“Taking a chance,” Ensign MacMasters said to Whistler and his friends. “That is what she is doing. She’s not even camouflaged. Her owner has found some daredevil fellows to run her and will make a fortune in a single voyage--or lose the ship, one or the other. Great gamblers, some of these old ship owners.” “Gamblers with men’s lives,” said George Belding. “I should know. My father is in the business; but he does not take such chances as that.” “Not even with the _Redbird_?” whispered Whistler anxiously. “I don’t know about Phoebe and Alice sailing on her.” “Oh, pshaw! there’s no danger over yonder,” declared George. “We’ve driven all the Huns from the Western Atlantic.” “Hope so,” returned Whistler. Just then a cry rose from some of the men on deck. The destroyer was near enough to the tramp steamship now to observe what went on aboard of her. They saw men running about her deck. Then followed the “Bang! Bang! Bang!” of her deck guns. The guns were aimed for the far side of the tramp--the object they were aiming at being out of sight. But the destroyer’s crew knew what that fusillade meant. “A sub! She’s got a sub under her guns!” was the yell that rose all over the _Colodia_. Swift orders from the bridge and instantly the destroyer shot ahead like a mettlesome horse under spur and whip. CHAPTER XI--ACTION If action was what George Belding craved, he was getting it. Everybody aboard the United States destroyer _Colodia_ was on the alert as the craft leaped ahead to full speed for the spot where the rusty-sided tramp steamship was popping away with her deck guns at some object as yet not in view from the destroyer. The merchant ship was being conned on a zig-zag course, evidently in an attempt to dodge an expected torpedo. Her hull hid whatever she was shooting at from the crew of the _Colodia_; but the latter did not doubt the nature of the big ship’s erratic course. At top speed the _Colodia_ rushed to the fray, and on suddenly rounding the stern of the tramp, a great shout rose from the boys ranged along the destroyer’s rail: “There she is!” The cry was drowned by the salvo of guns discharged at the conning tower of the German submersible not more than a thousand yards from the tramp ship. The position of the German craft had been excellent at first for a shot at the merchant vessel; but her first torpedo had evidently missed its objective. Now with the destroyer in view, the Hun let drive a second missile and then began to submerge. The torpedo’s wake could be seen by the lookouts on the _Colodia_ the instant it left its tube. The tramp vessel evaded the explosive; but the destroyer was directly in the torpedo’s path. There was real danger at this moment. Quickly swerved as she might be, it was not at all sure that the _Colodia_ could escape the torpedo. Every man and boy aboard was at his station; among them Al Torrance was placed at the starboard rail. He was armed, like many of his mates, with a rifle.