CHAPTER IX.
JACK TO THE RESCUE.
Frank and Edwards both whirled hurriedly; and not a fathom's length awayrode a second small boat; and standing forward were two men, theirrevolvers levelled directly at the heads of our friends.
"Up they go, Edwards," said Frank quietly, dropping his rifle andsuiting the action to the word. "It's no use; they've got the drop onus."
"They have, sir," agreed Edwards.
His rifle also fell to the bottom of the boat with a clatter and hishands went in the air.
"Good!" said one of the men in the other boat. "You will please keepyour hands where they are." He turned to his companion. "Fritz, you rowcloser, while I keep them covered."
The latter obeyed and soon the two boats scraped.
"Now you will please come aboard my boat," ordered their captor, stillkeeping them covered. "One false move and you are dead men. Come quicklynow."
Frank realized there was no hope for it, so he obeyed without a word.Edwards followed suit.
"Take your places forward there," commanded their captor.
The prisoners obeyed.
"Very good. Now, Fritz, row to the boat."
The latter dipped his oars in the water and the rowboat moved toward themotorboat, at which Frank and Edwards had so recently fired. There thefirst captor--the man who seemed to be in command--ordered Frank andEdwards over the side.
"Quick, now!" he commanded.
Frank climbed aboard first and as he rose to his feet there was thesound of a shot and the lad felt a bullet whistle past his ear. Hedropped to the deck.
"Great Scott! I forgot about Jack being out there," he muttered. "Healmost picked me off that time." He raised his voice in a shout. "Hey,Jack! quit that! It's me, Frank! We are prisoners!"
A moment later Edwards clambered over the side of the motorboat and thistime there was no shot. Frank felt sure that Jack had heard him andunderstood the situation.
Now their two captors came quickly over the side and the first turnedupon Frank.
"Who were you shouting to?" he demanded.
"Oh, just a friend of mine," replied Frank, with a slight shrug of hisshoulders. "He's out there," and the lad waved an arm across the water.
"And what's he doing out there?"
"The same thing we were doing when you found us. Trying to get youfellows."
"Oh, I see," was the reply. "You had us between two fires, eh. It'slucky we put off before you got so close. We heard firing and came backto have a look around."
"Then that's the way you spotted us, eh?" said Frank. "I didn't thinkyou could have got off without my seeing you."
The man made no reply to this, but turned quickly to the other.
"We'll have to get away from here at once, Fritz. Take the wheel."
The latter sprang aft with alacrity, while the first man leaned down andbegan to tinker with the engine. Frank took a quick step forward andseemed about to leap upon his captor, but the latter turned from theengine and a revolver was in his hand.
"I wouldn't if I were you," he said quietly.
Frank stepped back.
"Oh, all right," he said.
The little motorboat began to move.
The captor raised his voice.
"Hans! Franz!" he called.
There was no answer and after a moment he repeated his calls.
"If you were calling your men, I fear you are wasting time," said Frankquietly.
"What?" exclaimed his captor.
"Exactly," replied Frank. "It was necessary for us to shoot them beforeyou were fortunate enough to find us."
"I see," replied the boy's captor slowly. "Well, I shall have more tosay to you about that later."
He again began to tinker with the engine and the motorboat now increasedits pace; and then, as the man raised his head to look at Frank, heperceived two dark figures suddenly clamber over the rail and dashtoward him.
Frank saw them in the same instant.
"Jack!" he cried.
The German, for such Frank felt sure his captor was, rose quickly to hisfeet, revolver in hand. He raised it quickly, and pointing it at Jack,who was dashing forward closely followed by Williams, fired.
The distance was so close that a miss would have been impossible andJack would probably have been killed had it not been for Frank.
The latter sprang quickly forward and seized the German's arm even ashis finger pressed the trigger and the bullet went wild. With a mutteredimprecation, the German whirled on Frank, reversed his revolver quicklyand brought it down on the lad's head.
Frank fell to the deck without a groan and lay still.
At the same moment a shot from the helmsman struck Williams in the chestas he and Edwards dashed toward him and the man fell to the deck,mortally wounded.
Edwards, unarmed, dashed upon the other, but even as he would havegrappled with the man, the latter dodged and Edwards went staggering by.Before he could recover himself, the German had clubbed him over thehead with his revolver butt.
Thus were three of the friends put hors de combat almost quicker than ittakes to tell it. There remained now only Jack, with two against him,both armed.
Jack raised his revolver at the moment Frank fell unconscious to thedeck and the German whirled quickly to face him. Both fired at the samemoment and both stepped aside as they did so. Jack felt a bullet grazehis hand and his revolver fell clattering to the deck. The other, hesaw, had not been touched.
Jack sprang forward and grappled with the German even as the helmsman,having disposed of Edwards, took a snap shot at him. The lad steppedforward just in time to escape the bullet.
Realizing now that he had a foe behind as well as in front, Jack seizedthe first German in a powerful embrace, the man's pistol hand going overhis shoulder; and at that moment the German pressed the trigger.
A howl of pain came from the helmsman. The bullet had struck thelatter's revolver on the barrel and the force of the shock hadmomentarily numbed the man's hand.
Jack seized the first German's arm and by a quick twist sent therevolver spinning across the deck, and it passed beneath the rail andinto the water.
Now the lad brought rushing tactics into play and pushed the firstGerman the length of the deck before the latter could brace himself.There Jack's eye caught the gleam of the helmsman's pistol and with aquick kick he sent it hurtling overboard also.
But Jack's antagonist was a strong man and the lad knew that he had ahard job on his hands to dispose of him alone, to say nothing of thesecond man, who, the lad knew, would be fit again in a moment.
But it was no time for indecision; and Jack sprang forward. His rightfist shot out with stinging force--a blow that would have ended thebattle right there had it landed, but the German ducked and clinched. Atthis kind of fighting, he was more Jack's match and he seized the lad ina tight embrace.
"Fritz!" called the German, as he and Jack struggled about the deck. "Ahand, quick!"
Fritz was now on his feet and he came forward in response to thiscommand. One huge fist he raised, and would have brought it down onJack's head had not the lad seen him out the tail of his eye and movedhis head swiftly to one side.
The blow missed.
Jack, with one hand free for a moment, dealt the helmsman a blow in theface as he swooped past; then again turned his attention to the firstman.
The latter now also freed an arm and Jack staggered back from a heavyblow in the face. Blood streamed from a cut over his right eye, blindinghim momentarily.
Jack shook the blood out of his eyes with a toss of his head and steppedforward angrily. He had no mind to let his adversary clinch again if hecould help it.
As the German rushed Jack met him with a stiff left to the face and theman halted in his tracks with a cry of pain. Jack followed up thisadvantage with a right-handed blow to the abdomen, doubling the Germanup like a knife. Then the lad reached his opponent's jaw with a hardleft.
The man staggered back and crumpled up in a
heap.
"So much for you," muttered the lad, turning just in time to meet therush of the helmsman, who had now recovered from the effects of Jack'sblow and was coming angrily forward.
Now, this second man was even larger and more powerfully built than thefirst German, and one huge arm warded off Jack's first short jab for theface. Instead of attempting to return the blow, the helmsman grabbedJack by the arm, and yanked him suddenly forward.
Jack, caught unprepared, went stumbling forward. The helmsman steppedaside and struck heavily at the lad as he reeled past.
Had he taken his time and aimed carefully the battle would have endedright there; fortunately, however, his haste was too great and he onlystruck the lad a glancing blow.
In spite of this fact, however, the force of it was so great that itstaggered the lad. Apparently believing that this one blow would end thefight, the German stepped back to watch the effect of it.
But Jack did not fall. Staggering forward, his hand caught the rail ofthe boat, where he stood a moment, recovering himself.
The German advanced with a smile on his face. Jack turned to meet him.
Slowly the German came on, his great arms raised awkwardly and then itdawned upon Jack that all that was necessary to dispose of this greatbrute was a little skill and caution. His head was clear now and headvanced confidently.
The German rushed forward. Jack side-stepped neatly and struck hisopponent a heavy blow just above the right ear as he passed. The manturned quickly and just in time to catch a second powerful blow on theforehead. Another man would have gone down, but the German sprangforward ready for more.
And he got more. Jack stood off at arms' length and peppered himbeautifully. In vain the German struck out and sought to clinch. Jackdodged his blows and evaded his clasp with ease. And then the lad sawthe opportunity he had been awaiting.
In a desperate attempt to clinch, the German exposed his jaw. Jack'sright flashed out quickly and then the lad stepped back. His fist hadfound its mark; and the German staggered back, reeled, swayed--fell tothe deck unconscious.