CHAPTER IX.
PUTTING TWO AND TWO TOGETHER.
"That," said Matt, "is a bomb. While I lay on the floor, all buthelpless, the disguised Jap set fire to the fuse and planted the bombin the corner."
Glennie stared aghast. Carl mumbled to himself, and very carefullyreturned the bomb to the place where he had found it.
"He vas a plackguard!" growled Carl, backing away from the bomb andshaking his fist at it. "Der sgoundrel vould haf plowed us py somesmidereens. I don'd like Chaps any more as I do shinks."
"You must be mistaken!" gasped Glennie. "Either that, or else Tolois a madman! Why, the explosion of that bomb would have wrecked thesubmarine and killed us all."
The ensign shuddered.
"It would have been barbarous!" he went on, worked up by the enormityof the crime that had been planned. "As an act of war, it would havebeen savage enough, in all conscience, but here we are at peace withall the world, and under the protection of Old Glory!"
"I can't help that, Glennie," said Matt grimly. "We've got to takethe facts as we find them. I managed to get hands on the revolver youdropped, and had strength enough to fire one shot. The bullet missedits mark, and Tolo jumped up and started for me. But I guess therevolver scared him off, for he whirled around before he got very closeand darted up the conning-tower ladder."
"He left the fuse burning?"
"Yes; and evidently expected a blow-up."
"Why wasn't there a blow-up?"
"Well, the coffee that had got me into trouble got us all out of it.I fell, knocked over a stool, the stool knocked over the cup, and thecoffee was spilled out and flowed over the burning fuse."
"That's the most remarkable thing I ever heard!" declared Glennie.
"Modor Matt's luck," chuckled Carl. "I vould radder be mit Matt, undhaf a biece oof his luck, dan any blace vat I know. Ven he has somegoot fordunes, he has to pass dem aroundt to der fellers vat iss mithim--vich means me, for I vas alvays aroundt."
"Go on, Mr. King," said Glennie. "What happened after that?"
Matt, attending to his steering and keeping an eye on the periscope,told how he had lost consciousness for a few moments, had revived,lashed the wheel, and climbed to the hatch. The rest, including how he,Dick, and Speake had made a dive for safety, came rapidly and in thefewest possible words.
"From all of which it appears," remarked Glennie quietly, when therecital was done, "that we owe our lives to Motor Matt. But I can'tunderstand this Tolo business. Why was he playing the part of a chink?"
"So you wouldn't know him," said Matt, "and so he could still be withyou."
"But what was the use?"
"That seems plain," went on Matt, wondering a little at the ensign'sfailure to see the game that had been attempted. "As I figure it, Mr.Glennie, there is a Japanese secret society consisting of a number ofmisguided young men who call themselves Sons of the Rising Sun. Theirgovernment does not sanction their acts, and presumably knows nothingabout them. These Independent Protectors of the Kingdom have heard ofthis wonderful submarine ship invented by Captain Nemo, Jr., and theyare well fitted to understand its possibilities in time of war."
"Granting all that, just what has it to do with the actions of Tolo?"
"I'm coming to that. Tolo, I take it, is a member of the Young SamuraiSociety. No doubt the society has had spies in Central and SouthAmerica. These spies reported that the _Grampus_ had been sold to theUnited States Government, conditional upon her making a safe passagearound the Horn and up the western coast to Mare Island. I don'tsuppose that the Sons of the Rising Sun were at all pleased with thisinformation. They are enthusiasts, and probably don't care a rap fortheir own lives, or for the lives of any other people, so long as theycan do a good stroke of work for Nippon."
"But Tolo," put in the ensign impatiently, "what of him?"
"Probably, too," continued Matt, "it was known that the _Seminole_ haddropped you at La Guayra, and that you were to accompany the submarineon her long cruise. Tolo was commissioned to watch you, get aboard thesubmarine if possible, make sketches, and then destroy her."
"But do you consider what a crime that amounts to? That it is virtuallyan act of war and might embroil two countries?"
"It is an act of piracy, Mr. Glennie. The steamer from which the Japscame was not flying the Japanese flag, nor any other flag, so far as Icould see. They're working on their own hook."
"Then they are liable to be caught and punished by their owngovernment!"
"Of course; but the Sons of the Rising Sun have the bit in their ownteeth and are going their own pace. I'll bet something handsome they'dsacrifice their steamer and their own lives, into the bargain, if theycould be sure of destroying the _Grampus_. The Japs are fanatics on thesubject of patriotism--everybody knows that. But to go on with Tolo. Hehired out to you, found a chance to steal your dispatches, and thoughtadvisable to take them. Probably he thought they contained informationof value to the Young Samurai. After that he disguised himself as aChinaman--not a difficult task for a Jap--and called on us in theharbor at Port-of-Spain. He was cunning enough to hand you that yarnabout knowing Tolo, and to hang out regarding the fifty dollars so thathe could get you to take him down the coast to the Amazon. On the way,Tolo was snooping around and learning all he could about the boat. Theblowing up of the gasolene tank was probably an accident, but mixingwater with our fuel was done with a purpose."
"What purpose?"
"To delay us, and make it possible for the steamer to come near. Thismorning Tolo must have heard how we had narrowly escaped running thesteamer down during the night, and I am sure he knew the steamer washanging around our course just before he went down to get breakfast.He had come aboard the _Grampus_ equipped with his bomb and his drugs,and it's a wonder his scoundrelly plans did not carry. Of course," Mattadded, after a long silence, "I am only putting two and two together,and making a guess. The guess may be close to the truth, or wide of it,but that's the way I size up the facts that have come to us."
"You haf hit der nail righdt on der headt, py chiminy!" declared Carl."Der Sons oof der Rising Sun vas afder us, aber dey vill findt dot vedon'd vas ashleep. Ve're a leedle punch oof badriots ourseluf, you bedyou, und an American feller has got id ofer der Chap like anyding."
Carl puffed out his chest and slapped his wishbone.
"I am sure you have made a good guess, Mr. King," said Glennie, "andthe way you have argued the thing out is mighty convincing. It showsus what we're up against during this cruise, and I'm wondering why thecaptain of the _Seminole_ didn't tip me off."
"It's likely he didn't know anything about these Sons of the RisingSun," replied Matt. "We've only been able to get a line on them byfacing considerable danger, and taking a lot of hard knocks."
"Ven dose leedle fellers whipped Rooshia," put in Carl, "dey got puffedoop like I can't tell. Dere iss some chips on deir shoulters all dertime now, und they ought to be knocked off."
"Don't make a common mistake, Mr. Pretzel," cautioned Glennie. "TheJapanese Government has always been a good friend of the United States,and----"
"Der handt vat dey holdt oudt to us iss der gladt handt," interruptedCarl, "und der odder vat dey haf pehind deir pack iss toupled oop undready to shtrike! Yah, so helup me!"
"There are hotheads in Japan just as there are in our own country,"proceeded Glennie; "but both governments are on friendly terms and willalways be so. The mikado's government doesn't know what these Sons ofthe Rising Sun are doing, so what happens is just a little private warbetween them and us, with the _Grampus_ as the bone of contention."
"Vell," and Carl wagged his head decidedly, "ve got our teet' on derpone und dey can't shake us loose."
"That's right," laughed Matt.
"Mr. Pretzel is a jingo," said Glennie. "But what am I to do aboutthose dispatches?"
"We'll go right on to the Amazon and Para. When we get there, Mr.Glennie, I'd advise you to make a clean breast of everything to Mr.Brigham. Perhaps he can help you get hold of the pap
ers in some way."
The ensign shook his head gloomily.
"I see what will happen to me," he muttered, "but I guess I can facethe music, all right. I'm sorry for the governor, though, when the newsgets to Boston."
At this moment Speake came in and began clearing up the scattered tindishes that had been used in serving the morning meal. He reportedGaines and Clackett as feeling all right, and actively engaged in theirduties.
Matt ordered the ballast tanks emptied so as to bring the submarinewithin a dozen feet of the surface. At this depth the periscope ballcleared the waves, the automatic valves opened, and those in theperiscope room were able to take a look at the surface of the sea. Thesteamer was nowhere in sight--there was not even a smudge of smoke onthe horizon.
The _Grampus_ was lifted further until the conning tower was clearof the waves. Speake took the wheel, Matt studied the chart and gavehim the course and then turned in for a little sleep. Dick and Carllikewise sought a little rest; and while the king of the motor boys andhis chums slept, the submarine plowed onward toward Brazil at a swiftpace.