"Those you see now," said Lord Hastings, "have been left to guard the entrance to the strait. The others, the outer fortifications having been put out of commission, undoubtedly have progressed two or three miles into the strait." "More than that, sir," said Jack. "You remember the prisoner told us they were reported to have progressed twelve miles." "True, I had forgotten. I am willing to predict, then, that they have progressed farther by this time." Lord Hastings' prediction proved correct; for when the D-16 drew up under the shelter of one of the largest of the battleships, and Lord Hastings went aboard, he learned that the _Queen Elizabeth_, leading the fleet, had progressed all of twenty miles and her great guns were now busily engaged in hurling huge projectiles miles farther. From the commander of the British vessel which he boarded, Lord Hastings learned some of the details of the fighting up to date. He learned how, when it had been decided to attempt a passage of the Dardanelles, the _Queen Elizabeth_, fearless and powerful, had taken the lead, and had made short work of the outer defenses. Her terrible projectiles had wreaked havoc upon the fortifications, and, when she had all but dismantled one, she moved on to another, leaving the smaller vessels to complete the work of destruction. And so on along the strait for twenty miles. Word had just been received that the Turks were massing huge land forces, with heavy artillery, along the banks of the Dardanelles to attempt to check the onward movement of the allied fleet. Several of these forces had already been put to rout by the powerful and accurate fire of the warships, but now, it was said, a greater and more powerfully armed force was advancing to give battle. Other than the success attained in the Dardanelles itself, the attempted passage had done two other things of benefit to the British cause. First it had forced the Turks to give up their proposed invasion of Egypt, and, second, it had caused the abandonment of the attempt to capture the Suez canal from the British troops, although it is doubtful if either would have terminated successfully for the Turks. Lord Hastings returned aboard the D-16 and explained the situation to the lads. "And what shall we do now, sir?" asked Jack. "Well," said Lord Hastings slowly, "I see no use waiting outside and letting the other fellows do all the work. Guess we might as well go along after them." "Good!" cried both lads in a single voice. CHAPTER XXV. IN THE DARDANELLES. From the bridge of the D-16, Lord Hastings and the two lads viewed the terrible havoc wrought upon the Turkish fortifications by the guns of the allied fleet. Huge holes had been cut in the walls in some places, while at others the fortifications had been literally razed until there remained hardly one stone upon another.