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Boy Scouts in the North Sea, a fiction by G. Harvey Ralphson |
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CHAPTER XVII. ALONE AND HELPLESS |
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_ CHAPTER XVII. ALONE AND HELPLESS "Good night!" almost shrieked Frank. "That's uncanny! Whoever heard of a man walking about at the bottom of the ocean?" "Where did he come from, Jack?" asked Ned. "I saw that figure come out of the companionway," stated Jack. "I thought I was mistaken at first, because of the dim light. I looked again as you boys were talking. Then I saw that it was the figure of a man, apparently. He seems to be carrying something in his arms!" "There he goes over the side of the vessel!" whispered Harry in an awestruck voice. "What sort of deal is this, anyway?" "Did you notice the knapsack thing he was wearing on his back?" asked Frank. "If I was superstitious, I'd say it was the ghost of a soldier who had been drowned and was seeking his way back home!" "We don't take any stock in that ghost business!" declared Ned stoutly. "Some things may look supernatural because we don't understand them, but there's always an explanation if we seek it!" "What is your explanation of this thing, Ned?" questioned Jack. "Probably some mass of seaweed or some other substance got caught in a current and lodged against the cabin on the Wanderer. When we circled about the wreck we set up counter currents that may have released this mass. It then floated along in the current to finally sink on the other side of this submerged hull. That's all there is to it!" "I wonder what sort of a current is bringing the bloomin' thing back again!" announced Jack as Ned concluded his explanation. "It's moving its lower edges most remarkably like a man walking!" Ned's look of bewilderment increased. Clearly the boy was puzzled. Even he, himself, was not quite satisfied with the explanation of the strange sight which had greeted the boys. Slowly forging ahead, the submarine passed toward the stern of the Wanderer, shutting the strange figure out of sight. "Turn around the stern again, Jimmie," requested Ned. "Go easy on the engines, and we'll have a look from a new angle. This is getting rather spooky, I must say. I want to examine into it!" Again the false "U-13" rounded the stern of the wreck. Slowly the craft nosed along the port side to a point abreast the mizzen chains. Directly at a signal from the pilot, Harry shut off power altogether. The strange magnetism that seems to exist in all objects at sea slowly drew the submarine toward the ship. Its drift had been sufficient to bring the vessel to a point abreast the main rigging before it stopped. By this time the craft had approached close to the wreck. A very slight jar told the boys that their vessel had touched the other. Eagerly all watched from the portholes, now but a short space above the level of the rail across which they looked. Directly all was still. At this depth, no movement of water was discernible. Feeling awed by the strangeness of the situation, the boys refrained from speech. They watched for the reappearance of the strange figure. Soon Jimmie hissed a warning. He reached out a hand to turn the switch controlling the lights. The boat lay in utter darkness. A figure stepped out of the Wanderer's companionway. It appeared to be that of a person of medium build. The boys could now see that it was clothed in what seemed to be a diver's suit. The helmet, however, was not connected to any air pipe. Neither was there a line leading upward to indicate the presence of assistance. A hump on the shoulders, giving the impression of a knapsack, afforded much wonderment and increased the mysterious look of the newcomer. "Sh-h-h!" warned Ned in a sibilant hiss, as the figure came directly toward their position. "Keep quiet!" he whispered. A few steps carried the stranger to the rail. The boys saw him give a start of amazement as he prepared to go over the side of the ship. Clearly the strange diver was surprised to see the craft in that position. He stepped back a pace, then came gingerly forward. Evidently the man was astonished to observe the "U-13". He climbed slowly into the main shrouds. From that position he surveyed the craft more completely. Again he returned to the deck. During this examination the lads had remained quietly at their posts, not caring to make their presence known until they were sure of the identity of the other. They still remained with their faces at the portholes, where they observed, so far as possible, every move of the stranger. Directly they observed the diver pick up the burden he had brought from the cabin. He hastened to the rail of the wreck. In a moment he had clambered overboard, letting himself down by means of a line secured to a belaying pin at the mainmast. "That's funny!" observed Ned, as the other disappeared from view. "What do you suppose made him scuttle out of sight so hurriedly?" "Maybe he, like the warship, saw our name--'U-13'--on the side of the vessel!" ventured Jimmie. "They all run away from that!" "It surely doesn't make us many friends!" declared Ned. "You're right!" answered the other. "It's the original killjoy!" "Let's dive a little deeper," suggested Jack. "Perhaps we can find out where this new chap is going with those bundles." "Perhaps we'll find out how he got here!" added Frank. "And while you fellows are 'perhapsing'," put in Jimmie, "I'll say that perhaps we'd better stick out! Perhaps he doesn't want us nosing around his property, and perhaps he'll touch off a bomb!" "What's the matter with you lately?" inquired Frank. "You're getting to be a regular little 'fraid-cat'! You never used to be so timid about sticking your nose into other people's business!" "I'm not afraid to go looking into things now, only I've got a hunch that we'd better not do it, that's all!" answered the lad. "Just because I happen to want to leave a fellow alone is no sign I'm a 'fraid-cat'. If you lads want to go anywhere, you tell me the name of the place. I'm game to stick with you until they turn out the lights!" "Spoken like a man, Jimmie!" declared Frank. "That sounds like the old Jimmie we used to know. Now, let's go down a ways." Harry sprang to the levers. A few shifts of the control brought the storage batteries to work operating the pumps. With the additional water admitted by this process, the false "U-13" sank until far below the level of the rail of the wreck. Still deeper and deeper it settled. Presently the boys at the port holes could discover the bends of the sides, indicating that they were nearly to the ocean floor. In another moment a slight bump told them that the craft rested on bottom. "I saw a flash of light just now!" stated Jimmie. "Where did it come from?" asked Ned, stepping forward. "Just ahead of us on this side of the ship. The shadow lies heavily there, so I can't make out what's located in that place!" The boys had not long to wait, however, to discover the cause of the flash which Jimmie had seen. Almost following the boy's words came a dazzling beam of light, piercing the dark shadow like an arrow. For a moment the boys were blinded as the searchlight's flame played on the forward part of their vessel. Presently the light shifted. It was turned against the side of the sunken Wanderer. Up and down the light traveled, revealing the rugged sides of the hull, with its covering of barnacles below what had been the water line. Outward the beam went, showing nothing but ocean floor. Fishes were illuminated and dazzled by the strong ray. Finally the light returned to the false "U-13", where it settled for a moment. Directly the light was turned off. Jimmie had been shading his eyes with a protecting hand. He was, therefore, not so much blinded by the glare as the others had been. "There they go!" he cried, as the light was removed from the port hole through which it had been shining. "They're rising!" "Who can it be, I wonder?" questioned Ned. "I'll never tell you!" declared Jimmie. "Oh, yes, I will, too!" he amended his statement. "If you want to know, it's the 'U-13'!" "The 'U-13'?" questioned the lads in chorus. "The 'U-13'!" positively stated Jimmie. "Here," he cried, turning a switch leading to the searchlight. "Take a look!" The powerful storage batteries on the vessel occupied by the boys generated a ray of light that pierced the darkness of the undersea world with ease. Sharply outlined in the circle of flame the lads clearly saw the form of a submarine vessel similar in many respects to their own. There was the same sharp prow, the same tapering stern with conning tower, keel, port lights, and every essential feature of the vessel upon which they were located. Outlined upon the side, in letters fully the same size as those upon their own vessel, the lads saw distinctly the mark "U-13." "What do you know about that?" gasped Frank. "That's fierce!" "Is it the same vessel you saw off Land's End, Frank?" asked Ned. "I'm sure I can't say," returned the other. "I think it is! Of course, we're somewhat below it. Besides the difference in perspective from this angle the water has a great deal to do with changing the appearance of everything. The general outlines appear similar, however." "Then we're in a ticklish position!" declared Ned. "Suppose those fellows take it into their head to torpedo us?" "If they do," stated Frank decisively, "they'll play havoc!" "They're going over the wreck!" stated Jimmie in a whisper. "Let's rise a little and see which way they head for," proposed Frank. "We can then go in the opposite direction for a while." "I think we'd better slide right along to the southwest," stated Jimmie. "I know I'm meeting a good deal of opposition, but I've a hunch that we'll be better off if we get right away from this spot!" "Been reading that dream book again, little man?" asked Ned, with a laugh. "Sorry, Jimmie, but the majority seems to be against you!" "All right, Boss!" returned Jimmie with a smile. "I'm game to stick with the bunch! You'll find me right here smiling all the while!" "Jimmie," gravely stated Ned, "I wish we could all get some of that sunny disposition of yours. We need a lot of your optimism." "Thanks!" was Jimmie's reply, delivered with an excess of politeness. "Now, I'm at the wheel, Captain. Where to, sir?" "Let's rise first and see what the other is doing!" "Ding, ding!" cried Jimmie. "Touch up the mule, Harry!" Harry's manipulations of the levers brought the false "U-13" rapidly to a level with the Wanderer's deck. Through the port lights the boys could see the other submarine across the sunken ship. It seemed to be gradually descending toward the bottom. "Let's follow them and see where they go!" proposed Jack. "At your service, sir!" cried Jimmie, saluting. "We'll proceed to proceed!" he added with a grin. "Here goes after the real 'U-13'!" "Go ahead slowly, Harry," cautioned Ned. "We don't want to overtake them yet. We're in the shadow here, so they probably won't see us if we hang back a little. Just give the wheel a little kick." Slowly the vessel carried the boys over the sunken Australian. They were passing between the main and mizzen rigging at a level slightly lower than that of the main yard. "What's that just ahead of us?" queried Jack, at the porthole. "I don't see anything," replied Ned. "What and where is it?" "Right here," declared Jack, pointing. "No, you're too late! I thought it looked like a snake in the water at first, but I see it was only a piece of rope hanging from the rigging. It's all right!" "Possibly it has been hanging down all the time but the current caused by the passage of the other vessel swung it outward," ventured Ned. "It will no doubt slip past in a moment!" But this prediction was not fulfilled. With a sudden lurch, the stern of the false "U-13" rose, tilting the deck sharply forward. With a groan the propellers stopped. _ |
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