Motor Matt's Peril; or, Cast Away in the Bahamas

by Stanley R. Matthews

  CHAPTER IV.

  PRISONERS ON A SUBMARINE.

  Motor Matt fought in vain to free himself. At least two men had laidhold of him, and the coat was kept drawn tightly over his face andhead to prevent outcry. In this condition he was picked up, carriedsome distance along the wharf and finally laid down on his face whilehis hands were lashed at his back and his feet tied. Then, perfectlyhelpless and unable to see where he was being taken, he felt himselflifted and lowered. After a moment he was lifted and lowered again,this time, as he surmised, through a narrow hatch, for he felt thesides of the aperture striking his arms and shoulders as he went down.

  Presently he landed on a hard deck, and was again carried a shortdistance. Here, when he was finally laid down, the coat was whiskedfrom his face and he found himself in the blinding glare of an electriclight.

  Retreating footsteps came to him, followed by the slamming of a door.

  As soon as his eyes had become used to the glow of the light, hediscovered that he was in a small room with a curved iron deckoverhead. An incandescent lamp was screwed into one of the walls, andthere was a door in each bulkhead at the ends of the room.

  Matt was bewildered by what had recently happened to him.

  Had the crew of the _Crescent_ resorted to violence in order to saveJurgens from capture? The law would take hold of the men good and hardfor resisting an officer.

  As Matt figured it, he had been brought aboard the sailboat. But whatwould his captors have to gain by a move of that kind? McMillan knewwhat the men on the _Crescent_ had done for Jurgens, and it was a fairinference that the officer would soon pay the craft a visit, himself.

  What put Matt in a quandary, however, was the fact that he could notreconcile his present surroundings with the _Crescent_. He was in anarmor-plated room, and the sailboat was a small wooden vessel, and washardly fitted with such a cabin as that to which the prisoner had beentaken.

  While Matt was wondering about this, a door in one of the bulkheadsopened and another prisoner was carried in by two men and laid downbeside him. This second captive likewise had his head smothered in acoat, but the blue uniform told Matt plainly he was the policeman. Theofficer was bound, just as Matt was, and as soon as he was laid downthe coat was jerked away and the two who had brought him into the roomstarted out.

  "Wait!" called Matt, his voice ringing strangely between the steelwalls. "What do you mean by making prisoners of us, like this?"

  One of the men looked around and laughed grimly, but he made no otherreply. The next moment the door had closed, and Matt and the officerwere alone together.

  "Here's a pretty how-de-do," fumed the officer. "These villains aregoin' a good ways in their attempt to help that thief, Jurgens!Somebody'll smart for all this."

  "Those men on the _Crescent_ are foolish," said Matt. "It won't be longbefore McMillan gets us out of here."

  "I don't know about that," was the answer. "Mebby it won't be so easyas you think for McMillan to get us away from these scoundrels."

  "Where is McMillan? Do you know?"

  "He was on the wharf with me, just before the _Crescent_ got in. Hethought him and me wasn't enough to get Jurgens off the boat, and sohe went after another officer. You're Motor Matt, who's been makingascensions in that air ship---- I've seen you a good many times on thebeach. My name's Holcomb."

  "Where do you think we are, Holcomb?" Matt asked. "It can't be we're onthe _Crescent_."

  "Sure not. Looks to me as though we had been brought aboard CaptainNemo, Jr.'s boat, the _Grampus_. She bobbed up at the Inlet wharfyesterday. I'm on night duty at the Inlet, and I seen her last night."

  "The _Grampus_?" echoed Matt. "She must be an ironclad."

  "She's more'n that, Motor Matt. She's a submarine."

  "A submarine! I haven't heard of such a boat being in Atlantic City."

  "It ain't gen'rally known, I guess. Captain Nemo, Jr., is a queer sortof a fish, and he's invented a boat that he claims is a little betterthan any other under-water boat that was ever built. I talked with himon the wharf, last night. Who the cap'n is, nobody knows, and he hideshimself under the name of Nemo, Jr. He talked straight enough, and fairenough, and allowed he was keeping quiet so as not to let reporters andother curious people bother him while he was in Atlantic City. It wasyour air ship that caused him to come here."

  "The air ship?" queried Matt, more and more mystified.

  "That's what he told me. Everything in the line of inventions, he says,interests him, especially if the inventions have anything to do withgasoline motors. This boat is run by a motor of that kind. Nemo, Jr.,said he was goin' to take a fly with you to-day."

  "I guess he didn't, then. No man by that name went up with us. But thepoint that's bothering me is, Holcomb, why were we brought here?"

  "To save Jurgens, the movin'-picture man."

  "How'll that save him?"

  At that point the explosions of an engine getting to work echoedsharply through the steel hull of the _Grampus_. The whole fabric beganto quiver, and muffled, indistinct voices could be heard. Immediatelythere was a perceptible downward movement.

  "We're sinking!" exclaimed Matt.

  "Looks like the scoundrels was takin' us to the bottom," said Holcombgrimly. "More'n likely McMillan has shown up with some more men and ismakin' things lively for those on the wharf. The fellows that grabbedus are takin' us below the surface so the officers can't get at us,or Jurgens! Gadhook it all! Captain Nemo, Jr., didn't seem like a manwho'd help out any underhand game like this. I reckon we're in for it,Matt. I ain't got any fears but that we'll come out all right in theend, but the outlook is a long ways from bein' pleasant. If Nemo, Jr.,is trying'---- There! I reckon we've hit bottom."

  Holcomb broke off his remarks abruptly. The downward motion of the_Grampus_ had ceased with a slight jar. Before the two prisoners couldtalk further, one of the doors opened and Jurgens came into the room.He was followed by the man who had climbed out of the _Crescent_ andhad faced Matt on the wharf.

  Closing the door behind them, the two men stood looking grimly down onMatt and the officer.

  "I don't understand what your game is," cried Holcomb, angrily, "but ifyou know when you're well off, you'll set us at liberty, and be quickabout it."

  "You'll get your liberty, all right," said Jurgens. "Now that I'vegot hold of what I wanted, I'll not be long pulling out of AtlanticCity. The moving-picture business can go hang for all of me! I've gota fortune in prospect, and I'll nail it here and now if it's the lastthing I ever do."

  "What do you mean by treating me like this?" demanded Matt; "what haveI got to do with your plans?"

  "You and the officer could have upset 'em mighty easy if we hadn'tbowled you over and got you out of the way before the rest of thosepolicemen got here."

  "Is Captain Nemo, Jr., helping you in this game you're playing?"queried Holcomb.

  "Helping me?" Jurgens turned to his companion from the _Crescent_ witha husky, ill-omened laugh. "That's pretty good, eh, Whistler?"

  "The best ever," answered Whistler, echoing the laugh.

  "Townsend has helped me to the extent of furnishin' something I'd aboutgiven up laying my hands on," went on Jurgens, again turning his eyeson Matt and the officer. "I want you two to tell him that I'm off forthe Bahamas, and that he'll have to get up in the morning if he beatsLat Jurgens."

  "Townsend?" queried Matt.

  "Yes," scowled the other, "Townsend. That's the name he uses when he'sashore. When he's afloat, he's Captain Nemo, Jr."

  Matt was astounded.

  "Have you stolen this submarine, Jurgens," he asked, "as well as thatpaper that----"

  "You know all you're goin' to," interrupted Jurgens. Turning toWhistler he added: "Cut the boy loose and make him strip. It's timewe got rid of him and the policeman and cleared out of here. We're afathom under water, but Townsend may think of some way to get at us ifwe stay here too long."

  Whistler bent over Matt and removed the ropes.

  "You're goin
g to put us ashore?" asked Matt, getting to his feet andstretching his benumbed limbs.

  "We're goin' to send you to the surface, and you'll have to attend togettin' ashore yourselves. Can you swim?"

  Matt nodded.

  "I can't," said Holcomb.

  "Well," went on Jurgens, "I don't want to drown you, but the _Grampus_can't go to the surface just to let you off. You say you can swim,"and he turned to Matt. "You'll come up not far from the wharf, and tento one you'll find quite a lot of people on the wharf. As soon as theypull you in, you tell them to get out a small boat and lay to in herhalf a fathom off the end of the pier. That's where the officer willcome up, and you can fish him in out of the wet. Now, strip."

  "Why am I to do that?" demanded Matt.

  "Because you'll be able to swim easier with your clothes off."

  "I'll not take them off. If we're still alongside the wharf, I can makeit without removing my clothes. How are you going to send me to thesurface?"

  "Come on and I'll show you. Drop in behind him, Whistler, and hold agun ready in case he tries any foolishness."

  Jurgens turned and opened the door through which he and his companionhad just come. Matt followed him through the door, Whistler bringing upthe rear with a drawn weapon.

  Matt was bewildered by the trend of recent events. The quickest way forgetting at the nub of the difficulty was by finding Townsend, otherwiseCaptain Nemo, Jr., and hearing what he had to say.

  But how was Matt to be sent to the surface?

  That was the point which, just then, was causing him the most wonder.