CHAPTER XV.
SANDOVAL EXPLAINS.
"It looks," remarked Matt, "as though we were between two fires.However, of the two enemies, I had rather fall into the hands ofSandoval. He certainly has no destructive designs on the _Grampus_."
"The war ship is heading up for us," remarked Glennie. "It's a wonderthey don't open on us with some of their small calibre guns."
"Vatch der Chaps," chuckled Carl. "Der Sons oof der Rising Sun actsschust like dey vas aboudt do set. Ach, du lieber, how dey row pack pyder shdeamer!"
"They're pulling down the Chilian flag," laughed Matt. "They don'tintend to have Sandoval see that."
"But what's the reason the war ship is coming for us, and acting sopeaceably?" queried Glennie.
"I don't know, Glennie, but I wouldn't trust Sandoval the length of alead line. I wish we could dive! Call down and ask Dick what he andClackett are doing, if anything."
Glennie bent down beside the tower and put the question.
"They haven't found the trouble yet," said Glennie, lifting his headout of the tower.
"That means," remarked Matt, "that we've got to face Sandoval."
"Ah!" shouted Carl, "dere goes a flag signal."
The signal was a common one, and Matt did not have to send for his codebook.
"Wish to communicate with you," read the flags; "come alongside."
"'Communicate with you,'" repeated Matt. "That sounds rather mild--forSandoval. Get us alongside, Glennie."
"Don't you go aboard the war ship, Matt," cautioned Glennie.
"Thank you," said Matt, "once was enough."
As the submarine came along on the lee side of the war vessel, thebig ship slowed her pace. Presently both craft were jogging along ascompanionably as a lad and his lass going to market.
"Se?or," called Sandoval through a megaphone, "I beg your pardon tenthousand times."
"Vat's dot?" muttered Carl, with bulging eyes. "Can I pelieve vat Ihear? Ten t'ousant dimes he pegs Modor Matt's bardon. For vy?"
"Why do you do that, captain?" asked Matt.
"Because of the little mistake. I made it. When Captain EnriqueSandoval makes a mistake he admits it like a man."
"What was the mistake?"
"Why, this, that your wireless instrument was not the one that claimedthe submarine was my war ship."
Matt was puzzled.
"How did you find that out?" he asked.
"By a ruse, which I thought of myself. Early last evening I sentout calls, through the _Salvadore's_ wireless instrument, for the_Salvadore_. You see? My ship was calling for herself. The call wasanswered by a ship which claimed she was the _Salvadore_, CaptainSandoval commanding."
Matt was amazed, not so much by what the captain had found out as bythe fact that he had had sense enough to think of such a ruse.
"How did you know, captain," returned Matt, "that I did not answer thatsecond call as you accused me of answering that other one?"
"_Carramba!_ You would not have been so foolish. There is a shipsomewhere in these waters that is trying to make others think she isthe _Salvadore_. Where is she?"
"Yonder," said Matt, pointing to the Japanese steamer. "That is thevessel that claims to be the _Salvadore_. One of her officers told methat was her name, and that her captain was Enrique Sandoval."
Sandoval whirled about on his bridge and picked up a pair ofbinoculars. For several moments he studied the steamer.
"She was flying the Chilian flag when we first sighted her," he went onto Matt through the megaphone, "and now she's flying a piece of Germanbunting."
"That's because she don't want you to make her any trouble," said Matt.
"_Car-r-ramba!_ I will make her trouble. I will pursue her and take herto Punta Arenas while the conduct of her officers and crew is beinglooked into. It will be easy for the real _Salvadore_ to overtake thecounterfeit. _Adios_, se?or, and good luck to you!"
"Wait a minute, captain!" called Matt.
"What is it you wish, se?or?"
"How about that story Garcia told you about me?"
"Ah, it was a fairy tale, a child's story, and unworthy of full-grownears."
"But you believed it?"
"For a time, yes. The injured convict told me that Garcia was nottelling the truth. I did not believe, even then. It was only when theother convict supported the one with the broken arm that I believed.Garcia had two against him. What better proof could you want?"
"You are not out of patience with us for what my friends did in helpingme escape from you?"
"No! It was a gr-r-rand fight! You and your two friends worsted me,Captain Enrique Sandoval, and three marines. Of course, had I beenarmed with my pistol, the result would have been vastly different. Yetyou escaped, after bidding defiance to all the Chilian authoritiesin Punta Arenas. Ah, marvelous! I am filled with admiration for yourdisregard of life. All Punta Arenas is talking about it. No one waskilled, no one was even hurt, and yet you were rescued. I am glad itwas so. How would I have felt had I been compelled to face you in yourprison room at the harbor master's house, and admitted that I had madea mistake? What could I have said to his excellency, the Americanconsul? I should have perished of shame and mortification. I have yourpardon, se?or?"
"You have," said Matt, very gravely but with a mischievous twinkle inhis gray eye. "We are friends, captain?"
"Forever!"
The smoke of the Jap steamer was vanishing rapidly to southward. The_Salvadore_, a few minutes after the captain ceased speaking, turnedher bow on the other tack and started in pursuit.
"What do you think of that, Glennie, you and Carl?" queried Matt.
"It shows," replied the ensign, "how fortune changes when you leastexpect it. I was counting, first, on losing the _Grampus_; then, whenthe war ship showed up, I was thinking only that we should have toreturn to Punta Arenas. And now here we are, safe on the high seas,with not even the Japs to molest us!"
"Von enemy has peat off der odder!" said Carl.
"That's the way of it," said Matt. "If----"
Some one called from the periscope room. Glennie bent down to hear whatwas said.
"It's Dick," said Glennie, looking toward Matt with a smile. "The tankvalves are fixed, and he wants to know if we are ready to dive."
"Tell him no," answered Matt, "and add that, if the valves had been inshape, when we first sighted the Jap steamer, we would have dived andwould have missed the biggest chance that has come our way since weleft Port of Spain--the chance to make a friend out of an enemy, and toset our new-made friend against our implacable foes, the Sons of theRising Sun."
Glennie repeated this somewhat lengthy statement to Dick.
"Dick says he can't understand it," said Glennie, "and wants you tocome down and make it clear."
"We might as well go down," said Matt.
"Ve ditn't got no fighdt oudt oof dot," remarked Carl, with adisappointed air, "so ve mighdt as vell go pelow und shday dere. Itlooks like dere vouldn't be any fighding any more for anypody."