CHAPTER XIV
CHANGED ORDERS
At the same moment Frank came running up.
"_Indefatigable_ reports she has sighted us, sir!"
"Good!" exclaimed Captain Raleigh. "I felt sure it was the_Indefatigable_. Tell her we shall steam slowly until she comes up withus."
Frank saluted and returned to the wireless room.
Now Captain Raleigh gave an order to the first officer.
"Have all hands piped to quarters, Mr. MacDonald."
Instantly, all became bustle aboard the _Queen Mary._ Men rushed hitherand thither; but in a moment order was restored out of the seemingconfusion.
Followed by Jack, his first and second officers, Captain Raleigh madean inspection of the giant battleship.
He addressed the different groups of men as he passed and told themwhat was about to transpire.
"It is likely to be a one-sided battle at first," he told the menquietly, "but I know that none of you will shrink because of that. Youhave fought against odds before now. You will not mind doing it again."
The men cheered him.
His tour of inspection completed, Captain Raleigh ordered:
"Let each man be served with a good meal and let them have two hourssleep--all but the watches."
The necessary orders were given and a short time later the men wereeating heartily. Then they went to their quarters, where some lay downto sleep while others sat in groups and discussed the impending battle.
Shortly after five o'clock Frank and Jack found themselves alone intheir cabin, having been relieved of duty for an hour.
"It's going to be a great fight, Frank," declared Jack.
"You bet it is. It will be the greatest naval battle of history, if thebulk of the British fleet comes up in time. Never before has such avast array of giant fighting ships as will be engaged in this strugglecontended for supremacy. In total tonnage engaged and in the matter ofarmament and complement it will outrival even the victory of Nelson atTrafalgar and the defeat of the Spanish Armada. And the British, asalways, will win."
"Let us hope so. But, as you and I know, the Germans are no meanopponents. Considering the fact that, since the outbreak of the war,they have had little opportunity to practise war tactics on the sea andpractically no chance at all to practise gunnery, the few battles thathave been fought have proven them foemen worthy of the best we have tooffer."
"True," said Frank. "Until reinforcements arrive they will outnumberus. I don't know how many to one."
"To my mind it is foolish to engage the German fleet with only a fewships," said Jack. "It won't gain us anything. I believe we shouldretreat slowly and draw them on."
"I believe that would be a much better plan. We might engage them atlong range, running slowly before them. Then, when the main fleet cameup, we would take them by surprise."
And even at that moment the same plan was being revolved in the mind ofVice-Admiral Beatty as, in his flagship, the _Lion_, he steamed swiftlynorthward.
By this time the battleship _Indefatigable_ had drawn up almost on eventerms with the _Queen Mary._ The wireless of both ships were busy asthe commanders exchanged greetings and discussed their plans forbattle. A little later, as the _Indefatigable_ drew even closer,Captain Reynolds of the _Indefatigable_ flashed this message:
"I am coming aboard you."
Half an hour later he came over the side of the _Queen Mary_ anddisappeared with Captain Raleigh in the latter's cabin. Directly anaide was despatched for Frank and Jack, who made their way to theircommander's quarters.
"So!" exclaimed Captain Reynolds, when his eye fell on Jack, "this ladis one of the two who gained this important information, eh? Let mehear your story again, sir."
Jack repeated the account of the adventures he and his friend had hadthe night before. Captain Raleigh produced the paper the lads had takenfrom the commander of the German air squadron and the two commandersscanned it together.
"Well, there is one thing in our favor," said Captain Reynolds. "TheGermans will fail to get the air support they are expecting."
"There probably will be other aircraft with the fleet," said CaptainRaleigh.
"Most likely. Probably a Zeppelin or two with them. Fortunate we havethese new anti-aircraft guns aboard. They weren't completed any toosoon. Raleigh, what ships are in the Skagerak now?"
"Only three, I believe. The _Glasgow, Albert_ and the _Victoria_, theformer a battle cruiser and the latter two torpedo boats. If we canarrive in time there will be five of us. Then, if the _Warspite_, the_Invincible_ and the cruisers _Defense, Black Prince_ and _Warrior_come up in time we will be more on even terms."
"Exactly. But the main fleet, farther south, will hardly arrive in timeI am afraid; and, by the way, you are wrong in your calculations. The_Warspite_ is with the main fleet."
"Is that so? So, then, is the _Edinsburgh_, the _Tiger_, the_Peerless_, the _Terror_, the _George IV_ and the _Richard_?"
"Yes; those, with a dozen battle cruisers and a score of torpedo boats,comprise the main fleet. If they arrive in time, the Germans musteither run or be sent to the bottom."
At this moment a message was handed to Captain Raleigh from thewireless room.
"Change in orders," said the commander briefly, after scanning thepiece of paper. "We are to engage the enemy at long range and seek todraw him farther into the North Sea. Orders have been sent to the threeships off Jutland to fall back before the approach of the enemy untilwe can join them, if they sight the enemy before we arrive. If not, weare all to retire slowly. The _Invincible_, three cruisers and half adozen torpedo boats will join us soon after dawn. The main fleet cannotarrive until two hours before noon."
"By Jove, Raleigh!" exclaimed Captain Reynolds, "I am better satisfiedwith those orders. There is more chance of success now. It would havebeen foolhardy for us to engage the whole German fleet."
"I agree with you."
"Well, I'll get back to my vessel now."
Captain Reynolds arose and extended his hand to his fellow commander.
"In case----" he said simply.
Captain Raleigh gripped the hand. Then he accompanied Captain Reynoldsand saw him over the side.
It was now after 6 o'clock. The German fleet was due off Jutland atalmost any moment. Captain Raleigh and Jack made their way to thewireless room.
"Get the _Glasgow_," commanded Captain Raleigh of the operator.
"_Glasgow! Glasgow_!" went the call.
"_Glasgow!_" came the reply a few moments later.
This conversation between the two commanders ensued:
"Have you sighted the enemy?" This from the _Queen Mary_.
"No," from the _Glasgow_.
"Have any of your consorts picked up the foe?"
"Not yet."
"You received my earlier instructions?"
"Yes. We are holding our ground until we sight the enemy. Then we shallretire. How long before you will come up with us?"
"In your present position, two hours. If you fall back, we shall, ofcourse, be with you sooner. Are you ready for action?"
"Yes; cleared."
"Good. I am giving my men all the rest possible. Goodbye."
"Funny," said Captain Raleigh to Jack, "they should have sighted theenemy by this time."
"It would seem so, sir," agreed Jack.
"Well, they probably will be in sight by the time we come up with the_Glasgow_," said Captain Raleigh.
But two hours later, when the _Queen Mary_ and _Indefatigable_ came upwith the other British ships, no enemy had been sighted yet. It wasthen almost nine o'clock.
"You are sure you have not miscalculated the time?" Captain Raleighasked of Frank and Jack.
"Positive, sir," replied the former. "Besides, you have the documentrelating to the attack."
"True enough. The enemy probably has been delayed. Or perhaps they willawait the coming of daylight."
"It would be better if they did, for us, I mean, wouldn't it, sir?"asked Frank.
br /> "Much better," replied his commander briefly.
"Then let us hope that is what happens."
"But I am afraid it won't happen," said Jack. "If the Germans get thisfar safely, they won't wait for us to overtake them."
"No; you're right there," said Captain Raleigh. "The thing that worriesme is that, if they do get by us, they will spread out all over thesea. They will be able to raid the British coast, may succeed inrunning through the English channel, and then we shall have to roundthem up all over again. They would scatter over the seven seas."
"Then we've got to lick 'em," declared Frank, grimly.
Captain Raleigh smiled.
"That's the spirit I like to see," he said quietly. "It is the spiritthat has carried the British flag to victory against overwhelming oddson many occasions."
"But he is not an Englishman, sir," said Jack with a smile.
"What?" exclaimed Captain Raleigh. "Not an Englishman? Then what ishe?"
"American," was Jack's reply.
"Oh, well, it amounts practically to the same thing," declared CaptainRaleigh.
"Next to being an American," said Frank, quietly, "I would be English."
The first officer, Lieutenant MacDonald, burst into the captain's cabinat this moment.
"Message from the _Glasgow_, sir!" he exclaimed. "German battlesquadron, steaming at twenty knots, sighted five miles off Jutland,sir!"