“Oh! now I see what you mean; there are eyes in the sky. Those aeroplanes are a part of the Allies’ outfit, and they keep watching all the time to see where the shells fall, so as to correct the fire. It’s a great scheme, isn’t it, Jack?”
“A part of the war game of today, Amos, for we’re living in a fast age. Before this war is over I firmly believe there will be battleships of the air as well as of the sea, and they won’t be Zeppelins either.”
“Just to think,” the other boy mused, “right now I may be looking up at my brother Frank, for there’s a pretty big chance if he’s still alive one of those dots in the sky is his aeroplane. And, Jack, if we notice anyone of them that seems to be more daring than the rest, that’ll be Frank, by all accounts.”
Steadily the Thunderer pressed on, still heading for the jaws of land that marked the end of the Dardanelles Straits. With the passage of every minute the eagerness of the two lads increased until Amos was almost quivering with excitement.
“Look, Jack, I do believe they’re getting ready to fire one of the big guns in that forward turret. If you’ve got that cotton handy, please give me a wad, for I don’t want to have my ear-drums cracked by the sound.”
What he said turned out to be the truth, for the gunners aboard the battleship had been given orders to start the ball rolling, as they were now well within the zone for firing, according to the map.
When the terrific roar broke out the boys could feel themselves flattened up along the object they chanced to be leaning against at the time. It seemed as though they had received a strong slap with an unseen plank, though it did not hurt them any.
“I wonder if that shell smashed a gun over in the Turkish battery?” said Amos, as he sniffed at the powder smoke that filled the air for a brief time.
The Thunderer did not repeat her first shot. It may have been a signal to tell the enemy she was coming straight on. There was other work cut out for the big vessels of the fleet for that particular morning.
As they continued to approach the entrance to the straits, Amos became excited again. He had seen other warships pass through, firing as they ran, and there was evidently a warm reply from certain enemy batteries and forts, for explosions could be seen in the air, as well as upheavals in the water, looking like the geysers in Yellowstone Park.