Battleship Boys at Sea; Or, Two Apprentices in Uncle Sam's Navy

by Frank Gee Patchin

  CHAPTER XXII--BURIED THREE FATHOMS DEEP

  "Where does she lay, sir?" questioned the assistant who had come withthe diver and his apparatus.

  "As near as we could determine the mine should be about fifteen yards tothe southwest of us. Bring your boat around to leeward and make asounding. We did not dare move over for fear of losing our locationentirely."

  "May I make a suggestion, sir?" questioned Dan, touching his cap.

  "Certainly; what is it?"

  "I got a quick bearing when the mine went over."

  "You did?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "What was it?"

  "Taking the bearing from our present position, a line drawn from thelighthouse to the battleship, crossed by a line from our wherry to thatbluff yonder, would mark the location of the mine at the crossing point,sir."

  The ensign glanced at the young seaman quizzically.

  "Very well done, my lad. You have the making of a first-class navigatorin you. Keep on and you will do well. Always use your eyes, and yourhead as well, as you have done this afternoon and there will be no doubtabout it."

  "Thank you, sir," answered the boy, his face glowing with pride.

  By this time the men were laying out the diving suit for the diver, thehideous-looking helmet having been placed on the stern seat of thecutter that had brought them over.

  "Sound for that mine before you put the diver over," commanded theensign. "No use bottling the man up until you are ready to send himdown."

  "This helmet is not fit to use, sir," spoke up one of the diver'sassistants.

  "What is the matter with it?"

  "It leaks. See?" He held up the helmet, which he had partially filledwith water, for the inspection of the officer.

  "It has lain out on deck too long. The sun has checked it," continuedthe man.

  "It should be your business to see that the sun did not check it. Ishall have to place you on the report," replied the officer.

  "I was ordered to get the apparatus on deck this morning, sir."

  "Davis, signal the ship to send out another diving suit. Tell them thisone is out of order."

  "Aye, aye, sir."

  "Ask them to send it out in a hurry, for the wind is coming up. I fearwe shall have some rough water. Hickey, sit up there. Don't you know itis against the regulations to lounge about in the small boats? I amsurprised at you."

  Sam's face flushed. He sat up, gripping his signal staff half angrily.He made no complaint, but saluted. Sam was not in the best of humor atthis moment. He took an instant and violent dislike for the youngofficer who had rebuked him.

  Dan, in the meanwhile, was wig-wagging to the ship, sending the requestfor another diving suit.

  A few moments later, as he peered through the spy glass, he saw a boatstarting off in their direction.

  "Motor boat under way. I think she is coming with the diving suit, sir,"Davis called.

  "Very good. Have you located that mine yet, men?"

  "I think we have, sir."

  "Then hold it. Do not let it get away from you. We shall remain on theanchorage here until you get your anchor down."

  As soon as this had been done the wherry moved up closer, keeping justfar enough away to avoid interfering with the diver when he got at hiswork on the bottom of the sea.

  Immediately upon the arrival of the motor boat the men began hurriedlyassisting Kester on with his diving suit, for it was getting late, andthe wind was freshening considerably.

  "All ready to put the diver overboard, sir."

  "Very good. Make sure that all is well before doing so."

  "All is in proper condition."

  The diver, as he stood waiting for the order to descend, appeared in hisdiving suit like some strange and hideous monster from the deep. Samgazed at him in wide-eyed wonder.

  "Then put him over."

  A splash followed, the diver disappearing beneath the water, while thediver's assistants rapidly paid out the rubber tubing and the ropesattached to the diver's costume.

  "Bottom, sir," announced the man at the ropes.

  "Watch his signals."

  "Aye, aye, sir."

  There followed several minutes of tense waiting, the rhythmic "clank!""clank!" of the apparatus that supplied the diver with fresh air beingthe only sound save the lapping of the water to break the stillness.

  "He's found the mine, sir," called the diver's assistant.

  "Very good. Davis, signal the ship that we have located the mine."

  Dan stood up, flashing the message through with a few swift dips of thesignal flag. Sam wondered how they knew the man, Kester, had found whathe was in search of. What he did not know was that the men in the otherboat were able to hold a limited conversation with the diver by means ofa signal rope, certain jerks meaning certain words or questions.

  "The mine is secured, sir," called the assistant.

  This meant that the diver had succeeded in making fast to the lost mineone of the ropes that he had taken down with him.

  "Shall we raise the mine first before getting Kester up, sir?"

  "By all means. He has not asked to be brought up, has he?"

  "No, sir."

  "Haul away, then, lads."

  A warning signal was sent to the man below, after which the assistantsin the boat began pulling and tugging at the rope attached to the mine.

  Evidently the mine was imbedded in the sandy bottom, for it refused tomove, the men jerking this way and that to free it from its restingplace.

  All at once it did come away, and with a suddenness that caused the mento sit down in the bottom of the boat, losing control of the line.

  "Clumsy! Look out or you will lose it again," cautioned the ensign.

  Quickly pulling themselves up, they began hauling in on the line. Veryslowly the sphere moved upward, at last appearing above the surface ofthe water, shining and almost menacing Dan thought as he gazed at theobject.

  "Now be careful in getting it over the side," warned the officer.

  The diver had put what he considered to be a strong hitch on the minewith the end of the hauling rope. On account of the depth at which hewas working, however, the darkness compelled him to operate solely bythe sense of feeling.

  The mine was now swaying on the gunwale of the rolling small boat, thewaves from the rising sea breaking over into the cutter as well as intothe other boat, until the men were standing in the salt brine.

  "Look out! There she goes!"

  With a great splash the mine struck the water, having slipped itslashings, and quickly sank out of sight.

  "Warn the diver!" shouted the ensign.

  A jerk on the signal cord conveyed the message that the mine was fallingtoward him.

  "Does he answer?"

  "No, sir."

  "Quick! Give him another warning!"

  "He does not answer, sir."

  "There goes the signal line! It's fouled, sir!"

  A violent wrench on the supporting line with which the diver was to behoisted to the surface tore it loose from its fastening on board thediver's boat.

  "The line's gone, sir!"

  All hands were standing up in the rocking boats. The sky had suddenlybecome overcast and spray was dashing over them in blinding sheets.

  Sam stood as if dazed. He did not catch the full significance of thescene, but his mind was working. Like a flash it dawned upon him.

  "There goes the air tube. That settles him, sir!"

  "What does it mean?" stammered Sam.

  "The diver is drowning three fathoms under the sea. Nothing can savehim," groaned some one.

  An instant of silence followed.

  Dan threw up his flag signaling, "accident."

  Then a body flashed through the air. The dazed spectators caught sightof a white service uniform, as the intrepid Dan Davis plunged into thesea, disappearing beneath the waves.

  Sam's flagstaff struck the gunwale with a bang an instant later, toppledover and was quickly carried away. Ere it
had reached the water,however, the second Battleship Boy had leaped to the bow of the boat andbefore they could utter a word of warning, he had followed his chumDavis with a long, clean dive into the ocean.