CHAPTER XIV
IN PURSUIT
The excitement caused by Jerry’s announcement can easily be imagined;and it was of several sorts. To himself the recognition of the strangecraft that seemed so fated to be linked with their fortunes proved thatthe fanatical German who owned it had not left American waters.
To Ned the discovery was startling enough, and, for an instant, he hada wild idea that he would like to interview the captain, and learnwhether it would be possible for himself and his chums to own a craftlike that.
Bob, when he heard Jerry’s cry, thought of his former fears in regardto the strange craft--fears that he realized now were somewhat foolish.
As for Professor Snodgrass, no sooner did he understand what Jerry hadsaid, and no sooner did he note the glistening metal plates of theunder-water craft, than he cried out:
“Boys, please put over there. This is the very chance I want. I mustgo aboard, sink to the bottom of the sea and try to get one of thosehermit crabs. Jerry, signal him, and ask him to take me aboard!”
The little scientist was all excitement. Forgotten was the last strangebug he had been cataloging, in his desire to fulfill his newest quest.
“Are you sure that is the same submarine, Jerry?” asked Ned, as thethree lads got aboard the _Comet_ again.
“Of course, I’m not sure it’s the same one we saw first,” was theanswer; “but it’s a submarine, all the same, and of a similar type.Perhaps it may be one of Uncle Sam’s fleet. I understand they are tohave some practise out this way soon.”
“There’s no doubt of it being a submarine,” added Bob. “Did you see itpop up, Professor?”
“Yes,” answered the scientist, “I was looking over in that directionwhen I observed a commotion in the water. I thought at first it wassome big fish, and when it came well up out of the water, with itsrounded back, I made up my mind it was a whale. But when Jerry calledout----”
“I’ve seen her--or one like her--before,” interrupted the tall lad. “Icould make out the overlapping, riveted plates.”
“Yes, I can see them now, quite plainly,” agreed the scientist. “But,boys, can you possibly put me aboard?”
“I fancy it depends more on the captain of that craft than on us,”said Jerry, with a smile. “It will be easy enough for us to steer the_Comet_ over there, but whether he’ll let us come aboard is anotherquestion.”
“We might try it,” suggested Ned, who, the more he thought of it, themore he desired to try a trip in a submarine.
“All right,” assented Jerry. “I’ve no objections.”
“There doesn’t seem to be much life about it,” remarked Bob, as helooked toward the strange craft.
This was very true. The submarine lay on the surface of the sea, movingslightly with the swell. And it was such a submarine as the boys hadnever seen before, save on that first occasion. There was not a singleprojection to mar the outer shell, which did indeed look like a whale’sback. There was no conning tower, no periscope tubes, and no projectinghatchway by which access could be had to the interior.
Doubtless there was one of these, for entrance must be made through thetop, but it was probably flush with the deck, or else the hatch, in theform of a tube, was collapsible and could be raised or lowered at will.
From their low position, with the _Comet_ on the surface of the ocean,the boys and Professor Snodgrass could not see very well, and Jerry, aswere his chums, was anxious to go aloft whence a better view could behad.
“There doesn’t seem to be even a flat place for a deck,” remarked Ned,trying to get a glimpse of it. “The back of that craft is just like theback of a fish without a fin sticking up. I don’t see how those sailorswe saw managed to keep their footing on here.”
“That’s so she can make speed,” spoke Jerry. “There must be a slightlyflattened place somewhere to allow for getting on and off.”
“Well, let’s get in motion, and see if they’ll take us in,” suggestedthe professor. “I am exceedingly anxious to get to the bottom of thesea, and capture some of those rare crabs.”
“We can try, but I’m not very hopeful,” observed Jerry, as heremembered how the submarine had fled before at the sight of theairship. “They seem very suspicious.”
“I don’t understand how they can see us, the way she is now,” said Ned.“She seems tightly sealed.”
“Oh, there’s doubtless a way we can’t observe,” spoke Jerry, as heprepared to send the _Comet_ aloft.
The submarine lay sullen and motionless on the surface of the sea.It was like some monster of the depths that had come up for a breathof air and would, on the slightest alarm, dive down to the fastnessof some ocean cave again. Not a sign of life was to be observed; nota sound came from the strange craft. She was the personification ofmystery.
Silently the _Comet_ rose into the air, Jerry having started the gasgenerator. He wanted to rise as a balloon--without a sound--so that hemight not give the alarm to those in the submarine. In this way theymight get close enough to communicate with the captain or crew.
“But from the looks of that fanatical old German,” spoke Bob, “I don’tbelieve he’d give us a sandwich if we were starving.”
“This may not be the same craft,” observed Jerry.
“That’s right,” admitted Bob, “but she looks just like the one we saw.”All the boys agreed to this.
Higher and higher went the _Comet_, and then Jerry put in motionthe propellers that would send her over the half-mile of water thatintervened between the air craft and the one from the depths.
As the _Comet_ came nearer and nearer to the submarine there was stillno sign aboard the mysterious craft that the boys had been observed.Either their presence was being ignored, or those aboard the fish-likeboat were not aware of it.
“What are you going to do, Jerry?” asked Ned, a little later, as henoted that they were right above the submarine. “Are you going to landon her back?” They could now see a small, flat deck.
“I don’t know just what to do,” was the puzzled answer. “I wish they’dgive us some sign.”
The boys and the professor were eagerly watching the submarine. Allseemed silent aboard her.
Suddenly, though, there was a commotion in the water near what wasevidently her stern. There appeared white foam, and a moment later thestrange craft began to move through the water, in the position known as“awash,”--that is, with the deck just showing.
“There she goes!” cried Bob. “She’s seen us and off she goes!”
“Yes, and we’re going after her!” responded Jerry, fiercely, as hepulled the lever that speeded up the great propellers. “Boys, we’ll seeif we can solve this mystery. We’ll try to catch this boat and see whatshe’s doing over here!”
On shot the _Comet_, about a hundred feet in the air, while, down belowher, the submarine plowed through the water. The strange pursuit wasunder way.