ed the
boilers. Better round up the carpenter, though, sir."

Frank hurried back to the bridge and reported the extent of the damage.
Then he sent a midshipman for the ship's carpenter.

"Crash! Bang!"

Another shell had struck the Essex, this time in the aft gun turret.

"Report, Mr. Chadwick," said Jack briefly.

Frank hurried to the turret.

"What's the damage, Captain?" he asked of the chief of the gun crew.

"One gun smashed, sir," was the reply. "Three of the crew killed and five
injured."

"Other guns still working?"

"Can't you hear 'em, sir?"

Frank smiled in spite of himself and cast a quick glance around.

In spite of the death that had overtaken their comrades, the surviving gun
crews in the turret were working like Trojans. The big guns continued to
spit defiance at the enemy.

Now and then a cheer rose on the Essex as a shot went home.

Frank again returned to the bridge to report.

"Boom!"

It was a deeper voice that spoke this time.

The radio operator himself rushed to the bridge.

"Lion firing, sir," he said. "Says she has sighted us and for us to
retire. No need of sacrificing ourselves Captain Jacobs says. The enemy
can't get away."

At the same moment the lookout aft sang out again.

"Warship coming up astern, sir!"

"The second of our reinforcements," said Jack quietly. "I'll bet these
fellows wish they had stayed home."

"I'm betting the same way," declared Frank.

"Well, it's getting too hot here," said Jack. "We'll get back and let the
big fellows get in the game."

"Good idea, sir," said Lieutenant Hetherton.

"Full speed ahead!" Jack ordered.

At the sound of the great gun on the British warship Lion, the German
admiral in command of the flotilla ordered his ships to slow down. Until
that moment he had not been appraised of the fact that the German raid was
known to the British fleet. He supposed, upon seeing the Essex, that he
had encountered a single vessel which just happened to be in that part of
the sea, but when the Lion came into the fight he began to have his
doubts.

As yet, however, there was no other vessel in sight, and as the Germans
heavily outnumbered the British, the admiral decided to continue the
engagement.

"I suppose this fellow happened to hear the firing and came to
investigate," muttered the German admiral. "Our raid can hardly have been
discovered yet."

Accordingly he gave the word to advance again.

And a moment later he was so