CHAPTER VIII
MORE ABOUT THE "U-13"
"Frank Shaw!" cried Jimmie, crowding close to the lad lying on thelocker. "What's that you're saying about the 'U-13'?"
"I say 'Look out for it,' that's all!"
"No, it isn't all!" protested the boy. "Take another drink of this coffeeand then brace up and tell us what you know! How did you get here andwhat and who and where and why is this 'U-13'?"
Frank smiled as he struggled to a sitting posture.
"If you'll rub the cramp out of that leg, boys, I'll 'fess up'everything," he began. "That leg feels as if some one were trying to pullsome teeth out of it by the roots. A cramp is fierce."
Two lads began massaging the offending member.
"If I'd known it was you swimming to us, I'd have lowered a boat myselfand come to your assistance!" declared Jimmie.
"And if I'd known you were on board this schooner," replied Frank, "I'dhave left that ship long before I did!"
"Why, what's the matter on that ship, Frank?" asked Ned.
"Oh, nothing, only it's one of these 'work-houses' just exactly like wehave read of. The captain is a hard nut and the mates are both of the'bucko' type. There isn't a man aboard who hasn't got a mark from one orthe other of the mates. They're a tough crowd!"
"I'll bet you didn't just fall overboard, then!" shrewdly guessed Jimmie."You missed your footing purposely! You know you did!"
"How do you know?" grinned Frank, nursing his cramped leg.
"I was watching through the binoculars," answered Jimmie. "But go aheadand tell us something. We're dying from curiosity!"
"Well," began Frank, "you know I wasn't quite satisfied to be left behindwhen you four lads left in chase of the fellow who had stolen the Panamaplans. I wanted to go along in the Grey Eagle."
"We know that, and we're sorry we didn't take you!" cried Ned.
"I went to see Mr. Bosworth about following you," continued young Shaw."He was opposed to that plan, but you know I usually get my own waysomehow. I put together a kit and started out. I had little difficulty insecuring passage on a ship loaded with miscellaneous cargo for England.The vessel was a British tramp--a 'bucko' ship.
"We got close to Land's End after a rather uneventful voyage across theAtlantic. I was dreaming of getting ashore in a short time and thenhiking across the channel into France to hunt you up.
"One fine morning we were all startled to hear a hail from the lookoutinforming the deck that a submarine was approaching. We hove to at thecommand of the submarine people. They commanded our captain to get hiscrew into the boats as quickly as possible, for in five minutes theyintended torpedoing the ship. They wouldn't take 'No' for an answer."
"That was going some, I must say!" put in Jimmie.
"You needn't be told, of course," went on Frank, "that we lost littletime making preparations. One of the sailors disputed my right to take mykit into the small boat. I objected and he cracked me on the jaw. When Irecovered I was alone on the vessel. The boats were at some littledistance away, with the crew pulling like racers.
"For a moment I was quite desperate, not knowing how to escape. I thoughtof trying to signal the submarine, but could see the vessel justlaunching a torpedo. Seemingly the whole after end of the ship wasshattered by the explosion. As soon as I could I tried to signal theenemy, but they were just turning about to leave the spot.
"Maybe I didn't hustle about some. The ship was already filling rapidly.The stern was settling fast. All the boats were gone. I could see nothingto serve as a float. Desperately I seized a capstan bar and knocked thewedges and battens off a hatch cover. Then I got a small piece of line. Ipassed it through a ring bolt and made fast. I figured that when the shipwent down the cover would float free for a raft on which I could keep up.Before I was fully ready the compressed air blew the cover off with a'boom'. It landed close to the rail.
"Just as the hull took a last slant I jumped overboard. After swimmingquite a distance away I saw the ship go down. I turned back. There was myhatch cover floating just as I expected."
Here Frank paused to extend his hand for another cup of coffee.
"You're the wise little Scout!" declared Jimmie, admiringly.
"Sure!" agreed Frank. "Then," he continued, "I floated around for therest of the day on that hatch cover. Toward evening I saw a smoke off tothe southwest. It was just out of the glare of the sun. When it gotnearer I knew it was a steamer bound for England or some nearby place. Itwas the Anne of Melbourne. So here I am!"
"But what about this 'U-13'?" inquired Harry, eagerly.
"Oh, yes, I nearly forgot," said Frank. "The submarine that torpedoed theship was marked 'U-13' on the side!"
"They've been doing a lot of that, according to the newspapers!" statedNed. "But why do you warn us to look out for her?" he asked.
"When I told the captain of the Anne of my experience," went on Frank,"he decided to head north, intending to go to the westward of Ireland,around between Scotland and the Shetland Island into the North Sea, inthe hopes of dodging the submarine, which seemed to be working the watersof the English Channel. Yesterday morning we were hailed by a submarine.I could see that it was the same old 'U-13'!"
"How did it get way up here?" questioned Ned, incredulously.
"Search me!" replied Frank. "They ordered us to heave to, but thatcaptain is a daredevil. He cracked on all steam full speed ahead,declaring that if they took him they'd have to catch him.
"The submarine launched a torpedo at us, but it only smashed our rudder.We had good headway on. That, of course, put us in a mighty bad fix, asthe submarine could then have easily sent a torpedo into us, but for someunknown reason they turned and left us.
"The captain was nearly crazy when he discovered what damage had beendone. The vessel had been bad enough before, but it became ten timesworse. I got a crack or two with a rope's end that sting yet!"
"How could they navigate?" asked Jimmie.
"They couldn't!" answered Frank. "We just lay in the trough of the seasand let the old tub roll. They even put preventer stays on the masts andon the boilers to keep them from rolling out of the crazy old wagon. Younever saw such a place as that ship was!"
"And then when the captain got her under the lee of this land and you sawthis schooner you just concluded that you'd jump the ship?"
"Exactly!" agreed Frank. "I had lost my kit when the sailing vessel wentdown, so I left nothing on the steamer."
"I'm awful glad you got here safely," stated Ned, grasping Frank's handin a hearty clasp that spoke eloquently of the friendship between the twoboys. "But you're too late to help capture the Panama Canal plan thief.He's out of his misery quite a while ago!"
"But he's just in time to get mixed up in this 'U-13' business!" urgedJimmie. "He's right in the midst of the excitement!"
"But since you don't want any more Boy Scouts along we'll pitch Frankoverboard again!" declared Harry, with mock gravity.
"Aw, you go on!" scorned Jimmie. "I didn't know it was Frank!"
Laughing at Jimmie's confusion the boys related to their chum the salientpoints of their experience up to the time of their strange meeting. Frankwas greatly puzzled over the circumstances of the strange package, forthe presence of which in their kits the boys could not account.
For some time the lads remained in the cabin, drying the uniforms of theswimmers and exchanging experiences. It was the opinion of all that theywould be adopting a wise course to return at once to New York.
Captain von Kluck was greatly interested in his strange passengers. Helistened eagerly to Frank's account of the doings of the strangesubmarine. At the conclusion of the recital he paced the deck nervously.
Not until midafternoon did the wind decrease sufficiently to permit theLena Knobloch to venture forth from her position of shelter.
Through the binoculars the boys made long examinations of the steamerlying to windward of their position. They determined that preparationswere being made to send a boat's crew to some port
for assistance intowing the crippled vessel to a harbor.
At one bell, or half past four o'clock, Captain von Kluck came from hiscabin. He stepped to the rail, sniffing at the wind. Presently he turnedto join the mate in his walk across the deck.
For some minutes the two conversed in low tones. Directly the matestepped forward, bawling out orders to his men.
At once all was commotion on the Knobloch's decks. Men tumbled eagerlyabout, hauling a line here, letting go another there, until they had setthe double reefed mainsail, foresail and a mere rag of jib.
When this had been accomplished all hands seized capstan bars. To thetune of a Dutch sailors' "chanty" the links of the cable slowly clankedinboard. With a lurch the Lena Knobloch swung as the anchor broke ground.Like a storm driven bird she was off in the wings of a northwester, lyingfar over even under the greatly reduced sail.
"Where to now, Captain?" asked Ned as von Kluck stepped along the deckwith head bent forward. By his manner of nervous intentness Ned guessedthat the captain was carrying a load on his mind.
Von Kluck's only response was a growl as he passed the boys.
"Captain's grouchy!" declared Jimmie. "Leave him alone, Ned!"
"Sure, don't bother him!" added Frank. "He's worried enough!"
"Just the same, I don't like his looks!" stated Ned with some degree ofapprehension. "He seems to have soured after hearing about the 'U-13.'Didn't you fellows notice how he listened to Frank's story?"
"Sure we did," Jimmie replied, "but then, it's only natural that heshould be worried over the possibility of losing his vessel!"
"Well, his getting under way in this weather shows that he intends to besquare and land us in an English port as he agreed!"
"I guess von Kluck is a pretty good sort of a chap, after all!" venturedHarry. "He has tried to treat us as right as he could!"
"I think you're right. We can't blame him for feeling somewhat worriedunder the circumstances. We'd be grouchy, too!"
Under a port helm the Lena Knobloch swung to starboard leaping forwardinto the waves as if glad to again be battling with the sea.
Ned and his companions felt that they could be of no service in handlingthe schooner. They, therefore, retired to the shelter of the cabin, wherethey were protected from the stinging blasts of sleet and snow that camescreaming out of the northwest.
Scarcely had the schooner won clear of the jagged ledges when the fullforce of the tumbling waves was felt. It seemed to the boys that thestern of the little vessel was hurled to an unbelievable height only todrop so far they feared nothing could save them.
But Captain von Kluck and his mate were expert navigators. They hadsailed the ocean since large enough to handle a line. They knew the LenaKnobloch's ability to withstand the buffeting of the elements.
As night drew on the boys expected to witness a cessation of the storm.Their prediction was fulfilled. Gradually the gale blew itself out,leaving but a strong sailing breeze, although the water still continuedrough. Captain von Kluck took advantage of this change to shake out thereefs in his canvas and to spread more sail.
Just as the moon showed in the east between masses of cloud the lookoutreported a ship in sight off the port bow. In a short time the twovessels had approached within about two miles of each other.
"They're apparently heaving to!" cried Ned who had been using thebinoculars. "It looks as if they're getting the boats over!"
From the waist of the other vessel the boys saw a great cloud of darksmoke appear. The small boats had scarcely gone a ship's length away fromthe scene. The crew were rowing with the greatest haste.
"I see the conning tower of a submarine!" cried Ned.