“Great Scott!” exclaimed Frank at last. “This is the longest ten minutes I ever saw!”
“Don’t you worry,” replied Jack, “they’ll be over——”
Then suddenly it came. Even from where they stood, the boys could hear the clear, quiet voice of Lord Hastings:
“Lieutenant Edwards, you may fire at will!”
CHAPTER XIII.
THE BATTLE!
There was an instant of awful silence; then came the command:
“Fire!”
There was a horrible noise, louder by far than the loudest clap of thunder; the Sylph quivered, then seemed to leap back. The big guns on the starboard side of the little vessel had poured forth their volley.
So close had the Sylph approached to the enemy without being discovered that a miss was impossible; and the suddenness of this unexpected attack took the Germans completely off their guard. There came a voice from above:
“A hit! A hit!”