CHAPTER IX
A STRANGE VISIT
Clearly visible to the members of the crew on the Lena Knobloch the greatcloud of smoke slowly spread over the vessel.
Directly a sullen "Boom" reached their ears. As the smoke spread away thelads could see a great rent in the side through which water was rushing.Already the ship was listing heavily.
Two small boats were being pulled away from the vicinity by the crew ofthe doomed vessel. The small craft were handled in a seamanlike manner.They made good progress in spite of the still heavy sea.
"By golly!" ejaculated Von Kluck, drawing a long breath. "Maybe vhe getid next, vhat? Dere ain'd no vay of tellin'!"
"Why do you think that, Captain?" questioned Ned.
"Dot verdom 'U-13'!" grunted Von Kluck. "Vhe'll pe lucky,"--here hisexcitement grew so intense that he delivered himself of several greatsailor's oaths--"if vhe make a port in England alretty!"
"Keep a sharp lookout, boys," said Ned. "Maybe we can get a sight of the'U-13' if it's still in this neighborhood."
Scarcely had the boy uttered the words before the lookout hailed thedeck. His voice vibrated with excitement and fear.
"Vot is, aloft, dere?" roared Von Kluck.
Excitedly jabbering in his intense emotion the lookout franticallypointed in the direction of the sinking ship. Without waiting for ordershe came sliding down the halliards. As he landed on deck he turned anashen face toward the captain. Again he pointed seaward.
"The 'U-13'!" he gasped in an agony of terror.
A glance in the direction indicated showed the boys an object like a sparbuoy apparently standing upright in the water. The next moment a swellrolled over something beneath the upright object.
The next wave disclosed a long, rounded steel hull. In the center theconning tower showed plainly. A moment later the outlines of the dreadedsubmarine were distinguishable as the craft was propelled to the surface.Each wave broke clear over the arched back of this terror of the seasleaving the black hull gleaming in the faint light. Only the upperportion of the conning tower escaped a ducking.
Presently the hatch was opened. A man in uniform stepped out onto thenarrow confines of the small deck. His attention was directed toward theschooner. After what seemed to the boys to be an almost endlessexamination of their vessel the man turned to address a remark to someone evidently close to the hatch but out of their vision.
"What is he saying?" Ned asked von Kluck.
"He iss telling dot odder feller dot vhe iss das Lena Knobloch!"
"What next, I wonder?" speculated Jimmie aloud.
"Next?" almost screamed von Kluck. "Next, vhe iss ordered to get by ourboats into und row far enough avhay so dey couldt blow up us!"
In his intense agitation the captain began pacing up and down the deck.The submarine drew close alongside the schooner easily keeping pace withthe sailing vessel at the rate they were progressing.
"Von Kluck is certainly worked up about it," remarked Harry as he notedthe captain's distracted manner. "He's almost bughouse!"
"Well, so would you be, too, if all you had were about to be sent to thebottom of the ocean!" declared Ned. "It's tough luck!"
"Maybe we'd better be getting our kits in shape," suggested Jack movingtoward the cabin. "I don't want to leave everything!"
"I had to leave everything," put in Frank, "when they sunk the ship I wason. I felt lucky to get away with my life!"
"Let's make a try for it, anyway," continued Jack.
"Wait a minute!" cried Ned, "let's see what they're going to do. The manis going below again! Why don't he hail us?"
Strangely enough the officer was descending the hatchway without speakinga word to those on board the schooner.
This procedure puzzled von Kluck, but did not serve to reduce in anydegree the excitement under which he was laboring.
"Lay aft a couble of handts und make reaty der boats!" he shouted. "Comeon, hurry oop! Lifely, now, men!"
In obedience to this command two members of the crew sprang towards thestern of the schooner to make preparations for launching the boat lashedat the stern. Two others frantically loosened the lashings of theupturned boat lying amidships.
A clanking sound indicating that the hatchway of the "U-13" had beenclosed attracted the attention of the boys in that direction.
"What are they going to do now?" questioned Jimmie eagerly.
"I fancy they are going to pull away a little so as to launch a torpedoat us," stated Ned. "It don't look as if they're going to be kind enoughto let us get off the vessel before they blow it up!"
"Then it isn't the same crew I met!" declared Frank firmly. "They treatedthe men fine! While I must admit that I don't admire their way of sinkingmerchant ships, I will have to say that they gave the people a chance toget out of danger!"
"Well, is it the same submarine you saw?" asked Ned.
"It looks exactly like it. Besides," the boy continued, "I see thefigures 'U-13' painted on the side of this one, too. I believe it is thevery same vessel. Maybe they won't sink us!"
With hatch closed the submarine was preparing to execute some maneuver.Gathering speed the craft plunged ahead quickly leaving the schooneralone. Scarcely had the bow of the sailing vessel been passed ere thesubmarine was so far beneath the water as to show only the periscope. Ina moment there was but a swirl to indicate where that had been. Presentlyit, too, disappeared. The "U-13" was gone.
For some time the boys stood at the rail eagerly scanning the water todiscover evidence of the submarine's return. Their search was fruitless.Nothing was found to indicate the presence of their late visitor. Thewaves rose and fell without hint of its location.
"Oh, Captain von Kluck!" Ned called. "They have gone!"
"Vhat?" asked the captain in a tone expressing doubt.
"Yes," continued the boy. "They have slipped back into the ocean againand have left us. Possibly they think we're too small for them to waste atorpedo on. Torpedoes cost a lot of money, you know!"
"Vhell, dot's lucky!" answered the captain, much relieved.
"Sure is!" assented Jimmie, throwing out his chest. "You see, Captain,we're mascots for you. We've brought you good luck!"
Joining in the laugh that greeted this remark the captain ordered the menwho had been at work upon the boats to cease their operations. A hand wasagain posted aloft to act as lookout.
After a short consultation between von Kluck and the mate it was decidedto proceed on the course traveled by the steamer from which Frank Shawhad recently escaped. They intended to pass between the Shetland islandsand the coast of Scotland in an attempt to make a port on the west sideof England, believing that there would be less danger in this procedure.Accordingly all sail possible was made.
As if understanding the necessity for haste the vessel leaned far overunder the press of canvas and sprang forward with increased speed.
"We ought to make the west coast of England in a short time, Captain, atthis rate," said Ned as he noted with satisfaction the rate at which theLena Knobloch was traveling through the water.
"I don'd know!" declared von Kluck. "Dere's nasty vedder oop dere!" headded, pointing to the western sky. "I don'd like id!"
"It can't very well blow hard enough to stop us, can it?"
"Don'd you tink it can't blow hard in dese vatters! Ask me--I know!"replied the captain sagely wagging his head.
With eager looks the boys watched the gathering clouds to westward. Thecaptain's prediction seemed about to be verified.
An uncommonly strong puff of wind struck the schooner heeling her farover to starboard. The blast bore a chill as of ice.
"Oh, boys," cried Jimmie turning his head away from the biting blast,"look up to windward and see how smooth the ocean is getting!"
"That's wind coming!" shouted Ned.
An order was roared out by von Kluck. Men sprang to the lines. The sailswere stowed with a speed that seemed scarcely credible. Heeling round ona port helm the Lena Knobloch turned from the
approaching blast.
Leaving only the shortened jib von Kluck and the mate stood on the afterdeck peering anxiously at the violent disturbance overtaking the littlevessel. Now and again the mate glanced apprehensively at the schooner'smasts or along the decks.
With a shriek the storm struck. For a moment the very weight of windseemed to settle the schooner farther into the water. The next instantthey were tearing along with the speed of a race horse.
Flattened by the pressure of the wind the waves no longer gave hermotion. By reason of her being headed directly away from the blast theschooner rode on an even keel. Every line, every shroud hummed like thestrings of a gigantic harp. The noise was terrific.
A glance at the compass in the binnacle showed Ned that they were headednearly northeast. They were fast leaving England astern.
Conversation was almost impossible in the howling gale that tore andfretted at the vessel. Yet Ned managed to shout to the captain:
"How much sea room have we got in this direction?"
A shrug of the shoulders indicated the captain's doubt. He accompaniedthis movement with a wagging of the head.
"Vhe'll get into der lee of somedings bretty soon," he replied.
"I surely hope so!" declared Ned, cupping his hands to carry his voice tothe other's ear. "I'd hate to hit anything at this rate!"
Nodding an acknowledgment to this assertion the captain by signsindicated to the mate that he desired a hand sent aloft as lookout.
In a short time it seemed to the boys that the terrific force of the galehad somewhat spent itself. Waves began to toss the vessel at an alarmingrate. Each mountain of water appeared about to board the schooner at thestern, threatening to crush the craft by its weight.
Anxious for the safety of the vessel and for their own welfare the lads,nevertheless, understood that they could do little good on deck. They,therefore, made their way into the cabin, where they sat on lockers.
Here the noises of the tempest were somewhat stilled, but the creakingand groaning of the timbers was far more noticeable. It seemed to thelads that the vessel was being torn asunder by every billow.
"I wonder what weather the old 'U-13' is making of it about now?" saidFrank, as the boys grouped themselves about the little table.
"She's in smoother water than this, I'll venture to say," put in Jimmie,clutching the edge of the table in an effort to support himself.
"If they are not in better water than this," remarked Harry, "they'regetting shaken up some! I'd like to be under water right now!"
"Why, Harry," spoke up Ned, "you shouldn't say that!"
"I mean in a tight little submarine!" explained Harry.
"I wish we had the Sea Lion over here!" cried Jimmie. "We could have morefun than we had when we tried to rescue the papers out of that ship inthe Gulf of Tong King with Moore and his nosey son butting in!"
"That was sure some fine boat!" declared Ned. "Just as easy to ride in asa rocking chair. And it was always smooth and--"
The boy's speech was cut short by a violent roll of the vessel. All thelads were thrown in a heap to the cabin floor. Directly the schoonerrighted herself, but began pitching with a violent motion. From thesounds the boys knew that the captain had hove to, bringing the vesselinto the wind. Apparently he intended riding out the storm.
Waves were breaking over the bows, falling with tremendous blows upon theforward deck. The scuppers were not able to release the flood.
Suddenly a terrific crash sounded directly beneath the cabin floor. Thestern seemed to lift bodily into the air. A shudder ran through thefabric. Again the boys fell to the deck.