The Boy Allies under Two Flags Part 17

Besides Jack and Frank and the two other officers, the crew of the Lena was made up of fifty sailors, a chief engineer and his a.s.sistant and a squad of stokers. In all, there were probably seventy-five British aboard.

All the prisoners captured had not been put aboard the Lena for the reason that there were too many of them. Some were aboard the c.u.mberland, and the Dwarf was caring for the remainder.

However, there were probably a hundred prisoners aboard the Lena besides the colonel.

Colonel Von Roth made himself very agreeable, said, in spite of the fact that he was an enemy, the boys took quite a liking to him. He conversed fluently upon subjects pertaining to America, where he said he had visited more than once, and also spoke familiarly of that spot on the African coast where Jack had made his boyhood home.

Having thus thrown the lads off their guard, Colonel Von Roth set about finding a way in which he could recapture the s.h.i.+p. Of his parole he thought nothing.

"What's a parole worth when given to a couple of children?" he had muttered to himself.

From the start the German officer made himself, perfectly at home, and, although the boys had thought of remonstrating, he was allowed the freedom of all parts of the s.h.i.+p. He went below, when, he felt so disposed, and returned when he was ready.

"It seems to me that our gallant colonel is taking things almost too free and easy," Frank had remarked to Jack, at one of their daily conferences.

"So he is," Jack had made reply, "I'll have to, speak to him about it."

He did so, and was somewhat taken aback at the officer's manner of receiving the rebuke.

"I meant no harm," he replied, with an air offended dignity, "but, of course, if you do not wish me to go below, I shall not do so."

However, he had quickly seemed to forget this and neither lad, because of his apparent sensitiveness, had the heart to remind him of it.

It had just struck four bells two days later a Jack stood on the bridge alone. Frank had gone to his cabin and lain down. He felt somewhat ill, and decided that a rest was what he needed to put him in condition again.

Jack, having just ordered a slight alteration in their course to the man at the wheel, signaled the engine-room for more speed.

There was no response to the signal, and Jack tried it again.

Still there wits no response.

"That's funny," said the lad to himself, "the bell was working all right a moment ago. Guess I'll go and see what's the matter."

He called the second officer, who took the bridge while Jack went below. As he made his way to the engine-room, he was brought to a sudden stop at the door. He heard a familiar voice inside, speaking in a tone of great satisfaction.

"Colonel Von Roth, or I'm much mistaken," Jack fold himself, laying a hand on the door. "I wonder--"

Struck with a sudden thought, he drew back suddenly, and then laid his ear to the door.

"You dogs!" came the colonel's voice from within. "Thought to get away with this s.h.i.+p, did you? Well, I'll show you!"

Without a moment's hesitation Jack opened the door and sprang inside. The action almost cost him his life. He had expected to find no enemy but the German officer in the engine-room, but in this he was sadly mistaken. The room was full of men.

The colonel had laid his plans carefully, and they had worked out to his satisfaction.

In a moment when the attention of the sentry guarding the captives had been attracted elsewhere, Von Roth sneaked up on him from behind and struck him a heavy blow with his fist. Then, tying the prostrate man, the colonel had possessed himself of the guard's key and removed the irons from some of the German prisoners.

He did not wait to release all of them, for he was too anxious to try his plan of retaking the s.h.i.+p. Therefore, when he had freed twenty-five men, he led them quickly to the engine-room, thinking first to capture their strategic point and to take care of the rest of the s.h.i.+p's crew later.

He had burst into the engine-room so suddenly, with his men at his heels, that the engineer and his a.s.sistants had been too surprised to resist, in spite of the fact that not one of the prisoners, save the colonel himself, was armed--the colonel having appropriated one of Frank's revolvers.

When Jack sprang into the room it was with his revolver held ready for instant use. In a trice lit took in the situation, and realized that it was no time for talk. The stokers, the engineer and his a.s.sistant were standing helpless, evidently awed by the larger number of Germans.

Jack's revolver spoke, and Colonel Von Roth's hat leaped from his head. In his hurry Jack's aim had been poor.

The German officer whirled and his revolver also rang out. Jack felt a sting in his left arm, but he did not pause.

Right into the middle of the crowd of Germans he sprang, his revolver spitting fire as he leaped. Down went three Germans, and then Jack was in among them. The tenth and last shot of his automatic went squarely into the face of a German soldier.

Battling desperately the Germans leaped upon him and overwhelmed him. So closely entwined were the struggling men that Jack was unable to take the time to draw his second revolver; but he was not daunted. His fighting blood was up, and he hurled his six feet of height and 178 pounds of weight into the thick of the conflict.

His revolver reversed in his hand, he struck out often and fiercely. Here and there the sound of a crunch told him a blow had landed. But he had no time to investigate; the press was too thick.

By this time the engineer, his a.s.sistant and the stokers had recovered from their surprise and rushed to Jack's aid. Friend and foe alike grabbed up whatever weapon they could lay their hands on wrenches, hand-bars and heavy iron pokers.

Guarding his head as well as he could with one upraised arm, Jack struck right and left with his revolver b.u.t.t. A man sprang at him with a heavy wrench, but the lad caught it, by a quick move, on his revolver. It saved his head, but the weapon went to the floor in a thousand pieces.

Jack grappled with this antagonist, and, by a quick twist of the arm, whipped the wrench from his opponent's hand. It rose and fell and the German toppled over.

Colonel Von Roth, now the only man in the room armed, stood off to one side, trying in vain to bring his revolver to bear upon Jack. He was afraid to fire, however, for fear of hitting one of his own men. Hither and thither he darted around the struggling ma.s.s of men, attempting to get a clear shot at the lad.

Suddenly Jack stooped near the door of one of the furnaces and picked up a heavy iron poker. With this he laid about him right l.u.s.tily, and in a moment had cleared a little circle about himself. The rest of the English, driven back by the Germans, were still fighting desperately at the opposite side of the room.

Now that Jack was standing alone, he made an excellent target for Colonel Von Roth's revolver and the colonel was not slow to realize it.

Quickly he raised the revolver and fired; but at that same moment Jack suddenly took two rapid steps forward, and the bullet whistled harmlessly over his head.

The lad raised his eyes from the rest of his opponents for a brief instant, and in that instant realized that the colonel had singled him out for his bullet.

With a sudden fierce bellow he raised his heavy poker in both hands, and plunged into the thick of the conflict. There was no stopping him now. His rush was irresistible. He bore down upon the foe like a human catapult.

Heavy wrenches, pieces of steel, nuts and bolts were hurled at him. Some struck him and some flew past. But to these he paid no heed. Strong as a lion he fought his way on. The Germans retreated before this fighting figure of sinew and muscle; they quailed before his grim set mouth and the gleam in the eye of him.

With mighty strokes he swept them aside with broken heads and arms and limbs. His object now was Colonel Von Roth, who still stood at the far end of the room, his revolver raised, ready to fire.

Taking heart from the gallant action of their commander, the British stokers sprang forward anew, and now the Germans tried to escape. The English pushed them back rapidly.

Straight for Colonel Von Roth went Jack. The colonel, with upraised revolver, saw him coming and turned pale. He aimed quickly and fired. Jack staggered back a step and then came on again. A second time the colonel fired, but this time the lad did not even pause.

The heavy iron poker seemed to whirl about his head; there was the sound of a blow. Colonel Von Roth went to the floor with a groan, and Jack fell sprawling on top of him, unconscious.

Even as the lad fell, the one German soldier who still remained in the room, picked up a heavy wrench and sprang forward.

Quickly he raised his arm, and was in the very act of hurling it at the head of the unconscious lad when there was the sound of a revolver shot. The German threw up both arms, spun rapidly around once or twice, and fell to the floor.

In the doorway stood Frank. Aroused from his slumber by the sounds of scuffling below, he had sprung up suddenly. At first he could not make out the cause of the disturbance. Then there suddenly flashed before his face a vision of Colonel Von Roth.

This vision spurred him to instant action. Leaping from his bunk he ran on deck. There all was serene and quiet. He paused for a moment, undecided. Then, urged on by some uncanny foresight, he dashed toward the engine-room.

On the steps he met the first of the retreating German soldiers.

With a cry over his shoulder to the third officer, who had followed him, he plunged in among them, striking out swiftly right and left. At the door of the engine-room he halted.