“Besides,” Stew’s voice went husky, “here come three of our torpedo bombers. They got my message after all! Boy! We’re some use in the world, you and I! And we’re really going to see a show.”
“A grandstand seat! No high fence this time.” Jack’s voice expressed his joy.
At sight of the torpedo planes the two cargo ships began zigzagging, while the destroyers darted in close to them.
Like catbirds after hawks, four Zeros followed the torpedo planes, but as yet were too far away to count.
“Man! Oh man!” Jack exclaimed. “Suppose those Zeros come after us!”
“Let them come!” Stew looked to the loading of his gun. “We’ll be waiting for them. We can’t run, but we still can fight.”
Two destroyers lay between the torpedo planes and the cargo ships. Their pom-pom guns began throwing up shells. The boys could see them explode in mid-air. Disregarding these, the torpedo pilots came sailing straight in, dropping rapidly as they approached their target.
Jack held his breath as one by one they passed through shellfire. That’s Dick, I imagine, he was thinking. Dick, Bert and Phil. All swell boys!
One shell, exploding beneath the second plane, lifted it into the air, but the plane came straight on.
At just the right moment, not five hundred feet from the sea, the first plane released its “tin fish.” Jack saw it hit the sea and speed away.