The Boy Allies at Jutland; Or, The Greatest Naval Battle of HistoryHayes, Clair W. (Clair Wallace)
General
The Boy Allies at Jutland; Or, The Greatest Naval Battle of History
Hayes, Clair W. (Clair Wallace)
Jutland, Battle of, 1916 -- Juvenile fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- Naval operations -- Juvenile fiction
Near the bridge the lads stopped and waited to see what would happen.
All was quiet aboard. Not a sound came from the officers or the men on
deck. Then Captain Raleigh commanded:
"Try the forward searchlight there. See if you can pick her up!"
The light flashed aloft; and there, so far above the _Queen Mary_ as to
be little more than a tiny speck, hovered a giant Zeppelin; and even as
they looked, the airship came lower.
"She's sighted us," said Captain Raleigh to his first officer, who
stood beside him. "Try a shot, Mr. Harrison."
The first officer passed the word and a second later there came the
sound of the anti-aircraft gun. The gunner had taken his range at the
moment the flashlight revealed the airship.
The shot brought no noticeable result.
"Fifteen knots ahead, Mr. Harrison!" ordered the captain.
He was afraid that the Zeppelin might drop a bomb on the ship; and from
that moment until the end of the battle the _Queen Mary_ did not pause.
First she headed to port and then to starboard, manoeuvering rapidly
that the German airmen might not be able to reach her with a bomb.
"Another shot!" commanded Captain Raleigh.
Still no result.
"Funny she doesn't rise and try and escape," said Frank.
"No, it's not," returned Jack. "They don't know anything about this new
anti-aircraft gun. They believe they are out of range."
"Well, they're likely to hit us with one of those bombs, and then where
will we be?" said Frank.
"If they hit us you won't know anything about it," was Jack's response.
Again the _Queen Mary_ tried a shot at the Zeppelin.
A cheer went up from the members of the crew who stood upon deck; for
the Zeppelin was seen to wabble.
"Nicked her," shouted the first officer.
Jack, standing near the rail, heard something whiz by his head.
Instinctively the lad ducked. He knew in a moment what had passed him;
he heard something splash into the sea.
"Bomb just missed us, sir!" he cried, stepping forward.
"Where?" demanded Captain Raleigh.
"Right here, forward, sir," replied Jack.
Captain Raleigh gave a quick command to his first officer, who passed
it to the man at the wheel.
"Hard a-port!" he cried.
The ship veered crazily; and at the some moment, Frank, who was
standing where Jack had been a moment before, heard something swish
past.
"Another bomb, sir!" he reported.
There was no reply from the bridge. Captain Raleigh felt that, by
bringing the ship's head hard to port, he had spoiled the range of the
enemy in the air.
For some time no more bombs dropped near.
Again the _Queen Mary_ fired at the Zeppelin; and again and again.
The last shot was rewarded by another cheer from the crew. The giant
Zeppelin was seen to drop suddenly.
The crew cheered loud and long for it appeared that the Zeppelin was
about to drop into the sea. Down she came and still down; and then her
descent suddenly halted.
To those aboard the _Queen Mary_ this was unexplainable.
"Fire again, quickly!" shouted the captain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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