the German destroyer would sight the speeding torpedo and immediately
turn its fire on the Yankee's periscopes, gave orders to submerge.
But as the _Dewey_ lowered away he gazed ahead once more. The
spectacle that greeted him made the blood leap fast in his veins.

"It's a hit!" he yelled in sheer delight.

So it proved. Officer Cleary, still straining at the reserve periscope,
beheld the same picture. The torpedo had shot across the bow of the
destroyer and leaped forward to finally bury its steel nose in the
great gray side of the cruiser.

"Almost directly amidships," called out "Little Mack."

And then, as the _Dewey_ plunged beneath the waves, Lieutenant McClure
explained eagerly how he had beheld the explosion of the torpedo just
aft the main forward battery turret directly on the line of the
forward smoke funnel.

"Giving them a dose of their own medicine," ejaculated Cleary as his
commander turned laughingly from the periscope.

"This will settle a few scores for the Lusitania, to say nothing of
the many more ships with defenseless men and women that have been sunk
since the beginning of the war," added McClure seriously. Then turning
to Jack Hammond he added: "I guess you are the good-luck chap. We got
both those Boche boats since I called you into the turret as my aide.
Don't forget, you are to stay right here permanently."

Jack saluted mechanically, but his heart beat high and he could scarce