The Blue Grass Seminary Girls on the Water Part 34

There was a heavy crash as her big guns opened fire on the stern of the enemy. The _Yucatan's_ pa.s.sengers watched eagerly for the result.

The German cruiser seemed to stagger in her stride, and a cloud of wood and steel flew in the air. The first shot had struck home, and in some manner had disabled the engines of the German. Escape being impossible, the latter turned to give battle.

Immediately the British cruiser reduced her speed.

s.h.i.+rley and Mabel stood at the rail of the _Yucatan_ with clasped hands and strained faces.

"And to think that we shall see a real sea fight!" exclaimed Mabel.

"But think of the poor sailors," said s.h.i.+rley.

"Of course," said Mabel, "but they may be saved. Perhaps the German commander will surrender."

"I am sure he won't," declared s.h.i.+rley.

"No, he won't surrender," said d.i.c.k. "Whatever else you may say of the Germans, their bravery cannot be doubted."

Now the first gun on the German cruiser spoke, and a sh.e.l.l plowed up the water alongside the Britisher.

"They'll have the range in a minute," said d.i.c.k, "and then they'll go at it hammer and tongs."

He was right. The next shot from the German burst squarely over her enemy's forward turret, putting it out of commission.

There was a cheer from the few German pa.s.sengers aboard the _Yucatan_.

But the British cruiser more than evened up the score with her next shot.

A sh.e.l.l burst squarely amids.h.i.+ps on the German. A moment later there was a terrific explosion.

The German cruiser seemed to part in the middle. It staggered crazily.

She had been wounded unto death, as every pa.s.senger aboard the _Yucatan_ realized.

Men flung themselves into the sea, and struck out in the direction of the _Yucatan_.

Captain Anderson was a humane man, and while the matter possibly was none of his business, he determined to aid the unfortunate victims. He ordered the s.h.i.+p's lifeboats manned and lowered.

"Look!" cried s.h.i.+rley.

Another terrific explosion drowned her voice. The German cruiser suddenly sprang into a brilliant sheet of flame, seemed to leap in the air, then disappeared.

The calm waters of the Pacific closed over her. She was gone.

s.h.i.+rley and Mabel held their breath in speechless amazement. It seemed to them incredible that such a great s.h.i.+p could have been sent to the bottom in such a short time.

"The poor sailors!" exclaimed s.h.i.+rley. "I hope they will all be saved."

"They won't be," declared Captain Anderson, who had come up and now stood among the others. "With my gla.s.s I saw the commander on the bridge a moment before the s.h.i.+p went down. He has gone with her, and so, probably, have most of his officers."

He lifted his cap from his head, as did the pa.s.sengers.

"It's a terrible thing, this war," continued the Captain. "How many went down I do not know; but how many of those who did knew what they were fighting for? Not many."

Meanwhile the little lifeboats of the _Yucatan_ were helping the crews of the British cruiser pick up the survivors. The work went on with the utmost haste, for there were many who could not swim.

Fortunately most of those who had jumped just before the explosion were saved. These were all taken aboard the British cruiser, and a short time later the British commander came aboard the _Yucatan_.

s.h.i.+rley and Mabel looked with some awe at this British sea fighter. He seemed a veritable hero in their eyes. Once on deck, he strode toward Captain Anderson with quick steps, his carriage erect.

"I thank you for your a.s.sistance in saving many helpless sailors," he said to Captain Anderson. "Without your aid many would have perished."

"How badly is your s.h.i.+p damaged, sir?" asked Captain Anderson, asking the question that was uppermost in the minds of all aboard the _Yucatan_.

"Very little, sir," was the reply. "Two guns shot to pieces, and five men injured. No man was killed. There was also some slight damage to the engine room. It was a notable victory."

"Indeed it was!" cried s.h.i.+rley, who could keep silent no longer.

The British sea captain gazed at her for a moment, then bowed slightly.

s.h.i.+rley's face grew red at her own boldness, but she said nothing more.

The commander of the British cruiser followed Captain Anderson to the latter's cabin, where he inspected the s.h.i.+p's papers. Half an hour later he made his way over the side of the _Yucatan_ and was soon back aboard the cruiser.

Immediately he had left, the _Yucatan_ got under way and continued her journey up the Mexican coast.

All the pa.s.sengers remained on deck gazing after the British cruiser, which had turned in the opposite direction; and until she was lost to sight in the distance, a faint smoke marking her location, hardly an eye was taken from her.

"Well, s.h.i.+rley," said Mr. Willing, "what did you think of the battle?"

"It was wonderful," replied the girl, clasping her hands. "I am glad the English won."

"And so am I," agreed her father. "How do you think you would like to be a sailor aboard a man-o'-war."

"I'd love it!" declared s.h.i.+rley with enthusiasm.

d.i.c.k looked at her peculiarly.

"I believe you would," he said quietly at last, and, turning on his heel, he went below.

CHAPTER XXI.-A WOMAN PLOTTER.

Aboard the _Yucatan_ was a woman pa.s.senger, who, on the trip up the Pacific, had made herself very agreeable to the members of the Willing party. She was not an American although she spoke English fluently, with the slightest of accents. Neither s.h.i.+rley nor Mabel had asked her nationality, but they had agreed that she must be a Spaniard.

The woman had given her name as Mrs. Miguel Sebastian and this strengthened the belief of the members of the Willing party that she was a native of one of the Latin countries. She had come aboard the s.h.i.+p for the first time at Colon, but for several days had kept to her stateroom, so the pa.s.sengers had not seen much of her.

She was young, hardly more than twenty-five, slender, rather light complexioned for a Spaniard, and extremely pretty. Since leaving Champerico she had been much in the company of s.h.i.+rley and Mabel, and both girls had taken an instinctive liking to her.