to Africa in his yacht, succeeded in striking such a blow at the
Triple Alliance that Italy refused to throw her support to German
arms in spite of the strongest pressure the Kaiser could bring to
bear.

So valuable was the service the boys rendered in this matter,
that when they expressed their intentions of joining the British
navy, Lord Hastings, who had taken an immense liking to them,
secured them commissions as midshipmen. Later they were assigned
to duty on his yacht, the Sylph, which, in the meantime, had been
converted into a scout cruiser.

The lads had already played an important part in the war.
Through them, a plot to destroy the whole British fleet had been
frustrated and the English had been enabled to deliver a smashing
blow to the German fleet at Heligoland.

In Lord Hastings the boys had found an excellent friend.
Although apparently but a commander of a small scout cruiser --
unknown to but a very few -- he was one of the most trusted of
British secret agents. He was a distant relative of the English
monarch and, as the boys had already learned, had more power in
naval affairs than his officers and associates surmised. This
fact had been proved more than once, when he had given commands
to men apparently much higher in rank.

Following the brilliant victory of the British fleet off
Heligoland, in which a number of the Kaiser's most powerful sea
fighters had been, sent to the bottom, the Sylph had returned to
London for repairs. Here Frank and Jack had been personally