CHAPTER XII
The German Submarine
It was indeed a most unpleasant discovery. The submarine was one ofthe active "U" boats possessing an enormous radius of action. Her sizerendered her incapable of being carried even in sections from one ofthe German North Sea across Austria to Pola or Trieste; she must, innaval parlance, have made the voyage "on her own bottom". It wasindeed a daring piece of work running the gauntlet of the Britishpatrol ships in home waters, passing through the well-guarded Straitsof Gibraltar and entering the Mediterranean Sea, which was held almostentirely by British and French war-ships. Unseen, save when receivingsupplies of oil and provisions from well-subsidized tenders sailingunder a neutral flag, she had reached a secret rendezvous in AsiaMinor, and was now within easy distance of the unsuspecting Alliedfleets.
If one German submarine could perform this unparalleled feat otherscould do the same, and a fresh danger menaced the ships that were sopersistently hammering at Turkey's gate.
Presently one of the German officers gave vent to an exclamation ofsatisfaction, at the same time pointing along the mountain path whichended close to where he was standing. The others bestirred themselves,like men who after long waiting have their expectations realized.
The head of the convoy was approaching.
"Well met, von Birmitz!" exclaimed the captain of the convoy to thesenior officer of the submarine, who wore the uniform of alieutenant-commander. "We had your message, but why did you not send awireless? It would have saved hours."
"It would have been unsafe, my dear von Elbing," replied the Germannaval officer. "Those cursed Englishmen would intercept the message,and the cat would be out of the bag. But I am right glad to see you,and more especially the stuff you bring."
The military officer laughed uproariously.
"Nothing like being candid," he remarked. "Did you have a good voyage?"
"Excellent. And what is more, we passed within two hundred metres of aBritish battleship, and she never had the faintest notion that one ofour most formidable _unterseebooten_ was anywhere in the Mediterranean."
"You bagged her, of course?"
"Unfortunately, no. There were too many English destroyers about, andwe had not enough petrol to risk being driven miles out of our course.There was sufficient only to bring us here, and here we have been thelast three days with the English fleet within easy striking distance,yet we were helpless."
"You will not be for long," rejoined von Elbing, "so the sooner we getto work the better."
"Meanwhile, do me the honour of broaching a bottle of the best Rhinewine," said von Birmitz. "Our boat is but a small one for a man ofyour build, but with caution you will be safer than in Fort----"
"Nagara," added the other. "You are right. When those English shellsbegin to fall it is a bit of a tight corner, but fortunately von Biltzand I have a snug and safe retreat."
The officers embarked in the canvas boat and were rowed off to thesubmarine. Before going below, von Birmitz spoke to a seaman, whoinstantly semaphored to a German sentry stationed on the high ground atthe entrance to the inlet.
Crosthwaite had not noticed the fellow before. He now realized that hehad run a great risk of detection, for, in his curiosity to overhearthe conversation, he had approached so closely to the edge of the cliffas to be clearly visible from the place where the sentry from thesubmarine was posted.
The seaman semaphored a reply, which was evidently satisfactory, for,rubbing his hands gleefully, the Lieutenant-Commander followed hisguests down the narrow hatchway.
A little later the submarine, the deck of which was previously onlyjust awash, began to rise till she showed a freeboard of nearly sixfeet.
Dick estimated that she was about three hundred feet in length, andconsiderably longer than the latest type of British submersible. Herconning-tower was of an acute oval section and apparently spacious.There were two periscopes, while abaft the conning-tower was a lightsignalling-mast supporting the wireless aerials. Fore and aft wereshort quick-firing guns mounted on water-tight disappearing platforms,while, owing to freeboard she exposed, the Sub could see the ends of acouple of broadside torpedo-tubes, both within ten feet of the 'midshipsection.
"She carries six tubes at least," whispered Dick; "two on each sideabeam and two in the bows. It's just likely she has a pair of sterntubes also. No wonder she wants a good supply of torpedoes; yet whathas she done with those she brought with her? That fellow made nomention of having used any. Hello, she's getting under way."
As he spoke, men hurried up from below. The propeller began to churnand the submarine gathered way. Describing a semicircle she sloweddown, while a couple of seamen in the Berthon boat began to run a lineashore. To this was bent a stout hawser, which, as soon as it was madefast to the stump of a tree, was carried to a motor-capstan on deck.Slowly and with extreme caution the _unterseeboot_ was warped closeinshore until it was possible for a man to leap from her deck on to dryground.
It was the only place in the creek where deep water existed close tothe shore, for elsewhere the depth shoaled gradually.
The work of replenishing the submarine's stock of petrol proceeded withthe utmost dispatch, each large steel drum being carried to the beachby Turks, whence it was whipped on board by means of a light steelcrane. The drums were quickly emptied into the vessel's tanks, and theempties taken ashore again and reloaded on the wagons.
Nearly the whole morning was spent in taking on board the supply ofpetrol. According to Dick's estimate, the quantity was sufficient fora surface run of at least four thousand miles.
After that part of the business was completed, the additional torpedoeswere cautiously slung inboard and passed down a long, narrow hatchway.In this operation the Turkish troop took no part. The handling andstowage was performed entirely by the submarine's crew.
In the midst of these operations the seaman sentry began signallingfrantically. Summoned from below, von Birmitz hastily appeared,followed by his guest and the other officers of the submarine who werenot engaged In superintending the work.
Somewhat ungracefully von Elbing leapt ashore, landing on his hands andknees. He shouted an order to the men of the convoy, hurried up thepath, and was soon lost to sight.
Meanwhile the crew of the submarine were hurriedly securing hatches,and lowering the disappearing guns and the wireless mast. In theirhaste they were unable to pass below four torpedoes lying on deck.These they fastened to ring-bolts by means of stout ropes, then at theLieutenant-Commander's orders the crew cast off the hawsers andscurried-below.
Twenty seconds later the submarine sank in twelve fathoms of water,till from their elevated position the two British officers could justdiscern her outlines as she glided towards the centre of the creek.
"They've smelt a rat," declared Dick.
"One of our destroyers, by Jove!" added Farnworth, as afour-black-funnelled, black-hulled craft proudly displaying the whiteensign could be seen beyond the barrier of rock that almost closed thenarrow entrance.
"We must attract their attention, regardless of the consequences,"declared Dick, and springing to his feet he waved the silk handkerchiefthat had previously rendered good service as an insulator to vonEitelheimer's scabbard.
"Let's fire our revolvers, sir," suggested the midshipman.
"Can but try," replied Dick recklessly. "Only I'm afraid they won'thear; the wind's the wrong way."
Both men emptied their revolvers In the air, but to their intensedisappointment the destroyer held on her course without attempting toreply, and presently she was lost to sight behind the rising ground.
"Think that rotten submarine will have a go at her, sir?" askedFarnworth.
"Hardly likely. She'll want to try her luck at bigger game," repliedDick. "But the point is this: we must do our level best to warn ourpeople--and as soon as we possibly can. It will take the Germansubmarine another five hours at least to prepare for sea, and thosefellows won't reappear in a hurry until th
e coast is perfectly clear.The question is, did the troops belonging to the convoy hear our shots?If so, we must look out for ourselves."
"What do you propose, sir?"
"Wait till the submarine resumes loading up, then we'll cut back andsee if we can't collar a couple of horses. You'll remember the Turksleft their horses hobbled, and there was no one left on guard. Thenwe'll go all out and make for Kum Kale. If we find the French there,well and good; if not, we must make a raft or sneak a boat, and trustto luck to be picked up by one of our patrol ships."
Cautiously the two fugitives made their way backward along the terracerunning parallel to and above the mountain path. After traversingnearly a quarter of a mile they halted abruptly, for seated on a rockby the side of the ridge were two German military officers, who, topass away the tedious wait, had climbed the hillside and were nowenjoying cigars.
"Luckily, we were not making a dash for it," remarked Dick. "But atthe same time we did right to make a reconnaissance by daylight. I'mafraid these terraces terminate abruptly, but we'll see."
Accordingly Crosthwaite and his companion climbed to the next ridge.Still not satisfied they ascended to the next, which was about twohundred feet above the one where the two German officers hadunwittingly cut off their retreat.
"There's only the road for us," announced Dick after a while. "See,all these terraces end abruptly. There's a precipitous gorge rightthrough the mountain."
"A good thing we didn't try it in the dark, sir," said the midshipman."A fellow wouldn't be worth much if he pitched over there."
"Well, let's get back to our former hiding-place," suggested the Sub."It's about time the submarine appeared."
Dick was right in his surmise, for the boat had just emerged from itshiding-place and was being warped in towards the shore.
"Where's von Elbing and his men?" demanded the Lieutenant-Commander ofhis subordinate. "One would think that the English destroyer wassearching for him!"
"He's coming," announced the German sub-lieutenant.
"About time," grumbled von Birmitz. "It will be quite anothertwenty-four hours before they go to Chanak and back, and we can't moveuntil they do."
The interrupted work was continued, while the German officers chattedon the beach. Presently the seaman stationed on the cliffs as alook-out began signalling, his message being taken down by anotherseaman on the deck of the submarine.
"Gott in Himmel, what is this?" exclaimed von Birmitz dumbfoundedly,when the message was handed him. "Von Elbing, listen. Our man reportsthat as soon as we were submerged two German officers began signallingto that cursed English destroyer, and that they even fired shots toattract her attention."
"Impossible," declared von Elbing. "Unless----"
"Unless what?"
"Two English prisoners escaped from Fort Medjidieh. They took theuniforms of Major von Eitelheimer and of one of our second lieutenants."
The Lieutenant-Commander swore loudly.
"It must be they," he declared. "Warn your men, von Elbing. I'll turnout a dozen of my crew, and we'll have a hunt for these troublesomepests. Mark my word, there'll be trouble if we don't settle with them."
"They cannot get far," added von Elbing complaisantly. "If we surroundthis hill there is no escape except by the road, and that is wellguarded. Let us hasten, for it is already late in the afternoon."
Dick nudged his companion.
"Now we're on our mettle," he said grimly. "The fun is about tocommence."