CHAPTER IX
THE FIGHT
Frank, on deck, was doing his work. At the first stroke of six bells,the lad had dropped his hand to his pocket. A moment later there camea sharp report from below.
"Things have started moving," said Frank quietly.
The officer on the bridge had also caught the sound of the revolvershot. He looked up sharply. A moment later Lieutenant Blum dashedforward and jumped to the bridge. He spoke hurriedly to the officer ofthe deck, and both made a leap for the machine guns.
Frank smiled quietly to himself. Here was fighting in which he knewhis true value.
The lad's revolver flashed. The man nearest to the first machine gundropped in his track. The second man, Lieutenant Blum, touched thenearest machine gun. Frank's revolver spoke again. The Germanlieutenant pitched forward on his face.
"So much for you!" cried Frank. He leaped to the bridge and coveredthe man at the wheel.
"A false move and you are a dead man," he said. "Hold her steady."
A glance told the helmsman that the lad meant what he said. The Germankept his hand on the wheel.
Came the cries of men as those released below poured on deck in thewake of Lord Hastings. Frank gazed in that direction. As he did so,the man at the wheel rose suddenly, snatched the revolver from thelad's hand and before Frank could turn, brought it down heavily on hishead.
Frank dropped limply to the deck.
The helmsman himself sprang toward the machine gun, while the bigvessel, with no hand to guide her wallowed in the trough of the sea.
There came a hoarse command from Lord Hastings, who had seen Frankfall.
Several men fired at the helmsman and he went down. The bridge wasunmanned now but its capture was to be no sinecure. The oppositionfrom forward had developed considerable force and the Germans thererealized that possession of the bridge by the Americans and Englishmenmeant disaster. The third officer, in command, roared out his ordersand a score of heavily armed Germans from the forecastle gathered abouthim.
At Lord Hastings' command, his forces scattered--it would be everyman for himself.
The Germans under the third officer held the forecastle and betweenthem and the opposition amidships was the bridge. Now more men swarmedfrom aft. The British and Americans were between two fires.
A volley belched from the third officer's men. Two Americans wentdown. From their scattered positions about the deck, the alliesreturned the fire, and with effect, as Lord Hastings could see, forseveral men dropped.
"Good work, men!" shouted Lord Hastings.
The British commander knew that Jack, Tom and the other prisoners wouldbe on deck in a few moments, and that if he could hold the deck untilthat time, the bridge might be captured by a massed attack.
But now, with the Germans guarding the bridge from the forecastle, itwas well nigh impossible, for the allied sailors would be mowed down.For the same reason, the Germens in the forecastle were unable toadvance upon the bridge.
Meantime the Vaterland staggered helplessly.
Suddenly there was a wild cry from forward. On deck dashed Jack andthe negro, Tom, followed by the released prisoners. The Germans in theforecastle were panic stricken at sight of these unexpectedre-enforcements for the opposition. They poured in a withering fire,but it was returned with such deadly effect that the Germansscattered.
But the Germans aft pressed into the heat of the conflict, disregardingshots rained upon them by the allies. Lord Hastings called his men tomake a massed stand. They gathered about him and dashed headlong atthe Germans.
Revolvers replaced rifles now, for the fighting was at too closequarters for the use of the latter. Men emptied their revolvers in thevery faces of their enemies, then clubbed their weapons and continuedthe struggle.
As the allies turned to meet this attack, the Germans in the forecastlerallied and dashed for the bridge. From behind them, the force led byJack with Tom flung themselves forward.
At almost the same time consciousness returned to Frank on the bridge.Slowly he raised his head, saw the men approaching him, picked up therevolver that lay near his hand and emptied it into the face of thefoe. His second automatic leaped from his pocket and also flashedfire.
Taken by surprise, the Germans hesitated. At the same moment Frankstaggered toward the machine guns. He gripped one, whirled it so thatit covered the deck.
But he could not fire. Lord Hastings' force was in the line of fireand to have opened up with the rapid-firer would have annihilated theallies as well as the Germans.
A bullet whistled past the lad's head and he ducked instinctively. Heemptied the second revolver into the mass of his foes and hurled thenow useless weapon in their faces.
Then the Germans were upon him.
But Jack, who realized what would follow should the Germans gaincontrol of the bridge, had urged his men to greater efforts, and thesenow fell upon the Germans from behind.
With absolute disregard for their own safety, and fighting side byside, Jack and the giant negro forced their way through the strugglingmass. The negro wreaked terrible havoc with his deadly pair of brassknuckles, but Jack was giving an equally good account of himself withhis two clubbed revolvers.
Two men sprang to the bridge. Frank met the first with a blow of hisright fist and the man dropped back. The second made the bridge andFrank grappled with him. The two went down in a heap.
"To the bridge, Tom!" called Jack.
With a desperate effort the two broke through the mass of the enemy andleaped safely to the bridge. Four Germans piled forward with them.
Meantime Lord Hastings' force was so hardly pressed that he for themoment lost sight of the bridge. Under the volleys of the Germans whostill stuck to the forecastle, the Americans and English threwthemselves to the deck for what little shelter they could find. Therethey sniped off what numbers of the enemy they could.
Then the Germans who held the forecastle charged.
There was nothing for Lord Hastings to do now but order his men to theirfeet to meet this situation. At command, they leaped up quickly andpresented a solid front to the foe.
In the foremost of the fighting was Captain Stoneman, erstwhilecommander of the Algonquin. He had long since discarded his emptyautomatics to favor of bare fists, and now he flung himself into themidst of the battle. Others sprang forward with him, those who werestill armed firing point blank into the mass of the foe.
The Germans gave ground.
The men who had been released last by Jack and the big negro now dashedforward with wild cries of joy and fell upon the enemy from the rear.
On the bridge, Jack, Frank and the negro Tom now were battling withfully a dozen men. No shots were fired. All on the bridge hadexhausted their ammunition, and now fell to with butts of revolvers andtheir naked fists.
"Charge 'em!" shouted Jack suddenly, who realized that the enemy wasworking back so that they could get their hands on the machine guns.
Frank and the negro asked no questions. Jack dashed forward; theyfollowed him.
"I'm coming, suh!" shouted the negro.
His long arms flew about like flails, and wherever those brass knucklesstruck a man went down. Jack felled two men with as many blows. Thenegro accounted for two more. Frank dropped one to the deck.
There were still seven against three, and the Germans pressed forwardwith wild cries.
Again the brass knuckles found their mark and a German toppled to thedeck. Glancing around, the huge negro saw Frank locked in a closeembrace with a powerful German.
The negro stepped back and struck out viciously. The grip on Frankrelaxed.
There were but five men to deal with now.
One of these Jack disposed of with a blow to the point of the chin.Frank brought his revolver crashing down on the head of another. Tom'sknuckles went home again.
There were only two Germans on the bridge now. These turned to run.Tom stepped forward with quick strides and
grasped one by the arm,twisted sharply and sent him hurling into the sea. Then, with the rageof battle still in his heart and before Frank or Jack could stop him,he struck the remaining German a powerful blow in the face. The mancrumpled tip and lay still.
The three now were the undisputed masters of the bridge. But along thedeck the battle still raged.
Jack sprang to the nearest machine gun. Frank and Tom each mannedanother.