CHAPTER XV
MISTAKEN IDENTITY
Ned looked at Jimmie in astonishment. He could scarcely credit hissenses. He began ascending the iron ladder leading to the deck.
Eagerly the lad glanced about the upper portion of the submarine whichnow showed black and gleaming above the surface of the water.
"Harry," he called down the hatchway, "didn't Mackinder say he was comingon deck to see if he could be of service to Jimmie?"
"He certainly did!" answered Harry. "Then we went on working at thepumps. I was busy with the starboard pump because it wasn't working justas it should. I saw him start up the ladder!"
"And I saw him when he was about half way up!" put in Jack.
"I'm equally certain he didn't return, but it may be well enough to stopa minute to search the interior. Perhaps he came back."
In a moment all five boys were busily going over every corner of thecraft. From stem to stern they ransacked every place where it would havebeen at all possible for their guest to have hidden.
At length they met in the space directly below the hatchway.
"Find anything?" queried Ned glancing about the group.
"Not a hint of anything at all resembling an Englishman!" stated Jimmie."Perhaps it would be a good idea to put an ad. in the paper."
"Yes," scorned Jack. "Like this: 'Lost--one perfectly good Englishman.Finder please return to the "U-13" and receive reward'!"
"Sure!" agreed Jimmie. "Have them charge it, please!"
"Hush this nonsense, boys!" cried Ned. "This may be serious!"
"Well, where is he?" protested Jimmie. "We haven't got him!"
"Maybe he fell overboard!" suggested Ned. "Let's have a look."
Again the lad mounted the ladder. As he reached the small deck he peeredanxiously about the vessel seeking what he hoped he might not find.
The others came crowding after their chum, filling the space.
"There he goes!" cried Jimmie pointing away to the north.
"Where?" inquired Ned looking in the direction indicated. "Oh, I seehim," the lad went on. "He's swimming a good stroke, too!"
"Is he crazy or just disgusted with the company on board the 'U-13'?"
"Perhaps he thinks he'll be picked up by that boat!" stated Jimmie againdirecting the attention of his comrades to a small fishing craft. "Theyseem to be heading a course that will reach Mackinder."
"He was wise enough to take one of the life preservers," said Harryindicating a space from which a buoy was missing.
"Sure enough!" agreed Ned. "He's no fool at any rate!"
"Let's wait a while to see if they pick him up," suggested Jimmie.
"If they don't get him, we'll chase over there and take him aboard again.What do you say?" asked Ned of the others.
There was no dissenting voice raised to this suggestion. Eagerly the ladswatched the boat momentarily drawing nearer the swimmer.
In a short time the boat rounded to, losing her way in the water. A sharpskiff was quickly launched over the side. Into this tumbled two men. Theysoon covered the distance between their vessel and the swimmer. Withoutdifficulty they succeeded in assisting Mackinder into the skiff, then putquickly back to the sailing vessel.
"Ah, he's safe at any rate!" gladly stated Ned. "Now we can go on andfinish our voyage in peace! I'm glad he's gone!"
"So am I!" declared Jimmie. "He's a good fellow as one might say, buthe's too awfully stuck on getting some information for that bloomin'Hinglish Harmy, don't you know!"
"That's hardly fair, Jimmie!" laughed Ned. "He didn't drop his 'H's' andhe did only what he considered his duty."
"He will probably get that fisherman to set him ashore on English soil assoon as possible," conjectured Jack. "Suppose we follow them."
"What for?" asked Harry. "Why should we chase after those chaps?"
"Unless we do something of the sort, we'll have to go at it blindly!"urged Jack. "We don't really know where we are!"
"That's so," admitted Harry reluctantly. "We haven't a chart nor acourse. We don't know how far we are from anywhere at all!"
"We might keep on steering just as we started," stated Frank. "I believesoutheast was the course we used coming away from Helgoland."
"That course would surely bring us up somewhere," put in Ned, "but itwould be much better if we could find out exactly where we are. Then wecould steer a course with intelligence."
"Aw, what do we need of a chart?" scorned Jimmie. "We know that Englandlies to the southwest of us. It's big enough so we can't miss it. If weblunder into the coast we can just cruise along a ways until we come tosome place or other and then head in."
"That's a good idea, too," agreed Frank. "When we get to a port we canturn the submarine over to the English authorities as a prize of war.They'll probably be glad enough to get the machine."
"Then we'll head for the little old U. S. A.!" cried Jimmie.
"You're right we will. When we get there, we'll chase ourselves out toLong Island. The first thing I'll do will be to get the factory startedon another engine like the Grey Eagle's!" declared Harry.
"Good enough! Now let's be 'wenting'!" added Jimmie.
"But, boys," objected Ned, "this hit or miss fashion of navigating is notcorrect. Something may happen to change our course. If we don't know whatwe are doing, we might get into lots of trouble!"
"Maybe you're right, Ned!" assented Frank. "What shall we do?"
"I think we'd better cruise carefully along on the surface until we see aship. We can ask them for our latitude and longitude. From that we'll beable to lay a course to any point."
"Maybe they'll give us a chart, too!" put in Harry.
"All right, then, here goes!" shouted Jimmie preparing to slide down theladder. "Somebody'll have to keep on deck."
Harry at once followed Jimmie into the interior. The engines responded tohis touch. The new "U-13" sprang forward half submerged.
"We've got plenty of gas in the tanks, Harry," stated Jimmie to his chumas the latter moved about the interior looking after the machinery."We're making only about fifteen miles now by this log."
"I'll give them another touch," responded Harry. "The sooner we getthere, the quicker we'll arrive, so here goes!"
The increased speed of the engines urged the submarine ahead at a goodlyrate. Jimmie presently declared that the log indicator showed a goodtwenty-five miles an hour. Those on the little deck above the conningtower found the increased speed uncomfortable by reason of the dashingspray, but all felt that this was not unendurable.
"Sail, ho!" Ned presently called down the hatchway.
"Where away?" asked Harry, looking up at his comrade.
"Almost dead ahead!" replied Ned. "We're overhauling them fast. It looksto be a three masted ship as nearly as I can make out!"
"Hold your course, Jimmie!" directed Jack. "We'll come up close enough tohail them in a little while just as we are heading!"
In a few minutes the ship was so close that all could make out thedetails of her rigging. It was a large three masted square-rigged vesselevidently in ballast for the hull was high out of water.
"I believe they see us!" announced Frank, using a pair of binoculars hehad found among the fittings of the submarine.
"Can you make out the flag at the peak?" asked Jack.
"Yes, I think so. I believe it is the British flag."
"Then, they'll be glad to help us out, especially if they find that weintend to turn the 'U-13' over to their government!"
"I don't know about that!" doubted Frank. "I see men running aloft. Itlooks as if they're rigging out studding sail booms on the main yards.And I see others on the topsail yards," declared the boy.
"Why, in that case, they're trying to get away from us!"
"It certainly looks that way. Now I can see men setting the studdingsails on the booms. They are putting on every rag the old hooker willcarry!" cried the lad excitedly.
"I know why," stated Harry. "They think we're a German submarine chasin
gthem and they're trying to get away!"
"Let's run up a white flag, then," urged Ned. "They ought to know whatthat means. They'll stop for that!"
In response to this suggestion the lads quickly overhauled the flaglocker finding just what they sought. The white flag was at once broughtto the deck where it was bent on to the halliards. It fluttered gaily atthe top of the short flagstaff. Some difficulty was experienced insecuring the staff because of an improperly fitting socket.
"Do they seem to be making any change?" inquired Harry presently.
"Yes," answered Ned. "They're crowding on more sail!"
"Then we might as well give it up!" stated the other. "They'll never stopfor us. Our only hope is to dive and come up close to some vessel so theycan't get away before we ask the questions."
"Maybe that would be a good idea," admitted Ned. "Anyhow, we'll have totake down this flag. The signal staff don't fit!"
Disappointed because their efforts had been unavailing, the ladsregretfully folded the flag. It was restored to its proper place.
Harry, however, continued to urge the engines forward in the hope ofeventually overhauling the ship. This seemed to be within the range ofpossibilities, but the boys all knew the maxim concerning a stern chase,and were somewhat discouraged. Knowing that their intentions were of thebest, they felt slightly aggrieved that the other did not stop.
"I see a smoke away ahead of the ship!" announced Frank after a fewmoments. "I can't tell which way they are headed, though!"
"At this rate of traveling, we'll soon find out!" declared Jack.
Evidently the smoke had been discovered by those aboard the sailingvessel, for the course was altered slightly in that direction.
This change was noted by the boys. Jimmie shifted the helm slightly inorder to keep the submarine directly in the track of the ship.
"I wonder what that other vessel can be," puzzled Ned. "Let me take theglasses a moment, Frank. I wish we were higher in the water," he added,"then we could get a better range of vision."
Long and earnestly the boy inspected the strange vessel. Presently hereturned the glasses to Frank with a sigh.
"What is it?" asked Jack with keen interest.
"I believe it is a warship of some sort!" replied Ned.
"Then they'll capture us and take us to port mighty quick!"
"I guess they'll capture us all right!" put in Frank. "I can see thesailing vessel making signals. They've got a string of flags flying fromthe foretopmast head. I don't know what they mean, but they're calls forhelp, or I'll miss my guess! They are something like the U. S. flags!"
Those on board the steamer had evidently seen the string of flags or elseby the peculiar actions of the sailing vessel guessed that something waswrong, for the boys saw that their course was at once altered. From theclouds of dense black smoke pouring from the funnels they knew that thestokers were being urged to their best efforts.
In a short space of time the combined speeds of the two vessels broughtthem close together. As the other approached, Harry shut off the power ofthe engines, checking them to little more than steerageway.
As the steamer passed the ship Ned could see that some communication hadbeen made between the two. The steamer came quickly on.
"Pass me up that white flag again, Harry," requested Ned. "I thinkthey're coming up to speak to us, and I'd just as soon have that handy.Maybe these fellows might misunderstand our motives, too!"
"I wish now I hadn't painted that 'U-13' quite so plainly on the sides!"grumbled Jimmie. "I'll bet they've seen that!"
"Of course, they've seen it, but if we show a white flag they won't doanything to us. They'll let us ask questions!"
In answer to this statement, a shot echoed across the water. A ballstriking the crest of a wave sent a cloud of spray over the "U-13."