CHAPTER XII
THE DEATH BLOW TO THE SUBMARINE
Let us try to get some idea of the situation. Ahead of the boat on whichthe boys were watching the scene, and probably not more than eighthundred feet distant, was _l'Orient_. Between them was the row of buoys,as far as the eye could see, stretching from the shore of England to thecoast of France. To their right, and not two hundred feet distant wasthe saucy little chaser, which acted as their convoy.
At a point which might be termed midway between the three vessels thusdescribed, were the two buoys, which moved with spasmodic jerks, due tothe action of the imprisoned vessel below. As they looked along thebobbing buoys in either direction, small vessels were observed,patrolling to and fro, in the tiny mast, or lookout of each, being twoor more men, with glasses, constantly scrutinizing the floats as theships slowly moved past.
Apparently, at regular intervals, were large ships of war, all of themin motion. Sailing vessels and steamers, carrying freight, were comingup the channel, convoyed to the open doors in this giant network whichguarded the channel.
The lieutenant on the chaser backed his vessel toward the submarine andhailed the captain:
"Do you wish to remain?" he asked.
"The chances of that fellow seem to be pretty slim. I would like to seethe finish of the game; but I suppose we ought to get into port as soonas possible," answered the captain.
"Then I will give the order to proceed," replied the lieutenant.
The captain nodded, and the boys started for the door.
"One moment!" said the captain. "We may still be able to see aninteresting sight."
The boys rushed out of the door. Glancing up at the deck of the chaserthey could see the marines aboard rushing to the side of the vessel. Asthey looked at the buoys it was noticed that they were silent._L'Orient_ was slowly backing away from the obvious location of thesubmerged vessel.
"They are about to throw a shell," observed the captain.
The remark had hardly left his mouth when an explosion was heard and theshell could be observed moving upward at a very high angle, anddescending into the water with a vicious plunge.
No sooner had it struck the sea than it seemed to raise the surface ofthe water like the foaming mass in a boiling pot. The explosion wasdull, vibrant, ominous.
"They are shooting another one," shouted Alfred, although he tried tosuppress his voice.
"Boom!" came the sound, as he uttered the words.
The second shot struck the water not fifty feet distant from the firstone.
"Do you think they will fire another?" asked Alfred.
"Probably not," answered the captain.
"What is that little boat going over there for?" asked Ralph, as one ofthe torpedo boats boldly advanced over the spot where the two shells hadentered the water.
The captain nodded his head for a few moments before speaking.
"The shots were successful."
"I can see that now," said Ralph. "Look at the oil coming up andcovering the sea."
It was, indeed, a sad sight to witness, knowing that the shots meant thedeath of thirty or more human beings.
"Well, I am awfully sorry for them, even if they had no sympathy for us,and didn't wait to see whether or not we were put into safety beforethey sent our ship down," said Alfred reflectively, as he turned andentered the conning tower.
The scene had its fascination for Ralph, although he felt the horror ofit all as he stood leaning over the railing, gazing at the patrol boatswhich were sailing back and forth in and around the spot where thepetroleum was fast covering the surface of the water in all directions.
"You can understand now, can't you, why flying machines are such goodspotters for submarines?" remarked the captain.
"Do you mean the oil that comes on top of the water?" asked Ralph.
"Yes," was the reply.
"But does oil arise at all times when a submarine is submerged?" askedRalph.
"More or less oil is constantly detaching itself from the body of thehull, at the discharge ports, and it can't be helped because all of thegas discharge ports are under water at all times, whether the vessel isrunning on or under the water, hence, as it moves along it will leave atrail of oil which can be easily detected by a machine in flight abovethe surface of the water," said the captain.
"But doesn't a machine, when it is under the water, leave a ripple thatis easily seen by a flying machine?" asked Ralph.
"Yes; I was going to refer to that," replied the captain. "An aviatorhas a great advantage over an observer on a vessel, for the reason thatthe slightest movement of the surface of the sea, even though there maybe pronounced waves, can be noted. If the submarine is moving along nearthe surface, the ripple is very pronounced, and the streak of oil whichfollows is very narrow. Should the submarine stop, the oil it dischargesaccumulates on top of the water at one place, and begins to spread outover the surface of the water and this makes it a mark for the watchfuleye of the airmen of the sea patrols," answered the captain.
"I heard one of the officers at the aviation camp say that a submarinecould be seen easily through fifty feet of water by an airman," remarkedAlfred. "Do you think that is so?" he asked.
"I know it is possible," replied the captain.
"But why is it that when you are on a ship it is impossible to seethrough the water that depth?"
"For this reason," answered the captain: "if you are on a ship, and youare looking even from the topmast of the vessel, the line of vision fromthe eye strikes the surface of the water at an angle. The result is thatthe surface of the water acts as a reflector, exactly the same as whenthe line of sight strikes a pane of glass."
"Do you mean that the sight is reflected just as it is when you areoutside of a house and try to look into the window at an angle?" askedRalph.
"Exactly; that is one explanation. The other is this: sea water is clearand transparent. By looking down directly on the water, a dark object,unless too far below the surface, will be noted for the reason that itmakes a change in the coloring from the area surrounding it, and acigar-shaped object at fifty feet below, whether it should be black orwhite, would quickly be detected," explained the captain.
"I remember that Lieutenant Winston, who has flown across the channelmany times, told me that he could tell when he was nearing land, in afog, by sailing close to the water, even though the land couldn't beseen. Do you know how he was able to do that?" asked Ralph.
"That is one of the simplest problems," replied the captain. "Theshallower the water the lighter the appearance to an observer in anairship. As the water grows deeper the color seems to grow greener andbluer, the bluest being at the greatest depth."
The chaser was now under way, and described a circle to the right. Thecaptain, after saluting the officer on the bridge of _l'Orient_, gavethe signal "Forward," and slowly the submarine sheered about andfollowed.
The second line of buoys appeared a quarter of a mile to the east of theone they had just left. In a half-hour the two vessels passed throughthe gateway and turned to the north.
"We can't be very far from England," remarked Alfred.
"I judge we are fifteen miles from Dover," replied the captain.
"Do you intend to go to Dover?" asked Ralph.
"No; there are no stations there that can receive crafts of this kind. Ido not know to what point they may take us; possibly to the mouth of theThames, and from there to some point where the vessel will be interned,"answered the captain.
"How deep is the channel here?" asked Ralph.
"Probably not to exceed 120 feet," was the reply.
"Not more than that in the middle of the Channel,--half way betweenEngland and France?" asked Alfred in surprise.
"No; the Channel is very shallow," answered the captain.
"No wonder then," said Alfred, "that the submarines are having such ahard time getting through, even though they don't have the nets!"
Having passed the cordon of nets the chaser turne
d and slowly steamedpast the submarine. The lieutenant stepped to the side of the bridge andsaid:
"I suppose, Captain, you can now make the pier-head at Ramsgate, whereyou will get a ship to convoy you to the harbor. Good luck to you!Adieu!"
The boys waved their caps in salute, as the chaser began to move, andthe crew lined up to give the final goodbye.
The captain smiled and replied: "I think I have ample assistance onboard; give my regards to the admiral."
"How far is it to Ramsgate?" asked Ralph.
"It cannot be more than twenty-five miles, and at the rate we are nowgoing we should reach the head at five this evening. That will be theend of our troubles, as the naval officials will take care of thisvessel from that point," said the captain.
"Well, I shall be glad of it," replied Alfred.
It was a glorious day, the sun was shining brightly, and the air,although somewhat cool, was not at all disagreeable. The boys insistedon taking their turns at the wheel, the course being given by thecaptain as west by north. Everything was moving along in fine shape, andAlfred was at the wheel, while Ralph was peering through the periscope,for this interested them from the moment they boarded the ship.
"Where is that steamer bound?" asked Ralph, who noticed a largetwo-funnel steamer crossing the field of the periscope.
"It belongs to the Australian line," replied the captain.
"Aren't we in the barred zone?" asked Alfred.
"I was about to remark a moment ago that it does not seem as though theGerman edict of a restricted zone makes much difference in the sailingof vessels," replied the captain.
While speaking, the submarine seemed to slow down, and the captainturned toward the conning tower. "I wonder what is up now?" he asked.
Alfred's head appeared at the door and shouted: "They don't seem toanswer my signals."
The captain entered the tower, and pulled the lever, _Attention!_ Therewas no response to the signal below the word. He again rang, with thesame result.
_The Periscope_]
"I will open the hatch," said the captain.
It was quickly swung open. The sub-lieutenant appeared at the hatch withhaggard face and staring eyes. "The captain has gone mad!" he shouted.
"I will go down if you want me to; I am not afraid," said Ralph.
The captain looked at him for a moment, and glanced down into thehatchway. "Why do you not obey my signals?" he asked.
The sub-lieutenant stared at the captain, but did not make a reply."Answer my question!" shouted the captain.
The officer raised his face, threw up his hands, and fell back acrossthe low railing, which served as a guard at the foot of the stairs.
"You may go down, and ascertain what is the matter, but use caution,"said the captain.
Ralph stepped into the open hatch, and, as he did so, the captain laidhis hand on his shoulder, and said: "Take out your revolver; do nottrust those men for a moment, under any consideration; we know them toowell."
Ralph quickly drew the weapon and held it in his hand, then cautiouslydescended. He passed the inert form of the officer on the rail, and notuntil he reached the last step did he see the doctor and the chiefmachinist by the side of the dynamo.
The doctor held a revolver, which he pointed straight at Ralph. "Dropthat revolver!" shouted the doctor. "The lieutenant is dead, and thetime fuse will soon send this ship to the bottom."
The moment he saw the revolver and heard the voice, Ralph dropped behindthe stanchions to which the stairway was attached. The doctor's revolverwas fired. Instantly the captain divined the cause. Without waiting fora warning cry from Ralph, he leaped into the open hatch, and saw the twomen with their weapons. He covered them with his revolver.
"Come up!" he shouted to Ralph.
The latter raised up from his crouching position, with his revolver nowleveled full in the faces of the two frenzied men. Before Ralph hadreached the upper step both men in the hold fired, fortunately, withoutdoing any damage.
The moment Ralph gained the deck the captain jumped out of the hatch andslammed it down.
"Now, quickly, boys; tie this rope to the railing close to the periscopetube, and arm yourself with the life preservers; there, you will findthem under that couch," said the captain, as he quickly threw back thecover from the couch and handed out four preservers.
"Why do you want four?" asked Ralph, as he hastily buckled one of themaround himself.
"To attach to the end of the line that you have just fastened to therail," replied the captain.
The captain sprang out through the open door, and attached one of thelife belts to the end of the line. The boys now noticed the coil ofrope, which must have been more than a hundred feet in length.
"I wonder what that is for?" asked Alfred, as the captain disappeared.
"There," said the captain, as he again appeared at the door. "If shegoes down that preserver will tell them where to fish for her."
"Do you think there is any danger?" asked Ralph.
"I do not know; I am not taking any chances. I have my opinion, though,"replied the captain thoughtfully.
"Do you think they are going to blow up the vessel?" asked Alfred.
"No; but I am inclined to think that they have not been able todisconnect the automatic fuse, or, that the death of the lieutenant, ifsuch should be the case, has prevented them from finding the secret key,and,----"
"That the sub-lieutenant has actually gone mad," interrupted Ralph.
The captain nodded, and continued: "Although they deserve death, still,I am not a barbarian, and shall give them a chance for their lives,"and, saying this, he moved through the door, and, sighting a largesteamer, gave a signal. Once, twice, three times he moved the flag fromright to left. Almost immediately there was a response and two shortwhistles responded.
Before the great ship had time to stop, the forward end of the submarinemoved upward with a violent heave, followed by an explosion that seemedto tear everything to pieces. Ralph was thrown clear of the top, andlanded fully twenty feet from the side of the hull. Alfred and thecaptain seemed to be propelled to the stern of the ship and dashed intothe waves at least fifty feet from the spot where Ralph had landed.
Ralph did not appear to be even stunned, but Alfred's head droppedlifeless on the side of the life preserver, and the captain was promptto reach his side and support him so that his head was kept free fromthe water.
Ralph was bewildered at the suddenness of the affair, and, whilesplashing in the water, glanced first at the captain and Alfred, andthen swung around to get a view of the big ship, which they hadsignalled. The submarine had vanished. The sea around appeared to be amass of bubbles, and he could plainly see the petroleum which was oozingup.
Nothing was visible where the submarine floated but a single belt,--thelife preserver which the captain had used as a buoy, to mark thelocation of the sunken vessel.