At last there remained but Davis. Frank trained his weapon on him carefully, but at the moment he would have pulled the trigger a bullet struck one of the British sailors in Frank's boat a mortal wound. The man jumped and fell sidewise. The boat tipped over and Frank was flung into the water.
Frank's mouth was open as he went under, and when he came up gasping there was no boat near him. Ahead he could see Davis still standing erect. The latter discovered the lad at the same time, levelled his revolver, took careful aim, and pulled the trigger.
But there was no report. The chamber of the weapon was empty.