At this the Germans uttered a cry of rage and sprang forward, their knives flashing aloft.
The first German missed his mark as Harris dodged beneath his arm and closed with him. He uttered a cry for help.
"That's right, you coward! You'll need it," said Harris.
He squeezed the man with all his might. Out of the tail of his eye he caught the glint of the other German's knife as it descended. Releasing his hold upon the one man, he stepped quickly backward. But the knife caught him a glancing blow on the forehead, inflicting a deep wound.
For a moment Harris paused to shake the blood out of his eyes. Then, with a smile playing across his features, he advanced; and as he advanced he said:
"You've done for me, the lot of you. But I shall take you with me."
The Germans quailed at the look in his face; and as he moved forward swiftly they threw down their knives and turned to run.
But they had delayed too long.
Harris stretched both hands out straight before him. One hand closed about the arm of the German to his right. The other clutched the second man by the throat. Harris pulled the man he held by the arm close; then released his grip, but before the German could stagger away, seized him, too, by the throat.
"Now I've got you," he said.
Blow after blow the Germans rained upon his face and shoulders, kicking out with their feet the while. Harris paid no more attention to these than he would have to the taps of a child.
But the Englishman felt his strength waning fast. It was with an effort that he staggered across the deck. At the rail he paused for a moment, gathering his strength for a final effort.
Then, still holding a German by the throat with each hand, he leaped into the sea.
Once, twice, three times the three heads appeared on the surface and a spectator could have seen that Harris retained his grip. Then the three sank from sight.
And so passed the former pugilistic champion of the British fleet, brave in death as he had been in life. The waves washed over the spot where he had gone down.
With the coming of dawn the three figures in the little motor boat gazed back in the direction from whence they had come. There they could still make out the distant shape of theBismarck. She rode quietly in the water, and there was nothing about her appearance to tell the three in the motor boat of the terrible struggle that was raging even at that moment.
"Poor Harris," said Jack. "I hope that in some manner he is able to escape."
"Certainly I hope so, too," declared Frank.
"He's a brave man," said von Ludwig.
Jack drew the fateful deck of cards from his pocket.
"These," he said, "I shall keep."
He ran through the deck several times, playing with them. Unconsciously he counted them.
There was something wrong. Jack counted the cards again. The result was the same.
"Sir!" he called to von Ludwig.
"Well?" "How did you chance to have this pack of cards?"
"I play solitaire considerably," was the reply.
"You couldn't have played solitaire with this deck," said Jack.
"Why not?""All the cards are not here. There are but fifty-one."
"There were fifty-two when I put them in my pocket," said von Ludwig, "because I counted them."
Again Jack ran through the deck There were but fifty-one cards. Suddenly the lad gave a start. He spread the cards out in the bottom of the boat, making four piles all suits together. He counted the hearts. They were all there, thirteen of them. He counted the clubs. They were all there, too. Next he counted the spades. All were there. Last he counted the diamonds. There were but twelve. Jack arranged them in order. There was one card shy. Jack found what it was a moment later. There was no six of diamonds in the deck. For some moments Jack sat silent, staring at the cards before him. He had been struck with a great light.
"So!" he said to himself at last, "Harris cheated."
"What's that?" said Frank, who had heard Jack's muttered words, but had not caught their import.
"I said," replied Jack, slowly, "that Harris cheated."
Frank was surprised. A moment later he said: "Well, even if he did, he lost anyhow."
"That's it," said Jack, quietly. "He didn't lose."
"You mean——" exclaimed Frank, excitedly.
"Yes; I mean that I lost. I should have been the one to stay."
"Impossible," said Frank.
"It's true," declared Jack. "Von Ludwig here says the deck was a full deck. It's shy a card now. The six of diamonds is missing. That is the card Harris cut first. You remember he turned aside?"
"Yes, but——"
"That's when he slipped the six of diamonds out of sight and exposed the deuce of spades."
"What's all this talk about cards?" asked von Ludwig, at this juncture.
Jack explained and for a few moments von Ludwig was lost in thought.
"You know," he said, finally, "I think more of that fellow every minute.That's the one case I have ever heard of where a man cheated with honor."
There was silence aboard the little craft as it sped over the water, all three aboard keeping a close watch for the approach of a German vessel of some sort. Von Ludwig referred to his chart occasionally, for he wished to steer as clear of mines as possible. They might be deep in the water and they might be close to the surface. There was no use taking chances. And while the voyage continued the lads were to be treated to yet another surprise; but this surprise was to be a pleasure and would not bring heavy hearts, as had the discovery of the missing card.
"I wish," said Jack, suddenly, to von Ludwig, "that you would tell me who you really are. I sit here and look at you and know I should be able to call your name. But I can't do it and it makes it decidedly unpleasant."
Von Ludwig smiled. "I should have thought you would know me in a minute in spite of my disguise," he said quietly. "I am sure I should have known both of you no matter what pains you took to conceal your features."
"You're only making matters worse," said Frank. "Come on now and tell us who you are."
Again von Ludwig smiled. "I wonder if you can guess who I am when I saythat I can tell you all about yourselves?" he said. "For instance, you,Jack. You spent most of your life in a little African village. And you,Frank, are an American who was shanghaied aboard a sailing vessel inNaples soon after the outbreak of the war."
"By Jove!" said Jack. "Outside of Frank here there is only one man who knows all that about me."
"And there is but a single man who knows as much of me," declared Frank."Can it be——"
For answer von Ludwig rose in his seat and stripped from his face the heavy German beard that had given him the true Teutonic expression, and there stood revealed before Jack and Frank none other than Lord Hastings, their erstwhile commander and good friend. Frank gave a cry of delight and sprang forward at the imminent risk of upsetting the motor boat. He seized Lord Hastings' hand and pressed it warmly. The latter's greeting was no less affectionate. Jack, not so given to demonstrations as his chum, also advanced and grasped Lord Hasting's hand.
"You don't know how glad I am to see you again, sir," the lad said quietly. "It seems like an age since we saw you. And to think that we didn't recognize you instantly."
"That's what seemed so funny to me," said Lord Hastings. "When I first saw you aboard that German vessel I was fearful for a minute that you would recognize me and blurt it out right there."
"But what were you doing there, Lord Hastings?" asked Frank.
"It's a long story," was the latter's reply, "but I guess now is as good a time as any to explain."
"I wish you would, sir," said Jack.
"Well," said Lord Hastings, "as you know, I told you when we parted that I had an important diplomatic duty to perform. First, it carried me to Roumania, where, I may say, I was successful."
"You mean that Roumania has decided to cast in her fortunes with theAllies, sir?"
"Exactly. She will take that step some time in August, though the exact date I am unable to say. My mission there at an end, I was ordered to report to Berlin. As you know, we still maintain a staff of correspondents in the German capital, although their identities are closely hidden."
Frank and Jack nodded, for they had known this some time before.
"Well," Lord Hastings continued, "in Berlin I was instructed to learn what Germany planned to do to offset the Roumanian menace, for she is sure to know of Roumanians decision by this time. I had some trouble, but I succeeded at last."
"And what will she do, sir?" asked Frank.
"That," was the reply, "I am unable to state at this minute. It is a secret that I am guarding carefully and I cannot even tell you lads about it."
Frank and Jack asked no further questions along that line.
"But how came you aboard the German vessel, sir?" Jack wanted to know.
Lord Hastings smiled.
"In Berlin," he said, "I was supposed to be a Roumanian officer, who had hopes of changing the attitude of that country. The Kaiser wished to show me how foolish it would be for the little Balkan state to join the Allies, and for that reason, had me shown through the German naval fortifications. That information, too, I am carrying back with me."
"But why didn't you tell us who you were in Bremen, sir?"
"I don't know. At first I guess because I wanted to surprise you both when you did learn who I was."
"But you told us not to try and learn who you were."
"Well, that was for a good reason. For, if you should have sought to pry, it might have aroused suspicions and there is no telling what would have happened."
"I see, sir," said Frank. "But you almost lost us when you didn't get back in time."
"I know that now. I wouldn't do the same thing again."
"And what are you going to do after you return to London, sir?" Frank wanted to know.
Again Lord Hastings smiled.
"That's hard to tell," he replied. "Still, I imagine it will not be very long before I feel a deck under my heels again."
"You mean you will leave the diplomatic service again, sir?" askedJack.
"I expect to. The king promised me a new command before he despatched me to the Balkans. But I do not know how long I shall be kept waiting."
"And when you get it, sir, will we go back with you?" asked Frank.
"Why," was the reply, "I should have thought that by this time you would perhaps have changed your minds."
"Never, sir," declared Jack, positively. "We would rather serve under you, sir."
"I'll see what can be done," Lord Hastings promised.
And with that the lads were forced to be content. Still, they knew well enough that Lord Hastings would do what he could to have them with him again.
"The main thing now," said Lord Hastings, "is to dodge the enemy and get back to England."
"With you here, sir," said Frank, "I am sure we shall get back safely."
And Frank proved a good prophet.
All that day they made their way slowly through the North Sea. Several times enemy ships were sighted, but, because the little motor boat lay so low in the water, the Germans did not see them.
With the coming of night, however, Lord Hastings increased the speed of the little craft. He felt that they were now beyond the German mine fields and that if another vessel were encountered it probably would be British.
And this proved to be the case.
Along toward morning of the second day, a British cruiser bore down on them. Soon all were aboard the vessel, which, when Lord Hastings informed the commander of the nature of the papers he carried, turned about and headed for London.
A day or two later, Frank and Jack again found themselves installed in the comfortable home of Lord Hastings, where they sat down to await what time might bring forth—confident, however, that it would not be long before they were upon active service under the command of their good friend, Lord Hastings.