CHAPTER VII
THE CRY FROM THE DEPTHS
Henry watched Tom's head disappear, he saw the little silvery bubblesrising, for an instant he could distinguish the darker shadow in thewater which marked his friend, and then nothing but the rippling greensurface of the river was visible through the open trapdoor in the floorof the dock. He and Frank were alone, Tom and Rawlins were beneath theriver, and yet, down there at the bottom of the gurgling water, theunseen two could hear every word spoken in the room above. It wasmarvelous, fantastic and almost incredible. But even more wonderful andimpossible events were about to take place. Frank had already heardTom's parting words over the set, although not a sound had issued fromhis helmet, and now, with the others under the water, Frank was againtalking.
"Yes, I can hear you finely," he said. "Say, it's wonderful. Where areyou? Right under the dock? I'm going to let Henry talk to you. I feel asif I were dreaming!"
As Henry listened at the set and Tom's words came to his ears heactually jumped, for he had never expected the words to come as plainlyand distinctly as if Tom had been in the room with him and talking tohim direct.
"That you, Henry?" came Tom's voice. "Gee, but it's great. I can hearyou just as well as if I were up there. Does my voice sound loud?"
"Loud as if you were standing alongside of me," Henry assured him. "Ican't believe you're really under water."
So, for some time, the three boys and Rawlins conversed, chatting andlaughing, expressing their wonder and delight in boyish expletives andoverjoyed at finding their plans and their work had proved such animmense success.
"We're going off a ways," announced Tom, at last. "Mr. Rawlins wants tofind out how far away we can hear and send. We're going to walk down theriver. You keep talking and after we've gone a few hundred yards we'llcall you. If you don't reply that you heard us we'll keep walking backand trying until you do get us. Then we'll know our range."
For a time, the two boys on the dock kept up a steady conversation withTom and Rawlins, and, much to their surprise, the sounds of theirfriends' voices continued as loud as when they were directly under thedock.
"It's a funny thing," remarked Frank during a lull in the under-seaconversation, "I thought they'd get out of range very soon. I neverwould have believed that these little fifty-meter waves could carry thatfar with only a two-foot grid for an aerial. The water must be a heapbetter for waves than the air."
Then there was an interval when no sounds came in and Frank was about tocall to Tom when, to his ears, came a suppressed "Wha--wha" followed by ahoarse "Sssh!"
Whether Rawlins had intended this for Tom or himself Frank did not know,but he decided that, for some unknown reason, the diver wished silenceand so wisely refrained from speaking.
"I would like to know what Mr. Rawlins wanted to be quiet for," saidFrank, holding his hand over the mouthpiece of his microphone. "But Isuppose there's some good reason for it."
Scarcely had he ceased speaking when he was startled by a sharpexclamation of surprise from Tom.
So unexpected was it that Frank responded involuntarily. "What's thatyou said?" he asked, exactly as though Tom had been there in the room.But there was no audible reply, merely some faint sounds like subduedwhispers, followed by silence.
"Gee, there's something mighty funny going on!" exclaimed Frank,addressing Henry. "Tom said 'Gosh' something and then, when I answer hedoesn't say a thing--just some little sounds like whispers. Say, I _do_wonder what they're up to!"
"Oh, I expect they're trying to see if they can talk together withoutyour hearing them," suggested Henry. "Probably that's why Mr. Rawlinstold you to be quiet."
"Well, I'm going to find out," declared Frank. "They've no right to keepus wondering like this."
"Hello!" he cried into the microphone. "What on earth's the matter? Ihaven't heard a word from you two for five minutes. Can you hear me?"
But instead of Tom's voice in reply Frank was amazed to hear thick,guttural words rapidly spoken, and among them he made out only one thathe understood, the name "Oleander."
"Henry!" exclaimed Frank, speaking in hushed tones as if he feared beingoverheard, "Henry, there's that fellow talking again--the one you and Mr.Rawlins heard--talking in Dutch or something!"
Then the strange voices ceased and very faintly and indistinctly Frankheard Tom's voice asking,
"What does it mean?"
Frank was puzzled. "What does what mean?" he inquired into themicrophone. But the reply, if Tom made one, was drowned out and confusedby Rawlins' voice. Frank could not distinguish all the words, but heknew from the sounds and intonations that Tom and the diver werediscussing some matter between them and he refrained from interrupting.
Then the voices ceased and Frank called, begging Tom to explain matters,asking if anything was wrong. But for a moment there was no reply and hewondered if his voice could be heard.
Then to his ears came Tom's familiar "Gosh!" a few unintelligible wordsand a shrill whistle, followed by Rawlins' voice. Part of it Frank couldnot catch but as he strained his ears he distinctly heard Rawlinsexclaim:
"We're in a dangerous place! Come on. Let me go first!"
Frank's face paled. "Jehoshaphat!" he exclaimed to Henry who, realizingthat something mysterious was taking place beneath the river, wasbending close. "Jehoshaphat! They're in danger! Say, what _can_ it be?Maybe they're caught in quicksand or a current or under a boat."
Pleadingly, with fright and worry expressed in his tones, Frank beggedTom to reply, to tell him what was wrong, what the danger was. For aspace he waited anxiously for his chum's reply and then, at last, itcame.
"It's all right," called Tom. "Don't worry. Stop talking and justlisten!"
Frank turned to Henry and disconnected the microphone by throwing off aswitch to make sure that no sound could be sent.
"I guess they're all right," he said. "But I'm worried just the same.Why should he want me to be quiet and just listen. Oh, I _do_ wishthey'd come back."
"There's those foreign words again," he announced presently, "and, say--Ididn't think of it before--there are two talking now."
Then followed silence, not a sound, not even a hum or buzz ofinterference greeted his ears and anxiously he listened, half fearfulthat some awful casualty had happened to Tom and Rawlins out theresomewhere under the turbid waters of the river.
The moments passed terribly slowly to the two boys and then Frank againgave a start as he heard Tom ejaculate "Gosh!" followed by some rapidlow-spoken words, only one of which Frank could catch--the word "wreck."
"That's it," he announced to Henry with a sigh of relief. "They've founda wreck. Gee! perhaps they've found treasure."
Henry laughed gayly. "Oh, that's good!" he exclaimed. "Treasure in theEast River! You must think you're down in the West Indies or somewhere."
"Well, I don't see what's so awful funny about finding a wreck ortreasure in the East River," declared Frank petulantly. "Lots of boatshave sunk here and why shouldn't one of 'em have treasure on it? I don'tmean millions of dollars worth of gold or jewels of course--like pirates'treasure--but there might be a box of money or something."
"You're way off," replied Henry. "They wouldn't leave a wreck here for aweek. They'd get it up or blow it up right away. Why, a wreck here wouldblock the channel. No, sir, you heard 'em wrong."
"I did not!" stoutly maintained Frank. "I know Tom said something abouta wreck. I don't care what you say. How do you know there isn't some oldwreck out there somewhere? It may have been there for years; how wouldany one know?"
"Why, Mr. Rawlins and Tom aren't the only divers who ever went downhere," insisted Henry. "The city and the government and wreckingcompanies and contractors have divers going down all the time. I'vewatched 'em working heaps of times. Father's a construction engineer andI know he always has divers at work around New York. Some of 'em wouldhave found a wreck if it had been there."
"Well, anyway we'll know pretty soon," said Frank. "They can't stay downmuch longer. T
hey must----"
With a startled cry his words ended and his scared, pale face told Henrythat something dreadful had happened. Ringing in Frank's ears, shrill,filled with deadly terror, the shriek of a boy frightened almost out ofhis senses, came Tom's despairing cry--a wordless, awful scream.
"What's the matter?" Frank forced his paralyzed tongue to form thewords. "Tom! Oh, Tom! What's wrong? Why did you yell?"
"Help! Send for help!" rang back the answer. "It's awful"--followed bywords so filled with mortal terror that Frank could make nothing of themand then--"Get Dad! Get the police!"
Frank waited to hear no more. Dropping the receivers he leaped acrossthe room, jerked the receiver from the telephone and frantically calledfor Mr. Pauling's number. But in his fright and terror, his fear forTom, his hurried words were a mere jumble to the operator.
"Can't hear you," came the girl's voice. "What number did you say?"
Again Frank yelled. "Watkins 6636!" he cried, striving to make his wordsclear.
"Watkins 3666?" inquired the girl, and Frank could almost hear hermasticating gum.
"No, 6636!" he screamed. "Hurry!"
The seconds that followed seemed like years to Frank. Across his brainflashed a thousand fears and he suffered untold agonies as he stoodthere, sweat pouring from his face. What if Mr. Pauling should not be inhis office? Suppose the line were busy? What if the girl got the wrongnumber? How slow she was! Had she forgotten the call? Would no oneanswer? And then, when he was sure he must have waited hours, his heartgave a great leap, a load seemed lifted from his mind as he heard Mr.Pauling's cheery, deep-throated:
"Hello! Who is it?"
"It's Frank!" fairly screamed the boy. "Tom's in trouble! I don't knowwhat--he's under the river--with Mr. Rawlins. He wants help! Sent foryou! Wants police!"
Then, when at last Mr. Pauling had succeeded in grasping the message andin excited tones had shouted, "All right, I'll be down instantly!" Franksank limply to the floor.
But the next second he was up and at the table by the radio set.
"Have you heard anything?" he inquired anxiously of Henry, who had takenup the receivers and had been listening while Frank called Mr. Pauling.
"Not a word," replied Henry.
"Oh, gosh! Oh, I _do_ wish they'd hurry!" exclaimed Frank. "Oh, they'reterribly slow! And how _will_ they get to him? How do we know where heis?"
Slowly the minutes dragged by. Each tick of the cheap clock on the tableseemed to spell Tom's fate and still no sound came from beneath theriver. Once, Henry thought he caught a word, an exclamation halfsuppressed, but he could not be sure. He had called Tom, but no replyhad come. Were the two dead? Had some awful calamity overtaken them atthe bottom of the river? Was this to be the tragic end of all theirexperiments? Was Tom's death the reward for their success?
Then, from far up the street, came the clamor of a bell, and the screechof a motor horn sounded from nearer at hand.
At the same instant Henry uttered a glad, joyous cry. "They're allright!" he shouted. "I just heard Rawlins tell Tom to go ahead!"
With a quick motion, he threw in the switch and at that moment Frank'sringing shout of joy filled the room.
But before Henry could call to Tom, before he could utter a sound,hurrying, tramping footsteps echoed from the dock, the door burstinwards with a bang and into the room leaped Mr. Pauling. Beside him wasa heavy-jawed man with drawn pistol and over his shoulder through theopen doorway the boys saw the visored caps and blue coats of police.
"They're safe!" yelled Frank, trying to make his voice heard above theexcited, shouted interrogations of Mr. Pauling. "We just heard them."
Mr. Pauling leaped towards the open trapdoor, the police crowding at hisheels. Henry dropped his instruments and joined them and all crowdedforward.
A shadow seemed to hover in the dull water and a slender affair of wirebroke the surface.
"They're here!" screamed Frank.
"Thank God!" echoed Mr. Pauling fervently.
Hardly had the words of thankfulness left his lips when he uttered astartled cry, and, throwing himself face downward at the edge of thetrapdoor, plunged his arms into the swirling water. The dim shadowy formof the diver whose helmet had just appeared, had swayed to one side; hishands, clutching the upper rungs of the ladder, had loosened theirgrasp, his arms had wavered and had taken a feeble stroke as if tryingto swim and from the receiver on the table had issued a despairing cry,a choking, gurgling groan, ending in a gasp.
Whether the swaying, half-floating form was Tom or Rawlins, Mr. Paulingcould not know, for in the suits identity was lost, but trained as hewas through long years in a service where to act instinctively meantlife or death, he instantly dropped to the floor and clutched at the dimfigure beneath. Had he delayed for the fraction of a second he wouldhave been too late, but, as it was, his fingers closed on one of thediver's wrists. The next instant he had grasped the other arm and amoment later, with Henderson's aid, he had dragged the dripping, limpform onto the dock and the two men were cutting the suit and helmet fromthe unconscious form. But they already knew it was Tom. The boy's limbsprojecting from the short tunic had proved this and Mr. Pauling's facewas white and strained as they dragged the khaki-colored garment and thehelmet from his son.
"Thank Heaven Rawlins fixed those suits so he could not breathe flames!"exclaimed Mr. Henderson, as the helmet was drawn from Tom's head. "He'sbreathing, Pauling!"
As he spoke, there was a disturbance at the door and the police stoodaside as an ambulance surgeon pushed his way hurriedly into the room. Hebent over Tom in silence for an instant and then he glanced up and Mr.Pauling read good news in his eyes.
"Don't worry!" he exclaimed. "He's not hurt. Hasn't breathed any water.Just in a faint, I think. He'll be around in a moment. Hello! Here'sanother!"
While he had been speaking, another helmeted form had appeared, dragginga limp figure, and, holding to the latter's legs still another diver wasclimbing up the ladder.
"What the dickens!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson glancing up. "Who the devilare these? Two divers go down and four come up!"
Dropping the apparently lifeless diver on the floor Rawlins dragged offhis helmet, glanced about in a puzzled way and then, without waiting toask questions exclaimed, "Here, Doctor! Quick! Get at this chap!"
At his words, the doctor and his assistant sprang to the side of theform on the floor and rapidly stripped off his helmet and, as the man'sface was exposed, even the hardened surgeons could not restrain a gaspof horror and amazement. The face was horrible to look upon. It wasscorched, seared, blackened, the eyebrows burned off, the eyelidshanging in shreds, the sightless eyes staring white and opaque likethose of a boiled fish. Rawlins gave a single glance at him.
"Oh, Lord!" he ejaculated. "He's done for! He's had flames from thechemicals in his helmet! Poor devil, he _must_ have suffered!"
Then, turning to Mr. Henderson, he exclaimed.
"Better get the suit off this other chap. Don't know who he is, but he'ssomething rotten! Guess it's a good thing the police are here."
As Mr. Henderson and Rawlins stepped towards the man who still wore hissuit, the fellow raised an arm and leaped, or tried to leap, away, quiteforgetting the heavy, lead-soled boots he wore. The result was that hetripped and fell heavily and, before Rawlins or Henderson could reachhim, he was twisting and rolling towards the gaping trapdoor. An instantmore and he would have been in the water, but just as he reached theedge of the opening, Frank, who with Henry had been staring open-mouthedand dumbfounded at the surprising and incomprehensible events takingplace so rapidly before them, sprang forward and slammed shut the doorwhich, in falling, pinned the fellow's legs beneath it. Then, as iffearing the man might wriggle free, the excited boy jumped upon theheavy planks. But there was no fight or attempt to escape left in thefellow and, as several policemen rushed forward and seized him, hesubmitted without the least resistance and a moment later had beenstripped of his suit.
Once more it was Mr. Henderson'
s turn to be amazed, for, as he caughtsight of the man's face, as he saw the closely-cropped, bullet-shapedhead, the tiny, close-set piggish eyes and the big loose-lipped mouth hecould scarcely believe his eyes and uttered a sharp exclamation ofwonder.
"Put the bracelets on him and don't give him a chance!" he ordered thepolice and, as the shining irons snapped with a click about the man'swrists and the officers led him to one side, the small piglike eyesglared at Mr. Henderson with such mingled hatred, brutality and ferocitythat the boys shivered.
Rawlins was now bending above Tom beside Mr. Pauling and when, a momentlater, the boy took a long, deep breath and his eyes fluttered open, theanxious, strained expression upon the diver's face vanished.
"I'll say he's a good sport!" he ejaculated. "Poor kid! Don't wonder hewent clean off! And he saved my life too--with his under-sea radio atthat!"