CHAPTER VIII.BOMBARDING THE TURKISH FORTS.
“Jack, I do believe they are going in today to engage the Turkish forts!” exclaimed Amos, after taking a good look around at the stirring picture.
The sun, not far above the horizon, shone upon the glistening sea, and in almost every quarter the boys could see war vessels moving steadily in the direction of the land ahead. There were battleships, super-dreadnaughts, cruisers, torpedo-boat destroyers and dispatch boats, all stripped for action and looking in grim earnest as they moved along in seemingly endless procession.
“I’m a little inclined to say the same thing myself,” Jack announced. “But no matter whether it happens or not we are in great luck to be able to set eyes on a glorious picture like this.”
“I’ll never forget it if I live to the age of Methuselah!”affirmed Amos. “Just see how the mosquito craft dodge around, and serve to protect the big ships from any sort of torpedo attack. They must be on the watch all the time, because even a giant super-dreadnaught would go down like a stone if struck from a submarine.”
“I hope theThundererisn’t doomed to wind up that way, then,” remarked Jack. “With something like a thousand men aboard, we would have a mighty small chance to swim clear of the wreck, and might be sucked down when she sank. But they’re not depending so much on torpedoes out here as floating mines.”
“That’s what the lieutenant told us when on the destroyer,” said Amos. “It seems that there is always a swift current or tide flowing on the surface from out of the straits. By setting floating mines free above the Narrows, the German engineers, who are helping their allies, the Turks, in this campaign, can send them down upon the battle fleet as it works in the straits.”
“Those are what they call contact mines, I reckon, Jack?”
“Yes, they have triggers projecting from them, and contact with the side of a warship causes the explosion. They’ve already caused a whole lot of trouble, and several big war vessels have gone down in the straits through their work.”
“Then, besides, there have been heaps of regular mines, to be fired by electricity,” Amos went on to say. “The Allies have small boats called mine sweepers that use a sort of net, and drag for these mines. They’ve cleared most of them out of the first five miles of the straits, I understand.”
“Speaking about submarines,” Jack remarked, “the Germans don’t happen to be the only ones that have them. The lieutenant told us about a British submersible that dived under all the rows of mines in the Narrows, and reached the Sea of Marmora, where for several days it kicked up a great row, sinking several Turkish transports, one or two warships, and even bombarding the docks at Constantinople, trying to destroy, they say, the bridge across which so much of their supplies come to the city.”
“If that account is all true,” declared Amos, “that was a feat of daring unequalled in this whole war, according to my way of thinking. The commander of that undersea boat will get the Victoria Cross, you can bet.”
The boys were about this time informed they could have breakfast, since everything was being hurried on that morning because there was stern business ahead.
They met several of the officers in the mess-room, who greeted them in the most friendly way. They had heard enough of the boys’ story to understand that the two young Americans were a brave lot, and had actually alone and single-handed captured the notorious gun-runner, Captain Zenos, together with his entire crew of seven men.
The boat had been sent somewhere to be relieved of her dangerous cargo, which in turn would be utilized against the Turks. Later on that same powerboat was likely to become a mine-sweeper, for which service the craft was admirably fitted. So that, after all, Jack and Amos hadbeen instrumental in adding to the Allied fleet by one useful unit.
By the time breakfast had been dispatched the sound of heavy firing brought the two boys out on deck in a hurry, eager to witness whatever went on.
“They’re engaging the forts at long range,” said Amos, immediately, as he saw a volume of smoke shoot out from a battleship a mile away, and almost immediately heard the awful crash of the big gun.
“Yes, miles away,” Jack observed. “They have the range figured down to a dot. If they waste a shot they soon know it.”
“But how can they, when even with a glass no one could see the Turkish forts away up in the straits?” Amos asked, filled with curiosity.
“If you look up in the heavens you’ll have your answer,” Jack told him.
“Oh! now I see what you mean; there are eyes in the sky. Those aeroplanes are a part of the Allies’ outfit, and they keep watching all the timeto see where the shells fall, so as to correct the fire. It’s a great scheme, isn’t it, Jack?”
“A part of the war game of today, Amos, for we’re living in a fast age. Before this war is over I firmly believe there will be battleships of the air as well as of the sea, and they won’t be Zeppelins either.”
“Just to think,” the other boy mused, “right now I may be looking up at my brother Frank, for there’s a pretty big chance if he’s still alive one of those dots in the sky is his aeroplane. And, Jack, if we notice anyone of them that seems to be more daring than the rest, that’ll be Frank, by all accounts.”
Steadily theThundererpressed on, still heading for the jaws of land that marked the end of the Dardanelles Straits. With the passage of every minute the eagerness of the two lads increased until Amos was almost quivering with excitement.
“Look, Jack, I do believe they’re getting ready to fire one of the big guns in that forward turret. If you’ve got that cotton handy, please give mea wad, for I don’t want to have my ear-drums cracked by the sound.”
What he said turned out to be the truth, for the gunners aboard the battleship had been given orders to start the ball rolling, as they were now well within the zone for firing, according to the map.
When the terrific roar broke out the boys could feel themselves flattened up along the object they chanced to be leaning against at the time. It seemed as though they had received a strong slap with an unseen plank, though it did not hurt them any.
“I wonder if that shell smashed a gun over in the Turkish battery?” said Amos, as he sniffed at the powder smoke that filled the air for a brief time.
TheThundererdid not repeat her first shot. It may have been a signal to tell the enemy she was coming straight on. There was other work cut out for the big vessels of the fleet for that particular morning.
As they continued to approach the entrance tothe straits, Amos became excited again. He had seen other warships pass through, firing as they ran, and there was evidently a warm reply from certain enemy batteries and forts, for explosions could be seen in the air, as well as upheavals in the water, looking like the geysers in Yellowstone Park.
“This beats anything I’ve ever run across!” exclaimed Amos, enthusiastically.
“It certainly is a great sight, and one we never expected to see,” added Jack, though both of them were compelled to speak much above their ordinary tones on account of all the thunderous noise that came over the water.
Some of the vessels were already within the straits, and engaging the enemy to the right and left. Smoke shrouded them from view, and through this pall the flash of the big guns could be seen now and then. Such a din the boys had never listened to. It was like ten thunder storms rolled into one, and “then some,” as Amos declared.
“Talk to me about the Lower Regions!” he exclaimed,“but this is a pretty fair imitation of what I’ve always believed they looked like. Oh! did you see that hit when a shell exploded aboard that cruiser? It must have done heaps of damage, and killed or injured many of the crew. But you don’t notice any slackening of her fire, do you, Jack?”
“If the boat received serious damage she will pull out pretty soon, and allow a substitute to take her place,” Jack explained. “I understand there’s no haphazard work about all this, but every warship has a line of attack laid out that must be pursued.”
“Yes,” Amos admitted, “I can see that while one tackles the batteries over on the Asiatic side of the straits, another sets boldly in and shells a fort on Gallipoli. It will be our turn pretty soon now, for we are entering the jaws of land. Seddul Bahr lies over on the left, and down on the other jaw is Kum Kaleh, both of them long since smashed to pieces, we heard.”
“If the straits were all five miles wide the battle fleet would have passed on through beforenow,” Jack asserted. “It’s because of the Narrows, and the swift current that carries all the floating mines with it that has held them up. And in my opinion it will be a long time before they break through to Constantinople, for the Turks are fierce fighters, and Mohammedans at that.”
“Why do you add that remark; how does the fact of their being followers of Mahomet make any difference, I’d like to know?”
“Only this,” explained Jack, “as a part of his religion a Mohammedan believes that it is a great honor to be killed in battle, and anyone dying in that way will be transported direct to Paradise. This makes them utterly fearless, and has accounted for most of their victories.”
“Well, well! But it’s almost time for us to get busy, seems like, Jack. There, you can see the big gun is moving with the turret, so as to get in line with some strong Turkish fort far up the waterway, perhaps Kilid Bahr itself in the Narrows.”
Amos made sure to obtain a good grip onsomething as he stood on his tip-toes, and opened his mouth in the bargain, after the most approved method of lessening the coming shock. His ears were stuffed with cotton, and it had been necessary for Jack to fairly shout in order to be heard by his companion.
Then came the terrific crash. They knew that strong glasses were instantly brought into use to learn what sort of success the gunners had obtained. Doubtless those especially deputized for the work watched a certain aeroplane to learn from the signals whether the shell had fallen in the enemy fort, or dropped short. Getting the range in this fashion while at a distance of several miles from the unseen target was the modern method of sea fighting.
Those in the artfully concealed forts and batteries could easily see their floating targets, and rain shells upon them. That the vessels were not hit more frequently was caused by their being constantly in motion, for there were expert German gunners behind those shore guns doing most of the work. Had it been left entirely to theTurks the battle fleet would have made short work with the defenses of the famous Dardanelles.
Again and again did theThunderertake her turn to hurl a monster shell at the Turkish forts. It was plainly the object of this morning assault to do as much damage as possible, while the sweepers kept busily at work catching such of the dangerous mines as came within their reach.
Much of the lower five miles of the waterway had already been well cleared of these perils, so that the big battleships could move along without incurring extraordinary danger of being blown up.
In the midst of all this confusion and racket there suddenly came a crash of a distinctly different nature, and both boys felt the concussion of air. As they instinctively shrank back appalled, they realized that a shell had actually struck and exploded aboard the battleship!