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MOTOR STORIES
THRILLING ADVENTURE
MOTOR FICTION
NO. 19 JULY 3, 1909
FIVE CENTS
MOTOR MATT'S DEFIANCE
_OR_ AROUND THE HORN
_By THE AUTHOR of "MOTOR MATT"_
_"Clear away the boat if you can!" shouted Glennie. "Hooray for Motor Matt!"_]
_STREET & SMITH, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK._
MOTOR STORIES
THRILLING ADVENTURE MOTOR FICTION
_Issued Weekly. By subscription $2.50 per year. Entered according toAct of Congress in the year 1909, in the Office of the Librarian ofCongress, Washington, D. C., by_ STREET & SMITH, _79-89 Seventh Avenue,New York, N. Y._
No. 19. NEW YORK, July 3, 1909. Price Five Cents.
MOTOR MATT'S DEFIANCE
OR,
AROUND THE HORN.
By the author of "MOTOR MATT."
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I. TELLTALE SPARKS. CHAPTER II. CLIPPING THE DRAGON'S CLAWS. CHAPTER III. THE OVERTURNED BOAT. CHAPTER IV. GALLANT WORK. CHAPTER V. THE FIVE CHILIANS. CHAPTER VI. TREACHERY. CHAPTER VII. TURNING THE TABLES. CHAPTER VIII. THE MAN-OF-WAR. CHAPTER IX. ABOARD THE "SALVADORE." CHAPTER X. THE TIGHTENING COIL. CHAPTER XI. DICK ON HIS METTLE. CHAPTER XII. DESPERATE MEASURES. CHAPTER XIII. A DIVE FOR LIBERTY. CHAPTER XIV. ENGLISH REACH. CHAPTER XV. SANDOVAL EXPLAINS. CHAPTER XVI. NORTHWARD BOUND! THE SPIDER WATER. BEAVER IN PERIL OF EXTINCTION IN MICHIGAN. RARE CAGE BIRDS.
CHARACTERS THAT APPEAR IN THIS STORY.
=Motor Matt=, a lad who is at home with every variety of motor, and whose never-failing nerve serves to carry him through difficulties that would daunt any ordinary young fellow. Because of his daring as a racer with bicycle, motor-cycle and automobile he is known as "Mile-a-minute Matt." Motor-boats, air ships and submarines come naturally in his line, and consequently he lives in an atmosphere of adventure in following up his "hobby."
=Carl Pretzel=, a cheerful and rollicking German boy, stout of frame as well as of heart, who is led by a fortunate accident to link his fortunes with those of Motor Matt.
=Dick Ferral=, a young sea dog from Canada, with all a sailor's superstitions, but in spite of all that a royal chum, ready to stand by the friend of his choice through thick and thin.
=John Henry Glennie, Ensign, U. S. N.=, representing the U. S. Government on board the _Grampus_ during her long trip around South America.
=Captain Enrique Sandoval=, of the Chilian warship _Salvadore_, a sailor who has a faculty for gathering wrong opinions, and an equal facility for setting himself right and doing justice to those whom his mistaken ideas have wronged.
=Captain Ichi=, and other officers as well as the crew of the mysterious steamship which plays many parts and sails under many flags, the Sons of the Rising Sun, fanatic patriots of Young Japan, to whom nothing is considered valueless that benefits Nippon!
=Garcia and his four comrades=, escaped convicts from the penal settlement at Punta Arenas.
=Gaines, Speake and Clackett=, crew of the _Grampus_.
CHAPTER I.
TELLTALE SPARKS.
"We have finished repainting the ship, Captain Ichi."
"Very good, lieutenant."
"What flag shall we fly?"
"Where are we?"
"Off Cape Virgins."
"Then break out the Chilian ensign, lieutenant. My compliments to theofficer of the deck, and tell him to double the lookout and have asharp watch kept. If we raise a Chilian ship, haul down the flag, andrun up the British flag; if a British ship is sighted, then haul Germanbunting to the gaff. In any other event, leave the Chilian flag flying.Eternal vigilance is the price of our success for our beloved country,lieutenant."
"Banzai, captain."
"Banzai, Nippon!"
"Any other orders, Captain Ichi?"
"Watch the wireless. As soon as anything is received, let me know."
"Ay, ay, sir."
The swarthy little lieutenant withdrew, his slant eyes gleaming. A fewminutes later he clattered to the bridge and repeated Captain Ichi'sorders to the officer of the deck, then, descending, he walked to thedoor of the wireless room.
"Anything yet, Kaneko?" he inquired, lounging in the door.
A young man in his shirt sleeves bent over a table, the wireless"receivers" pushed close to his ears and held there by his fingers. Atsight of the lieutenant, whose lips he could see moving, although hisstopped ears had not allowed him to hear the question, Kaneko removedthe helmet.
"Nothing yet, lieutenant," said he. "I have been two hours getting theinstrument to spark properly. A damp helix and a feeble motor were thecause; but now I am ready, and waiting."
"Captain Ichi must know as soon as anything is received."
"I shall inform him immediately, lieutenant."
The lieutenant turned away from the door and passed to the port rail.The steamer was standing off and on the coast near the entrance toMagellan Strait. As the lieutenant peered landward, he surveyed thecape, and the long spit of low, sandy land stretching southward. Hewas somewhat familiar with the English coast, and this South Americanheadland he likened to Berry Head, at the north of Torbay.
Turning from the rail, the lieutenant lifted his eyes to where thephosphor-bronze a?rials swung between the mastheads, the wires of each"T" held rigidly apart by their wooden stretchers. A passionate lookflamed into his yellow face and gleamed from his slant eyes.
"Come, honorable Hertzian waves," he murmured, with a queer gesture ofappeal directed at the swinging wires; "give the Sons of the Rising Sunthe telltale sparks, the beautiful blue sparks! Let them spell successfor Nippon and disaster for the American submarine!"
Taking a little image from his pocket--the image of a sittingBuddha--the lieutenant placed it on the heaving deck and prostratedhimself before it. Then, in low breath, he murmured his supplicationsto the senseless ebony. In the midst of his appeal, a stifled crashingsound came from the wireless room. Starting to his feet, the lieutenantcaught up the little idol and returned it to his pocket. Exultationarose to his lips, for his upward-turning eyes saw a blue sparkwavering at the ends of the a?rials, and to his ears came the hiss andcrackle of broken sound as the wires plunged back and forth with theroll of the ship.
The operator appeared in the door of the "station" and nodded. Thelieutenant rushed aft to notify the captain.
Presently Captain Ichi arrived in the wireless room and sank into achair by the table.
"Getting anything important, Kaneko?"
The operator shook his head respectfully and continued to listen and topencil what he heard on a tab of paper. Finally he settled back in hischair.
"There's a wireless station at Punta Arenas, in the strait, captain,"said he.
"Then it must have been recently put there," answered Captain Ichi.
"The Chilians also have a convict settlement at the place."
"Every one knows that."
"Punta Arenas is calling the Chilian war ship _Salvadore_."
Captain Ichi wrinkled his brows.
"Your instrument is perfectly tuned with the one at Punta Arenas,Kaneko?"
"Perfectly, captain."
"And you can send in the Spanish so that the trick could not bedetected?"
"I know the Spanish as well as I know my native tongue."
"Then answer," was the calm reply. "Say this is the _Salvadore_ and ask
what Punta Arenas wants."
There was not a quiver in the captain's voice, and not a tremor inKaneko's fingers as he caught the handle of the big key. Slowly butfirmly he worked the key up and down. A blue spark exploded in thegap between the brass knobs of the discharging rods. Sounds like theexplosion of firecrackers echoed through the room.
Throwing off his switch, Kaneko jerked the phones over his ears. Thecaptain watched Kaneko's pencil moving over the white paper.
"Five convicts escaped from Punta Arenas last night in a sloop-riggedboat. Watch for them."
The captain studied the words; then, taking his pencil, he wroteunderneath:
"Very well. Anything else?"
Kaneko sent the message. Five minutes, ten minutes, passed; then camethe question:
"Is that the Chilian gunboat _Salvadore_?"
"Yes," lied the blue, telltale sparks.
"The United States submarine, in charge of one Matt King, is goingaround the Horn. Watch for her; pay her a visit if you can, and havethe craft carefully looked over. The submarine _Grampus_ is a marvelof her kind, and a long way ahead of any other under-water boat yetlaunched."
A shout of exultation escaped the captain.
"Where is the submarine now?" he penciled, with shaking fingers.
"Three days out from the River Plate," was the answer, "and must bewell below Cape Virgins by now."
"We will watch for her."
"Try to pick her up before she gets far into the Pacific."
"We will try."
As the spark and sputter ceased, Kaneko jerked off his helmet. CaptainIchi had leaped to his feet, and now reached out to grip the operator'shand.
"For the present, Kaneko," he cried, "this is the Chilian war ship_Salvadore_, and we of the Young Samurai are in the Chilian navalservice."
"That is good, captain!"
"The _Grampus_ will be expecting a call from us," pursued the captain."Who knows but the United States authorities have asked the Chiliangovernment to have the _Salvadore_ meet the submarine and escort her toValparaiso, thus affording her protection from the Sons of the RisingSun?"
"Exactly so, captain! We shall find the _Grampus_, and we shall preventher from falling into the hands of the United States Government at MareIsland."
"We shall!" and a look of grim determination crossed the captain's faceas he moved hurriedly toward the door.
"Banzai, Nippon!" called Kaneko.
Captain Ichi, pausing a moment, pulled a flag of his island empire fromhis pocket and pressed it to his lips. Just outside the door of thewireless room he met the lieutenant, repeating to him what had takenplace in the "station." The lieutenant slapped his hands ecstatically.
"We will call on these Americans who are taking the submarine to MareIsland," said the lieutenant. "It is a rare chance to accomplish ourwork, Captain Ichi!"
"There could not be a better chance! If possible, the submarine mustbe destroyed in these southern waters. That, you know, will give us anopportunity to change the color of our vessel and continue our peacefulcruising toward Europe! Our government will never know that we were theones who destroyed this menace to our beloved Nippon!"
"If they knew it at home----"
The lieutenant did not finish, but winced and shrugged his shoulders.
"We should be heavily punished. Even if the United States found it out,their government would demand that we be hung."
"Harikari before that!"
"Harikari? Yes--perhaps that may be best, anyway. We have but one lifeto give for Nippon."
"And we have vowed to give it! Captain, may I be one of those who visitthe _Grampus_?"
Captain Ichi shook his head.
"I am sorry," said he, "but those who put off to the submarine musthave _straight eyes_! This Motor Matt is one of the sharpest AmericansI ever had anything to do with. Slant eyes, lieutenant, would provethat we are not Chilians. Only those who have such eyes can go in theboat."
"She is below the cape?"
"So Punta Arenas reports."
The captain turned and made his way to the bridge. There were twolookouts at the masthead, each watching the surface of the ocean withpowerful binoculars.
Captain Ichi gave the quartermaster his course and signaled the engineroom for the best speed.
The steamer, flaunting her false colors, bore swiftly away to thesouthward and toward Cape Horn, bent upon an act of treachery which, tothe misguided minds of officers and crew, seemed an act of the highestpatriotism.