chin, and
as the man reeled forward clipped him once more. One, two, three
backward steps the man took and then pitched over the side of the boat.

"Two gone!" exclaimed Jack.

But he was wrong. For the first man who had been knocked into the sea
had been revived by the shock of the cold water. Swimming around the
boat unobserved, he had come up behind Frank and now reached up and
grabbed Frank by the coat. With a cry of alarm, the lad toppled into
the water.

Jack heard his friend's cry. Quickly he took in the situation. Harris
had regained his feet and seemed capable of disposing of the two
remaining Germans. With a cry to Harris, Jack leaped over the side.

Some distance away he saw Frank struggling with the German who had
pulled him from the boat and he swam quickly in that direction.

"I'm coming, Frank!" he called. "Hang on to him."

Frank was doing his best, but he had been taken by surprise and the
advantage was with his opponent. The German's hand closed about the
lad's throat and he was slowly choking him. Even as Jack came abreast
of the struggling figures, Frank threw up his hands and the two
disappeared from sight.

Jack, greatly alarmed, dived after them.

Below the surface of the water his hands encountered the struggling
figures. He seized the first his hand came in contact with and struck
upward. Upon the surface again, he found that he had seized hold of
Frank.

Keeping his fingers clenched tightly in Frank's coat--that the lad
might not be drawn under again Jack aimed carefully at the face of the
German, which now was close to him, and struck out with all his
strength.

Instantly, the hand on Frank's throat relaxed and the German sank from
sight.

By the force of the impact as the blow landed Jack knew that the German
would trouble them no more. Supporting Frank with his left arm, he
struck out for the boat with his right.

The German officer leaned over the side and lent a hand in dragging
Frank's limp body over the side. Jack clambered over after him. Then he
took a view of the part of the boat where Harris battled with two of
the enemy.

Both of the latter wielded knives and it was plain to Jack that Harris
hesitated to come to close quarters with them, as he had no assistance
at hand; for he realized that, should he be overcome, the men would
have little trouble of disposing of Frank and Jack, as they tried to
climb back in the boat. But now that Jack was able to come to his
as