Scanned by Sean Pobuda2 of a seriesTHE BOY ALLIES UNDER TWO FLAGSBy Ensign Robert L DrakeCHAPTER IIN THE MEDITERRANEANBoom  BoomThus spoke the two forward guns on the little scout cruiser HMS Sylph Lord Hasting commanderA hit cried Jack who from his position in the pilot house had watched the progress of the missiles hurled at the foeGood work shouted Frank his excitement so great that he forgot the gunners were unable to hear himBoom  Boom  Boom  BoomThe Sylph had come about and now poured a broadside into the enemyThen from the distance more than a mile across the water came the sound of many guns  The German cruisers Breslau and Goeben were returning the fireShells dropping in front behind and on all sides of the Sylph threw up the water in mighty geysers as if it were a typhoon that surrounded the little vessel  Shells screamed overhead but none found its markAll this time the vessels were drawing closer and closer together  Now as the little scout cruiser rose on a huge swell a single shock shook the vessel and a British shell sped trueA portion of the Breslaus superstructure toppled a second later and the faint sound of a crash was carried over the water to the SylphA hit cried Jack againA loud British cheer rose above the sound of battle and the gunners well pleased with their marksmanship turned again to their work with renewed vigorLieutenant Templeton on the bridge came the command and Jack hastened to report to Lord HastingsWhat do you make of that last shot Mr Templeton demanded the commander of the Sylph  Is the enemy seriously crippled would you sayNo sir replied Jack  I think not  You may see that the wreckage has already been cleared away and the enemy is still plugging away at usMr Hetherington called the commander  The first lieutenant of the little vessel saluted  Yes sirI fear the enemy is too strong for us sir You will have to bring the Sylph aboutVery well sirA moment later the head of the little scout cruiser began to swing gradually to the leftJack returned to the wheelhouseWhat on earth are we coming about for demanded Frank as his friend enteredLord Hastings believes the enemy is too strong for us was the others replyBut thats no reason to run is itI dont think so but it appears that Lord Hastings does  I guess he knows more about it than we doI guess thats so but I dont like the idea of runningNor IAt this instant there was a hail from the lookoutSteamer on the port bow sirWhats her nationality bellowed Lord Hastings  British sir was the replyCan you make her outThe lookout was silent for a moment and then called back  Yes sir Cruiser Gloucester sirGood shouted Lord Hastings Lieutenant Hetherington  Bring her about againThe Sylph came back to her course as if by magic and once more rushed toward the enemy  Several miles to port could now be seen the faint outline of the approaching British battle cruiser sailing swiftly under full steam as though she were afraid she would not arrive in time to take part in the battleFull speed ahead came the order from the Sylphs commander and the little craft leaped forward in the very face of her two larger enemiesA shell from the Goeben which was nearer the Sylph than her sister ship crashed into the very mouth of one of the Sylphs 8 inch guns blowing it to piecesMen were hurled to the deck on all sides maimed and bleeding  Others dropped over dead  An officer hurriedly reported the fact to Lord HastingsWell get even with her said His Lordship grimly  Give her a shot from the forward turretIn spite of the tragedy enacted before his eyes only a moment before the British gunner took deliberate aimBoomThere was silence as all watched the effect of this one shotRight below the water line said Lord Hastings calmly  A pretty shot my manBy this time the Gloucester had come within striking distance and her heavy guns began to breathe defiance to the Germans  But the Breslau and the Goeben had no mind to engage this new enemy and quickly turned tail and fledLord Hastings immediately got into communication with the captain of the Gloucester by wirelessPursue the enemy was the order that was flashed through the airThe two British ships sped forward on the trail of the foe  But the latter made off at top speed and in spite of the shells hurled at them by their pursuers soon outdistanced the Gloucester  The Sylph however continued the chase and was gradually gaining although now that the battle was over for the time being the strain on the little cruiser relaxed  Wounded men were hurriedly patched up by the ships surgeon and his assistants and the dead were prepared for burialJack and Frank approached Lord Hastings on the bridge  The latter was talking to his first officerThey must be the Breslau and Goeben he was saying though I am unable to account for the manner in which they escaped the blockade at Libau  They were supposed to be tightly bottled up there and  I was informed that their escape was impossibleSomething has evidently gone wrong suggested Lieutenant HetheringtonThey probably escaped by a ruse of some kind said Jack joining in the conversationAnd the lad was right although he did not know it thenThe two German ships tightly bottled up even as Lord Hastings had said in Libau had escaped the blockading British squadron by the simple maneuver of reversing their lights putting their bow lights aft and vice versa and passing through the blockading fleet in the night without so much as being challenged  This is historyWell said Frank we succeeded in putting our mark on them even if we didnt