Frank fell to the deck without a groan and lay still.

At the same moment a shot from the helmsman struck Williams in the chest as he and Edwards dashed toward him and the man fell to the deck, mortally wounded.

Edwards, unarmed, dashed upon the other, but even as he would have grappled with the man, the latter dodged and Edwards went staggering by.  Before he could recover himself, the German had clubbed him over the head with his revolver butt.

Thus were three of the friends put hors de combat almost quicker than it takes to tell it.  There remained now only Jack, with two against him, both armed.

Jack raised his revolver at the moment Frank fell unconscious to the deck and the German whirled quickly to face him.  Both fired at the same moment and both stepped aside as they did so.  Jack felt a bullet graze his hand and his revolver fell clattering to the deck.  The other, he saw, had not been touched.

Jack sprang forward and grappled with the German even as the helmsman, having disposed of Edwards, took a snap shot at him.  The lad stepped forward just in time to escape the bullet.

Realizing now that he had a foe behind as well as in front, Jack seized the first German in a powerful embrace, the man’s pistol hand going over his shoulder; and at that moment the German pressed the trigger.

A howl of pain came from the helmsman.  The bullet had struck the latter’s revolver on the barrel and the force of the shock had momentarily numbed the man’s hand.

Jack seized the first German’s arm and by a quick twist sent the revolver spinning across the deck, and it passed beneath the rail and into the water.

Now the lad brought rushing tactics into play and pushed the first German the length of the deck before the latter could brace himself.  There Jack’s eye caught the gleam of the helmsman’s pistol and with a quick kick he sent it hurtling overboard also.

But Jack’s antagonist was a strong man and the lad knew that he had a hard job on his hands to dispose of him alone, to say nothing of the second man, who, the lad knew, would be fit again in a moment.

But it was no time for indecision; and Jack sprang forward.  His right fist shot out with stinging force—­a blow that would have ended the battle right there had it landed, but the German ducked and clinched.  At this kind of fighting, he was more Jack’s match and he seized the lad in a tight embrace.

“Fritz!” called the German, as he and Jack struggled about the deck.  “A hand, quick!”

Fritz was now on his feet and he came forward in response to this command.  One huge fist he raised, and would have brought it down on Jack’s head had not the lad seen him out the tail of his eye and moved his head swiftly to one side.

The blow missed.

Jack, with one hand free for a moment, dealt the helmsman a blow in the face as he swooped past; then again turned his attention to the first man.