CHAPTER XXIX
WHEN THE TRAWLERS SHOWED FIGHT
"MUST be on the move at once," declared the A.P. "Ten precious hourswasted."
"Hardly," corrected the sub. "We've bagged an important prize. But,dash it all! Here I am in mufti, and my kit is at home. Telegraphoffice is closed for to-night, and there's no train beyond Plymoutheven if there were time to make a dash for home."
"And that ramshackle motor has departed," added Eric. "In the wordsof the great tragedian What's-his-name, 'Alas! sirs, I am undone.'Now, the question is, how are two dog-tired fellows to get toDevonport? It's a serious matter, old man. Who knows? Perhaps theAdmiralty have news that 'They' have come out at last. The papersreported signs of German naval activity in the North Sea, you know."
"And therefore I am inclined to doubt whether the Huns haveventured," said Tressidar. "You can bet your bottom dollar when theydo come out they won't give the papers time to advertise the fact.But I quite agree with you, old man, this is a serious business. Haveyou a time-table?"
"Here we are," exclaimed the A.P. triumphantly. "If we pad the hoofto Totnes, we'll just catch the night mail. That will land us inPlymouth at 1 a.m."
He was busy packing his portmanteau, desisting only to hunt up thetrain. With the sub.'s assistance he contrived to close the bulkyleather case.
"Well, good-bye, mother," he exclaimed. "Sorry the governor and Dorisaren't here to say good-bye Suppose I can't grouse at having my leavecut down.... May be home again in a few months. So buck up, mother;it's no use being down in the dumps, is it?"
Tressidar had deliberately gone out of the house. The A.P. rejoinedhim in a few minutes.
"Can't understand why the mater gets in such a stew," he remarked."She ought to be used to saying good-bye by this time. I do my levelbest to tell her that there's little danger, certainly less than inthe trenches in France, but she won't see it. Now, then; it's sixgood miles of hilly road. Wonder how old Overfirst, or whatever histally is, likes being in the cells?"
It was three in the morning when the two chums arrived at the NavalBarracks. Here they received the information that they were bothappointed to the brand-new monitor "Anzac," in lieu of two officerswho had been sent to hospital. The "Anzac" was leaving the Hamoazefor Portsmouth at 9 a.m.
"Kitted out" by an obliging brother-officer, who also undertook toforward Tressidar's gear as soon as possible, the sub., accompaniedby Eric, hurried on board.
Viewed in the waning starlight, for day was on the point of breaking,the "Anzac" appeared to be a vessel of about two hundred feet inlength, with a tripod mast surmounted by a large fire-controlplatform. She had but one funnel, well abaft the mast. For'ard of theconning-tower was a turret mounting a pair of fourteen-inch guns;four six-inch quick-firers thrust their muzzles through casemates inthe superstructure; while four twelve-pounder anti-aircraft guns anda pair of searchlight projectors were placed upon the bridge and araised platform at the after-end of the superstructure.
At first sight the monitor gave the impression that she wastop-heavy, until her enormous beam and length beyond each end of thesuperstructure belied the suggestion. The hull proper was little lessthan four hundred feet in length, with a maximum beam of one hundredand twenty. Her draught was but five feet six inches, the freeboardbeing but two feet for'ard and eighteen inches aft. Her maximum speedwas a bare seven and a half knots.
The "Anzac" was still in the throes that invariably attend the firstcommissioning of a new vessel, for she had left the Clyde only threedays previously, and had put in to Devonport to ship herfourteen-inch guns. On the run round to Portsmouth she was to undergogunnery trials, and if no serious defects were revealed, she was toproceed to the North Sea to take part in impending operations.
Dog-tired, Tressidar turned in as soon as the chums had reportedthemselves to the officer of the watch. It seemed less than fiveminutes, although it was four bells (6 a.m.), when the sub. wasroused and informed that the captain wished to see him.
"A wigging for being late, I suppose," he soliloquised. "A jolly badbeginning."
But he was mistaken. An armed trawler was to be navigated toPortsmouth, and the "Anzac" had to provide an officer and crew forthe job. Tressidar, being the most recently joined, was selected byhis skipper for this service.
"The 'Gannet' is lying off Wilcove," continued the skipper of the"Anzac." "She's ready for sea with the exception of victuallingstores. You will have to demand these from Royal William Yard. She'lldo twenty knots easily, without having to drive her, and even if wehave a good start you ought to overhaul us before Portland Bill isabeam."
Already the crew told off for the service had fallen in forinspection. They numbered ten hands, including a chief petty officer.The "Gannet's" engine-room staff were already on board, having beenshipped when the vessel left Belfast, where she had been re-engined.
The "trawler" was in fact a trawler no longer. A comparatively newboat, with lines that promised a fair turn of speed, she had beentaken over by the Admiralty for use as a patrol vessel. Her machinerywas removed and turbine engines substituted, giving her a maximumspeed of twenty-eight knots. Her armament consisted of twotwelve-pounder quick-firers, so woe betide the luckless Germansubmarine that might mistake the "Gannet" for a slow and helplessfishing-craft.
Disquieting reports of the presence of a hostile submarine off St.Catherine's Point, a craft that had hitherto successfully evaded allattempts at capture or destruction, had necessitated the presence ofthe "Gannet" off the Isle of Wight, and arrangements had been made to"turn over" the R.N.R. crew of another armed trawler directlyTressidar brought his command into Spithead.
By dint of strenuous exertion the "Gannet" was able to leave PlymouthSound at noon--the "Anzac" having had three hours start--and onceoutside the Breakwater, the sub. ordered fifteen knots, which wereincreased to twenty as soon as Bigbury Head was broad on the portbeam.
"It would be a rare slice of luck," thought the sub., "if we couldbag the strafed 'U' boat in the run up Channel, but that is askingfor too much, I'm afraid."
The sea was smooth, with a long, oily roll. The sky was inclined tobe misty, although it was possible to discern The Start, now lessthan ten miles off on the port bow. There were no signs of the"Anzac." The sea appeared to be deserted, except for two largeBrixham trawlers, that, with all sail set, were floundering in almosta dead calm at a distance of about three miles on the starboard bow.
"Those luggers seem pretty close together, sir," remarked thehelmsman of the "Gannet."
The sub. brought his glasses to bear upon the trawlers. Even allowingfor the lack of ability to judge distance when seen through a pair ofbinoculars, Tressidar was bound to confess that there was somethingstrange about the position of the two vessels. They appeared to bealmost side by side. The wind, such as it was, was dead astern. Oneof the trawlers had her mainsail right out on the port tack, theother on the starboard, so that the outer cloths of each sail wererubbing against each other as the boats rolled sluggishly in the longswell.
"They are showing no signals of distress," said Tressidar. "At least,none are visible. I fancy there's smoke arising from one of them.Deucedly fishy, by Jove! I've a mind to see what the game is. Portyour helm, quartermaster. Keep her at that."
With his glasses still bearing upon the Brixham boats, Tressidarpuzzled over the situation until the "Gannet" was within a mile ofthe trawlers.
Suddenly he replaced his binoculars, grasped the handle of thetelegraph indicator and called for full speed ahead, at the same timeordering all hands to action stations, for lying between the twofishing luggers was a German submarine.
Almost before the guns' crews could stand to their quick-firers the"Gannet" was within hailing distance. To Tressidar's surprise, hediscovered that the unterseeboot was lashed to the fishing-vesselsand that four of her crew were standing with their hands held abovetheir heads, while the skipper and deck hands of each trawler werecalmly surveying the Germans from the decks of their respectivecraft.
r /> "You'm too late, maaster," sung out one of the Devon skippers. "Us'ndone the trick proper-like. Still, if you'm a mind tu finish thebusiness 'twill save we a mort o' trouble."
"I thought that the Germans were sinking you," replied Tressidar."Stand by with a line. We are running alongside."
The "Gannet," losing way, made fast to one of the trawlers, andTressidar, accompanied by half a dozen armed men, gained thefishing-lugger's deck.
The sub. was greeted by a tall, broad-shouldered Devonshire man ofabout fifty years of age. His heavily bearded face was almost hiddenunder a sou'wester, in spite of the fact that the sun was shiningbrightly. On the deck just abaft the windlass was a young Germanunter-leutnant, bound hand and foot and obviously half dazed with theresult of a blow on the left temple. Two German seamen, their clothessaturated with water, were lashed to the mizzen mast.
"ON THE DECK WAS A GERMAN UNTER-LEUTNANT, BOUND HANDAND FOOT"]
The trawler had sustained damage. Her bitts had been carried away,with the result that her bowsprit had run in, and a raffle of headsails and gear littered the fo'c'sle. The other trawler appeared tobe undamaged, with the exception of a large rent in her mainsail. Thesubmarine, or as much as was visible above water, looked a wreck. Thecover of her conning-tower hatchway was buckled, her twin periscopeshad been snapped off close to the deck. Her ensign staff, with theBlack Cross flying, was trailing over the side, and one of herdisappearing guns had been dismounted.
"She tried her tricks on we, an' we wouldn't have any," declared theskipper proudly. "Them didn't reckon wi' Devon lads, did 'em, Bill?"
His mate, thus appealed to, merely grinned and scratched his head.Nor was the master of the second lugger more communicative.
"Us seed Charlie a-doin' the job properlike, so we gi' a hand. Not asthough Charlie wasn't good enough for the job," he explained, "but usthought 'twas a good chance to get our own back, so we chipped in."
Early that morning the luggers "Crown and Sceptre" and "Unity" hadleft Brixham in company. The weather then was considerably more hazythat it was later in the day. Having made good hauls, the trawlerswere beating up towards The Start when a German submarine suddenlypoked its ugly snout above water. Making certain that the two craftwere really fishing-boats and not armed trawlers, the Hun commanderdecided to replenish his grub-locker with fish from the English craftand then send the Brixham trawlers to the bottom.
The "Crown and Sceptre," being nearest to the "U" boat, was hailedand ordered to heave-to. Cap'n Charles Hunnable quickly hauled hisheadsails to windward and took way off the trawler. The "Unity"meanwhile held on, trusting for a breeze to enable her to escape.
"Shall us put up a fight, boys?" asked the Devon skipper. "If usdoes, there must be no half measures, mark you."
Her crew, consisting of two men and a boy, agreed. The fightingspirit of the shire that boasts of such gallant seamen as Drake andRaleigh still lives, and the Brixham men are worthy upholders of thetraditions of the Devon forbears.
"'Tes good," continued Skipper Hunnable. "Long Jarge, do 'ee stand byt' hellum. Jim, you keep along o' me. Peter, slip for'ard an' when Igive the word do'ee let jib and fores'l draw."
The submarine had now slowed down and was lying less than twentyyards on the trawler's starboard quarter. It was originally theintention of the German commander to order the Englishmen to launchtheir boat and bring the fish to their captors, but realising thatthe boat was a heavy one and that it would take some time to behoisted out, he ordered the submarine's collapsible boat to bemanned.
Into the frail craft stepped an unter-leutnant and three seamen.
"You vos throw us a rope," shouted the young Hun as the boat camealongside. "Your hatches you uncover must and fish ve vos take. Denve vos you sink in five minutes."
A rope was thrown, the canvas boat was made fast alongside, and theunter-leutnant scrambled up and over the bulwarks, which were aboutthree feet above the deck and seven feet from the waterline.
Directly his legs were astride the rail, Skipper Hunnable's powerfulfist shot out like a sledge-hammer.
"You'd take my fish, would you!" he roared. "Take that, you youngsausage."
The German officer, stunned by the blow, was grasped by the skipperbefore he fell overboard. Simultaneously Peter drove a triple-barbedeel spear through the canvas boat and cut the rope that held her.
"Up helm!" ordered the skipper. "Boy, trim your heads'l sheets."
"'Tes no half measures, say I," he continued, and he lifted theunconscious German officer and bore him aft. "Ef 'em shoots, thenthe'll shoot this gold-braid pup too."
Quick on her helm the "Crown and Sceptre" gathered way and showed herstern to the astonished submarine. The German commander was in aquandary. He dare not shell the trawler for fear of hitting hissubordinate, until he drew ahead sufficiently to enable herquick-firer to plank a shell for'ard and between wind and water. Hewas convinced that the "Crown and Sceptre" was attempting to seeksafety in flight, but he was grievously mistaken. Skipper Hunnable'sblood was up.
Gybing "all standing," since there was little risk of loss oftop-hamper as the wind was light, the Brixham trawler turned and torestraight for her antagonist. Before the submarine could manoeuvre toavoid the blow, the lugger's massive bowsprit struck her on theconning-tower. The hefty spar stood the strain, but not so the bitts.With a rending crash the bowsprit was forced inboard, but themischief to the "U" boat was already done. The metal hatch was partlytorn from its hinges, while in falling off the bowsprit made a cleansweep of the periscopes, wrecked the for'ard gun, and hurled thegun's crew into the sea.
A four-pound hammer hurled by the brawny skipper of the "Crown andSceptre" hurtled through the air. With unerring aim it struck the Huncommander on the side of the head, killing him instantly.
Held by the raffle of cordage for'ard the lugger swung roundbroadside on to the submarine.
"Come on, lads!" roared Skipper Hunnable. "The old boat won't hurtwhere she be."
Seizing axes and crowbars, the crew followed the daring skipper tothe deck of the submarine. "Long Jarge," brandishing a formidablehatchet, took his stand by the conning-tower hatchway, ready to deala smashing blow to the first man that appeared, while the skipper andthe rest of his little crew chased the two German seamen who were ondeck and drew the watertight slide of the after-hatchway.
The Devon men now had things all their own way. The "U" boat couldnot dive with her conning-tower hatchway in a damaged condition, orshe would fill and sink like a stone. Nor could the trapped Huns usetheir rifles and revolvers. One foolhardy man attempted to take achance shot through the after-hatchway, but directly his handappeared above the coaming, Peter smashed it to a pulp.
The state of affairs now developed into a deadlock. The submarinecould not escape, nor could the British fishermen regain their craftwithout risk of losing the advantage they at present held.
At this juncture the crew of the "Unity," perceiving that SkipperHunnable was putting up a fight, but ignorant of how matters stood,determined to go to their comrades' aid, and sink or swim in theattempt.
Luffing smartly under the submarine's submerged stern, SkipperBiddlecombe brought the "Unity" up on the "U" boat's starboard sideand made fast.
"What be you a-shovin' your five eggs in for, I'd be likin' tu know?"was Skipper Hunnable's greeting to the newcomers.
"No offence, Charlie," replied the fellow-skipper. "Us don't get thechance tu fight the Huns every day."
"True, true," rejoined the master of the "Crown and Sceptre." "You'mhandy just now. Bid young Jack bring a shovelful o' coals and a bito' junk. We'll have to be smokin' them chaps out, I'm thinkin'."
Ignorant of the risk they ran, the fishermen were about to throwsmouldering tow down the hatchways into the petrol-laden atmosphereof the interior of the submarine when the Germans, realising the fatethat threatened them, began to raise shouts of "kamarade."
"Thought better of it, eh?" said Skipper Hunnable. "Douse them coals,Jack. Now, you rascals, up
you come. Four o' you. Drat you! I saidfour o' you. One, two, dree, four--not a round dozen. That's better.Now, hands up, an' keep 'em up. Rest o' you chaps below there are youa-listenin'?"
"Ja, ja!" was the reply.
"Don't you yah me, you lubbers," shouted the skipper. "Just you standby, and don't get up to any tricks. If you du, down the lot o' yougoes to Davy in double-quick time."
Having secured uninterrupted possession of the prize, the twoskippers returned to their respective boats. Then it was that thecrew of the collapsible boat that had been stove in, finding that thefishermen did not kill the prisoners in cold blood, swam to the"Crown and Sceptre" and were taken on board and secured.
"Charlie!" bawled the skipper of the "Unity," "wind's fair for home.Shall us try and take this craft in?"
"No need," replied his friend. "Look astern--there's a Governmentvessel a-comin' up at the rate o' knots."