CHAPTER VII
The "Hammerer's" Whaler
Sub-lieutenant Crosthwaite was on the horns of a dilemma. His orderswere to attempt the rescue of the crew of the mine-sweeper; he was alsotold to act in concert with the whaler of the _Tremendous_. The latterwas nowhere in sight. Which ought he to do? Proceed to the wreck, orgo in search of the missing boat?
He made up his mind quickly. The trawler, although badly damaged, didnot appear to be breaking up. If any of her crew were on board, havingsurvived the breakers thus far, they ought to be able to hold on alittle longer. He would search for the other whaler, or at leastcommunicate the news of her being missing to Lieutenant Bourne andleave the two gigs to take up the search.
"If she's capsized she'll drop dead to leeward," declared MidshipmanFarnworth, referring to the lost boat. "We'll back in, sir; I thinkthat will be the best way."
"Certainly," agreed Dick cordially. He realized that the midshipmanknew what he was about. Under the circumstances it was the safest way.
Watching for an opportunity when a "smooth" occurred between the heavycrested seas, the midshipman contrived to get his boat's bows on to thegeneral direction of the waves, which, owing to the shoaling of thedepth, were almost on the point of breaking. A cauldron of foamingwater stretched dead to leeward, and towards it the _Hammerer's_ whalerwas slowly backed, the men ready at the hurried word of command to pullahead directly a particularly vicious breaker bore down.
Although a smart look-out was kept, no sign of the _Tremendous's_ boatwas to be seen. It was like looking for the proverbial needle in ahaystack, for, although the outlines of the encircling cliffs could bediscerned against the rain-laden sky, objects on the water would bemost difficult to distinguish even at a comparatively short distance.
"This is as far as we dare go," remarked the Sub. "We'll be fairly inbroken water if we drift in any farther. There's no sign of the boatand her crew."
Bidding the men "give way", Dick awaited developments with certainmisgivings. His expectations were presently to be realized, for therowers, already exhausted by their efforts, were powerless to make theboat gain a foot. For twenty minutes they stuck gamely to their oars,driving the long, narrow craft through the crested waves, yet, owing tothe force of the wind and the send of the sea, it seemed impossible togain an offing.
Meanwhile, all unbeknown to the _Hammerer's_ whaler, the boat of whichthey were in search had accomplished her errand. The heavy waves thathad accounted for the two whalers becoming separated had smashed threeoars of the _Tremendous's_ whaler. Before the spare ones could besubstituted and the water baled out, the light craft had drifted manyyards to leeward.
The Sub-lieutenant in charge, actuated by a sense of rivalry, tookunnecessary risks in keeping his boat almost broadside on to the waves,merely turning her nose into the worst of the breakers.
Unseen and unheard, the boat under Crosthwaite's orders backed withinfifty yards astern of her, and while the _Hammerer's_ whaler was goingto leeward in a vain attempt to find her consort, the object of hersearch came in sight of the wreck.
Boarding on the lee side, the Sub in charge of the _Tremendous's_whaler succeeded in getting the whole of the mine-sweeper's crew intohis boat, and, dangerously overladen, the whaler began her bid forsafety. More by good luck than by good management the party crossedthe dangerous bay, and having fallen in with the two gigs, the rescuedmen were distributed between the boats.
"Seen anything of the _Hammerer's_ whaler?" asked Lieutenant Bourneanxiously, for, until the transhipment of the major portion of thetrawler's people was being effected, he was under the impression thatDick and his crew were following in the wake of the other boat.
The Sub-lieutenant had to reply that he had not.
Bourne did not give way to recriminations. It not a time forreproaches. Ordering a rocket to be fired, he led his little flotillafrom under the lee of the reef and awaited a recognition of his signal.
"There's the gig signalling, sir!" exclaimed one of the seamen to Dick."They'll be coming to look for us."
"Pity them if they did," thought the Sub grimly, as he groped for theflashing-lamp under the stern-sheets.
Holding the lamp well above his head, for owing to the erratic motionof the boat he was unable to stand up, Dick made the preparationsignal--a series of short flashes. This was promptly answered, butfrom the fact that the light was frequently interrupted, the Sub knewthat the intervening waves made the chances of an intelligible signalvery remote.
"Close on a lee shore," he morsed. "Do not proceed to our assistance.Propose to beach boat and proceed to rendezvous by the beach."
Back came the reply:
"Am proceeding to your assistance."
"Hang it!" ejaculated Dick. "They've missed the 'Do not'. I'll tryagain."
Before he could get the lamp in position a ripple of flashes burstthrough the darkness, followed by the sharp crackle of musketry.Bullets began to fall perilously near to the boat.
"That's done it," continued Crosthwaite. "The light's drawn theenemy's fire."
"Do not proceed to our assistance; no assistance required," signalledthe Sub, deliberately making a redundancy in order that there would beless possibility of a further misreading.
"I understand," came the reply in Morse; then the light vanished.Already it had shared the attention of the fire of the Turkish troops.
The Sub looked at the jaded expressions on the faces of his men. Theywere almost "done up". Clearly they could not row much longer.
"My lads!" he exclaimed. "We're in a tight corner, but we won't gounder tamely. Back her in, and we'll see if we can't send thosefellows to the right-about."
At the prospect of a scrap the boat's crew forgot their fatigue.Promptly they began to back the whaler towards the shore.
"Unship the rudder," ordered the Sub. "Two oars will be sufficient togive her way. The rest of you look to your small-arms. Keep thesight-protectors on your rifles until you're ashore."
One thing--a most important business--Dick did not forget to do. Hehurled the signal-book over the side. Heavily weighted, it sank like astone. Happen what may, the enemy would not gain possession of thathighly important and confidential manual.
Carried at a great rate by wind and waves, the doomed whaler was notlong in striking bottom. Her heel hit a rock with tremendous force,while her bows, lifted by a heavy wave, shot up clear of the water,throwing several of the crew off their thwarts. Then, surgingbroadside on, the boat was filled with the next wave and hurled on herside upon the beach.
Agilely, and without sustaining any injuries, the officers and menleapt clear of the boat, and struggling through the "undertow" as thewave receded from the beach, succeeded in gaining the shore.Instinctively they took cover and waited for orders.
The men found themselves on a broad, gently shelving beach interspersedby clusters of weather- and sea-worn rocks. Between the fringe of thebreakers and the base of the cliffs was a distance of nearly fiftyyards. The sea being practically tideless, there was no danger ofbeing cut off by the water.
Two hundred feet or more above, the Turkish soldiers on the summit ofthe cliff were still blazing away in the supposed direction of theboats, which had now rowed well clear of the bullet-flecked patch ofangry water. The landing of the _Hammerer's_ whaler had been unnoticedby them in the darkness and confusion, while fortunately Dick did notprecipitate matters by giving orders to his men to open fire.
For quite five minutes the whaler's crew kept under cover; till,finding that they were not the mark of the Ottoman fire, the Sub gavethe word for the men to advance until they reached the base of thecliff.
"All present?" asked Dick. "Any man injured?"
"All correct, sir," replied the coxswain. "Two rifles are missing, butJob Trayner and Bill Symes brought the ammunition chest ashore."
"Well done!" exclaimed Crosthwaite.
It was indeed fortunate that, even in the midst of peril when the boatst
ruck, the two seamen had had the courage and forethought to bringashore the small teak case containing the small-arms ammunition;equally so that most of the men had secured their pouches, which,during their arduous efforts to gain headway, had been laid aside.
"Follow me, my lads!" said the Sub. "All being well, another half anhour will see us safely in the boats."
It was not easy going, for at every five or six yards a projectingridge of rock had either to be skirted or surmounted--a task rendereddoubly difficult by the darkness and the slippery state of the groundcaused by the heavy downpour of rain.
Presently Dick came to an abrupt halt and held up his hand. The singleline of men stopped, some gripping their rifles in anticipation of anattack.
The young officer found his progress barred by a small creek or gullythat extended into a ravine, and evidently received a river or stream,for there was a considerable amount of water running towards the sea.
It was imperative that this inlet should be crossed, but the Subhesitated: not that he was loath to attempt to swim the stretch ofintervening water, for already he was soaking owing to the dash throughthe surf. The nature of the opposite bank was the difficulty, for asfar as he could make out in the darkness, the stream had worked therocks smooth, and a ledge of stone quite five feet above the surfaceoffered a wellnigh impassable barrier to a swimmer to draw himselfclear of the water and surmount.
"I'll see what it is like, sir," volunteered Trayner. "Maybe it's notso bad as it looks."
The man lowered himself into the water and struck out. By dint ofswimming obliquely upstream he contrived to gain the other side almostopposite the place where the others waited. Both up and down stream heswam for a considerable distance, till the Sub cautiously ordered himto return.
"Felt like a mouse in half a bucket of water, sir," explained Trayner."Sides are as smooth as a ship's sides--p'r'aps worse. I'll haveanother shot a little way up the creek."
"You've done enough for the present, Trayner," said Dick, noticing thestrained look about the man's eyes. "Two of you work away to the leftand two to the right. Return as smartly as you can, and report."
The men went off, leaving Dick and the main party literally to cooltheir heels by the side of the baffling gully. Presently the pair whohad gone towards the opening of the creek returned with the informationthat there was a shallow bar where the stream joined the sea, and thatit was easy to ford.
Before they had finished their report the other two reappeared.
"There's a way over about a couple of hundred yards up, sir," announcedone. "There's a path on either side of this gully, and, what's more,the one on this side goes up towards the top of the cliff. Looks as Ifit's used a goodish bit, sir. If I might make so bold as to suggest,sir----"
"Carry on, Webb."
"There's a wholesome type o' craft lying alongside--wholesome as boatsalong these parts, sir. She's felucca-rigged. P'r'aps if we could cuther out----"
"It's dead to windward, and as there's a bar at the entrance wecouldn't get her across in heavy weather," objected Crosthwaite."We'll push on, or we'll find the boats gone when we arrive at therendezvous."
Traversing the fifty yards of rocky beach, the men reached the spotwhere the bar crossed the entrance. Here the danger arose of beingspotted by the Turks on the cliff, for even in the darkness themilk-white foam showed up distinctly and made a bad background to themoving seamen. Yet one thing was in their favour. The attention ofthe troops seemed to be wholly directed upon a supposed target in thecentre of the bay.
"One at a time, men; don't----"
Dick broke off as the giant beam of a powerful search-light flung itslong arm athwart the bay. The Turks, well supplied by modernaccessories of war, had brought up a portable search-light mounted on amotor-lorry, the wheels of which were specially adapted to traversingdifficult ground.
The Sub realized that it was neck or nothing. If his party did notcross at once while the beam trying to pick up the object at which theriflemen had been firing so long, the search-light would be trainedupon the beach, so that in the event of a landing being effected, theTurks could make their dispositions accordingly. On the other hand,the search-light would reveal the presence of the three boats at therendezvous, with the result that Lieutenant Bourne would have to pushoff without waiting for the crew of the _Hammerer's_ whaler.
Undiscovered, the boat's crew succeeded in wading along the bar,frequently waist-deep in foam. From this point the remaining portionof the beach presented but little difficulty. There were obstructionsin the shape of rocks and little streams making their way to the sea,but nothing of a serious nature. After three-quarters of an hour'ssmart marching the men arrived at the rendezvous on the under the leeof Bender Dagh Point.
The boats had left. Dick and his party were stranded upon a hostileshore.