CHAPTER XVII.
THE RESCUED ITALIANS.
As soon as the fore-hatch cover had been unshipped Captain Restronguet,accompanied by Devoran and Kenwyn, hastened on deck. Hythe, hearing thecaptain's exclamation, hurried after him.
The sky was now perfectly clear, the motion of the sea had almostsubsided. But instead of the stinging, ozone-laden breeze a faint odourresembling that of rotten eggs seemed to pervade the air.
"H'm," ejaculated Captain Restronguet. "In spite of my faith in thehigh qualities of restronium the metal has played me false!"
"How so, sir?" asked the chief officer.
"It is not proof against the action of sulphur. Even now the air reeksof sulphur, and it was a sea highly charged with sulphur that the'Aphrodite' passed through when she was in the immediate vicinity of thesubmarine volcano. Thus the silver in the alloy has been affected, andin place of a light-absorbing metal we have a dead-black surface."
"It is a serious look-out, sir," observed the sub.
"Serious. Serious isn't the word for it. We have lost a great factorin our means of offence and defence. We are no longer practicallyinvisible."
"Can the defect be remedied?"
"Only by subjecting the plating to a fresh treatment, and that can onlybe done at our base in Sumatra. But be that as it may I mean tocontinue my search for the 'Vorwartz'. Possibly the margin ofsuperiority lies with her, but, without boasting, I venture to assertthat John Restronguet will prove a match for Karl von Harburg. I hopethe wireless is intact, Kenwyn?"
"It is, sir," replied the second officer. "We have just tapped amessage from the P. & O. liner, 'Coghlania,' seventy miles south ofBrindisi."
"Anything of importance?"
"No, sir; merely on a matter of ordinary routine."
"Very good, Mr. Kenwyn. By the by, you might let me know the state ofyour accumulators. Have we sufficient power to take us to the AEgean?"
"I'll ascertain, sir," replied the second officer.
Before noon the man and boy rescued from the fishing-boat had recoveredsufficiently to sit up. Their story was a thrilling one. Hythe'sknowledge of Italian enabled him to follow the patois without muchdifficulty. They had, in company with seven other craft, put out ofPorto Empedocle, on the south coast of Sicily. It was a fine night witha light off-shore breeze, the weather being fair. Thus tempted theyventured farther from land than they were accustomed to. Shortly aftermidnight a strange phenomenon was observed. The stars were shiningthrough a blood-red haze, while a strong sulphurous odour was noticed.The superstitious fishermen, frightened more by omens than by badweather, prepared to return homewards, but the wind died completelyaway. At two in the morning a strong nor'easterly breeze sprang up,which soon developed into a cyclonic gale. Hastily reducing theircanvas the fishing fleet drove at the mercy of wind and wave, till afterten minutes of great peril they found themselves once more becalmed inan agitated sea. Once more sail was hoisted, in anticipation of afavouring breeze.
Suddenly the water seemed to be rent in twain. A deep trough appearedless than a hundred yards from the sternmost boat, and horror-strickenthe terrified Italians found that their frail vessels were being suckedinto the abyss. Then the cavity in the sea closed and instead a columnof water, stones, mud, steam, and smoke was thrown up with tremendousforce. The starlight gave place to inky blackness, and the next thingthe _padrone_ of the "Favarganna"--that being the name of the craftbelonging to the rescued man--realized that the doomed vessel was on herbeam ends. She righted, though half filled with water. The old man hadbarely time to lash his grandson and himself to the rudder head, ere ahuge wave swept the boat from stem to stern and down in the depths sheplunged.
Nor was old Beppo's awe any the less when he heard from Hythe of themanner of his almost miraculous escape. Devoutly crossing himself theItalian burst into a torrent of thanks to his preservers, and finishedup by asking where they thought of landing him?
"I had thought of that," said Captain Restronguet when the subinterpreted the _padrone's_ request. "Since there is now no realnecessity for concealment, I think we might hail the first vessel wecome across that is proceeding to Messina--if Messina still stands afterthe eruption."
An opportunity presented itself late in the afternoon. The "Aphrodite"was about two hundred miles S.S.E. of Cape Passaro, and running on thesurface, when a tramp steamer hove in sight steering N.W. "We'll stopthat fellow, Devoran," exclaimed the captain. "What does she looklike?"
"I cannot make out, sir, she flies no ensign," replied the chiefofficer, after a lengthy survey through his telescope.
Still unperceived by the oncoming vessel the "Aphrodite" stood out inorder to intercept her. At a request from Captain Restronguet two of theseamen shipped a light mast abaft the fore-conning-tower, and on thiswas hoisted the International Code signal--flags indicating "I wish tocommunicate--heave to."
As soon as the signal was observed the tramp's helm was ported as if shemeditated flight, but ordering full speed ahead Captain Restronguet soonmade it evident that the "Aphrodite" could go two knots to the steamer'sone. The tramp's engines were set at half-speed astern andsimultaneously the affirmative pendant fluttered from her stumpyforemast, while the Greek mercantile flag was hoisted on herensign-staff.
"CAPTAIN RESTRONGUET SOON MADE IT EVIDENT THAT THEAPHRODITE. COULD GO TWO KNOTS TO THE STEAMER'S ONE."]
"The 'Eleusis' of the Piraeus," announced Captain Restronguet, who wasable to decipher with ease the modern Greek characters on her stern.
Gracefully the "Aphrodite" was brought to a stand-still within fiftyyards of the Greek tramp, over whose red-leaded bulwarks appeared theheads of about twenty nondescripts who formed her crew.
"'Eleusis' ahoy!" hailed Captain Restronguet in stentorian tones.
"What ship's dat?" asked the Grecian master, who spoke English by reasonof several years' service in the British Mercantile Marine.
"Submarine 'Aphrodite,'" replied her captain.
Evidently the fame of Captain Restronguet had already reached the earsof the master of the "Eleusis," for he gave a dramatic gesture ofsurprise.
"What want, eh? Me peaceful."
"So are we," rejoined Captain Restronguet. "We have just picked up a manand a boy from an Italian fishing-boat. Where are you bound?"
"Messina, Napoli an' Civita Vecchia, sar."
"Will you take these two men as far as Messina?"
The Greek hesitated. His natural cupidity, now that the submarine hadshown no hostile intentions, returned.
"Can dey pay passage-monnaire?"
"Passage-money, you white-livered swab!" roared Captain Restronguet."Is that the way you would treat poor shipwrecked mariners? Send a boatinstantly, and take these people to Messina. If I fail to hear of theirsafe arrival from the Consul of that port I will take good care toobtain satisfaction from you on your homeward voyage. Do youunderstand?"
"Yas, captain," replied the fellow, thoroughly cowed. "Me send boat."
"If that Greek scoundrel had not been so jolly mean I would have paidhim well for his assistance," remarked Captain Restronguet to the sub."As it is, not a penny will he get from me. Excuse me a few minutes, Mr.Hythe?"
So saying the captain went below; but hardly had his head and shouldersdisappeared down the hatchway when he reappeared.
"Would you mind coming with me, Mr. Hythe?" he asked. "I am about togive that poor fisherman a small present to set him up after his severeloss. I prefer to perform little acts of this nature in private, butsince I am unable to speak a word of their lingo I realize I must enlistyour services. But, please, no mention of this to anyone on board."
Upon entering the cabin in which old Beppo and his grandson were,Captain Restronguet produced a leather pouch and took from it thirtyEnglish sovereigns. These he gave to the _padrone_ and bestowed anothergold coin upon the lad, whereupon the rescued Italians' thanks were soprofuse and pantomimic that t
heir benefactor asked the sub to tell themperemptorily to "shut up."
"And let them know that the British Consul at Messina will arrange forthem to have the gold changed into the national currency," he added."Here is a note explaining that this man came by the money honestly. Ithink His Britannic Majesty's Consul will recognize that the signatureis genuine. Also tell Beppo that he is on no account to pay the Greekskipper anything for his passage beyond a fair price for all mealssupplied."
So saying Captain Restronguet strode out of the cabin leaving the sub toexplain matters to the bewildered _padrone_, to whom the gold was a sumgreater than he could hope to amass in ten years' hard toil.
"Boat alongside, sir," announced Polglaze.
Followed by Beppo and his grandson, who, radiant with pleasure, had nowalmost forgotten the perils they had undergone, Hythe went on deck.Here were gathered almost every one of the officers and crew of thesubmarine, while in a gig made fast on the "Aphrodite's" starboardquarter were four disreputable-looking Greek seamen.
The "Aphrodite's" men gave the departing Italians a rousing cheer, thenas soon as the boat returned to the "Eleusis," Captain Restronguet gaveorders for general quarters.
Ere the Greek vessel's propeller began to revolve the submarinedisappeared beneath the surface, only to reappear on the port side ofthe tramp. Then, hoisting and dipping Captain Restronguet's green andwhite ensign, a compliment that the skipper of the "Eleusis" grudginglyreturned, the "Aphrodite" resumed her voyage on her quest of thedesperado, Karl von Harburg.