CHAPTER XVIII
UNDER WATER
At the sound of Bob’s voice the man and girl at the table started totheir feet, and gazed in the direction of our friends. But because thelatter were in comparative darkness, while the light shone brightlyin the cabin, the features of the boys and Professor Snodgrass couldnot be made out. As a matter of fact Mr. Sheldon would not have knownanyone but Bob, anyhow, since he had never seen the two chums.
“Uncle Nelson--Uncle Nelson!” called Bob. “And Cousin Grace! Is itpossible?”
“Who--who are you?” asked Mr. Sheldon, sharply.
“Your nephew, Bob Baker,” was the answer. “How in the world did you gethere? We’ve been looking all over for you.”
“You looking for us?” asked Mr. Sheldon, while Grace gasped inastonishment.
“Yes; ever since we heard of the _Hassen_ being wrecked. We werelooking for you in our airship, the _Comet_, and we found thesteamer--it didn’t sink after all. Then we found the small boat you hadbeen in, but it was empty. We thought----”
“We were picked up by Dr. Klauss,” interrupted Mr. Sheldon, as he cameforward to greet his nephew. “It was providential, as we had no meansof progressing, and our food and water were about gone. But how did youget here, and who are your friends?”
“Our airship was struck by lightning a little while ago,” Bob explainedbriefly, “and we fell down, almost on top of this submarine. Dr. Klausstook us in.”
“He seems to be in the rescuing business,” said Grace, with a smile,but Jerry thought he detected a look of fear on her face as her eyeslooked toward the German inventor.
“This is Professor Snodgrass,” went on Bob, motioning to the littlescientist, “and these are my best chums--Jerry Hopkins and Ned Slade.You must have heard of them, Uncle Nelson.”
“Of course I have!” exclaimed the gentleman, cordially.
“And so have I,” added Grace, with a welcoming smile. “Oh, how good itis to meet you all this way--and in such a strange way!”
“Yes, it is quite a coincidence,” agreed Dr. Klauss, and though hesmiled there was no warmth in it--rather it was cold and calculating.“You mentioned that you had a nephew of an inventive turn of mind,” hesaid to Mr. Sheldon, “and you spoke of his airship--the _Comet_. Assoon as you boys named the craft,” he said to Jerry, “I realized that Ihad a surprise in store for you. But I decided to let you find it outfor yourselves.”
“And now for more detailed explanations,” remarked Mr. Sheldon. “Iexpect all our friends think we are drowned, Bob?”
“I’m afraid so. But they’ll soon know differently. We can send themword.”
“I don’t know about that,” said Mr. Sheldon in a low voice, as Dr.Klauss stepped back a moment, evidently to communicate with one ofhis crew. “Bob,” went on his uncle in a low, tense voice, “we’re ina peculiar position here. We’re practically prisoners of a madmanaboard this submarine. He won’t set us ashore, nor put us on some othervessel. I don’t know what to do. But I’m glad you and your friends arehere. Perhaps we can find some way of escape.
“Hush! Don’t say anything now! Don’t show that I have told youanything. Here he comes back. Act naturally. Yes, as I was saying, Bob,I’m very glad to see you,” and Mr. Sheldon spoke the last in loud tones.
Poor Bob, not much used to plotting and planning, did not know whatto do. Fortunately, however, he realized the necessity for acting asthough he had not just heard startling news. Jerry and Ned had seenthat something was wrong, but they gave no sign. As for ProfessorSnodgrass, he was busy looking around the main cabin, where they hadall assembled, in search of any stray bugs. He took no part in the talkthen.
“Dr. Klauss was very kind to take us off our lonely little boat,” wenton Mr. Sheldon.
“How did it happen?” asked Jerry.
“It was a mere accident,” said the German. “I had come up to renew mysupply of air, and one of my men saw the small boat. Out of curiosity Iwent up to it, and found your friends.”
“And we were almost in despair,” said Grace.
“Oh, those few days were awful! Awful!” and she covered her eyes withher hands as though to shut out the sight and memory of what she andher father had passed through.
“You would have done better had you stayed on the _Hassen_, UncleNelson,” said Bob. “We found her afloat, and in good condition. Thatsailor said he was going to stick to her.”
“Good old Jacob Denton!” cried Grace. “He was very kind to us. Wewanted him to come in our boat, but he would not.”
“What happened after you took to the lifeboat?” asked Ned.
“We drifted about at the mercy of the storm for a long time,” repliedMr. Sheldon. “Then we lost our oars--one pair was tossed overboard by asailor who became crazed, and who leaped into the sea himself. Then thetwo other sailors, seeing a larger boat, jumped over the side to swimto her, using the other pair of oars as buoys. They reached her, andthat left Grace and me alone.
“Gradually we lost sight of the other boats, and, having no way ofpropelling our craft, we had to drift. We had some food and water,which we used as sparingly as we could. We took shelter under thecanvas at night, and just drifted--drifted. Oh, it was terrible! I wantto forget it! Sometimes we would sight a vessel, but we could not seemto make anyone aboard see us. They did not come near enough.
“Then, when we were giving up in despair, we saw what seemed to be awhale approaching. Grace was very much frightened, fearing it was goingto attack us. I was alarmed, too, but it proved to be this submarine.We were glad, indeed, to be taken aboard,” and he smiled at Dr. Klauss,who was looking sternly at his visitors, his arms folded, and standingerect, like a man posing for his statue.
“And so here we are,” concluded Mr. Sheldon, “but as if _our_ rescuewas not enough, here you boys come and are saved in the same way.”
“And in the nick of time, too,” added Jerry, gratefully.
“It was most fortunate for me,” said Professor Snodgrass, who had notbeen successful in finding any specimens, “very fortunate, for I need asubmarine to enable me to get some hermit crabs from the bottom of thesea.”
Mr. Sheldon looked at Bob inquiringly, as though to ask if thescientist was altogether right in his mind.
“Oh, he’s always getting specimens,” explained the stout lad in a lowvoice, as Mr. Snodgrass went off in a hurry to get a green fly he sawcrawling on the wall. “He’d go to the moon for a rare bug--if he couldget there.”
“I see,” exclaimed Mr. Sheldon, with a laugh. “We all have ourpeculiarities.”
Bob wanted very much to ask his uncle what it was he had brought overfrom Germany with him, but the presence of Dr. Klauss deterred him.The youth realized that perhaps it was a secret that it would not bewell to share with the strange commander of the _Sonderbaar_. And,too, Bob wanted to hear more about what his uncle had said as to theirbeing prisoners. If the Sheldons were detained on board the boys andProfessor Snodgrass would probably be in the same plight.
“There’s something queer here,” mused Bob. “I’ll have to talk it overwith Jerry and Ned.”
“If you will excuse me for a little while,” said Dr. Klauss, ratherstiffly, “I will see if we have air enough. I will also send you somedry clothing,” he added to the boys, for they had been drenched by therain.
“How did you know the open boat you found was the one we had been in?”asked Grace of her cousin.
“Because of this,” Bob answered, holding out her handkerchief. “It hasyour name on it. But when we saw that no one was in the boat we feared,for a time, that you might have been drowned.”
“I was sure you had been picked up,” put in Jerry, “and I was right.”
“In a way, yes,” admitted Mr. Sheldon. “Though, more properly speaking,we were ‘picked down,’ for we had to go down to get into this boat. Andwe’ve been under water several times since.”
“Have you really navigated under water?” asked Ned with interest.
“
Of course,” replied Grace. “At first I was horribly afraid, but now Idon’t mind it very much.”
There was a sudden click, at which they all started, and the light wentout. At the same time there was a queer lunging to the vessel. Sheseemed to be trying to stand on her bow’s end. Then on either sideof the cabin appeared a glow of light, and the boys could see steelshutters sliding back from heavy plate glass windows.
Then, as the light near these windows increased, the motor boys foundthemselves gazing out into the sea, illuminated in some strange mannerby hidden electric lamps on the side of the submarine. They could seefishes swimming about.
“Look!” cried Grace, clutching Bob by the arm, “we are under water now!The _Sonderbaar_ is going to the bottom of the sea!”