Bert Wilson, Marathon Winner

by John Kendrick Bangs

  CHAPTER XV

  THE DYNAMITE SHIP

  "In a German port! Germany at last!"

  To Tom coming slowly back from the land of dreams, the words spoken inDick's voice sounded as if they came from a long, long distance. With animpatient little shake at being disturbed, he turned over, and wasdrifting away, when Bert's joyous "Right-o, Dick, Germany at last!"brought him all the way back again.

  Opening his eyes, he remembered with a thrill, that the _Northland_ wasto reach port, the great port of Hamburg, during the night just passed.Bert and Dick, fully dressed, were gazing excitedly from their cabinportholes. At a slight sound from Tom, they pounced on him, dragged himfrom his berth, and landed him before one of the portholes. "Look outthere," said Dick, "and then tell us what kind of a gink a fellow mustbe that can lie like a wooden man in his berth on such a gloriousmorning and with _that_ to look at."

  It certainly was a glorious morning, and "that" Tom had to acknowledge,was well worth looking at. Just one glance he gave, and then dove forhis clothes. He did not need Bert's "Do hurry up, lazy, and let's get ondeck." His clothes went on with not one bit more attention to detailsthan was absolutely necessary.

  "Good boy!" said Dick, as Tom gave the last impatient brush to anexasperating lock on the top of his head that persisted in standingupright. "We've just an hour before breakfast, and we must take fifteenminutes of that to get everything packed up, for you know we are to goashore immediately after breakfast."

  "Hang the packing," said impatient Tom, "who wants to stay in thisstuffy cabin and pack?"

  "Well," Bert sensibly suggested, "let's get at it now and get it off ourhands."

  "Wisdom hath spoken," laughed Dick, and for the next few minutes theircabins were filled with the sound of scurrying feet, articles slappedhastily into trunk and bag, and an impatient expression or two at a bagthat would not shut, or a key that would not turn.

  Bert and Tom were ready first, and "There," said Dick, as he thrusthis keys into his pocket. "O. K. fellows, come on," and three eagersightseers flew from their cabin. They never forgot that next hour ondeck.

  Before them lay the wonderful river, its waters sparkling and gleamingin the morning sunlight. And the shipping! Steamships like their own,freight steamers, barges, tugs, craft of all sorts. The harbor, thelargest on the continent, and ranking next to London, Liverpool andGlasgow in commercial importance, teemed with life. Up and down theriver passed vessels of every description, some of them of a buildentirely new to our three Americans. Anchor chains rattled as somesteamer pushed into position. The hoarse cries of the sailors or themusical "Yo, heave ho," or its German equivalent, rang out as they ranup and down ladders at the ship's side, or bent to the task of hoistingsome heavy piece of freight from steamer deck to barge. Quick commandsand the ready response, "Ay, ay, sir," sounded on every side.

  At their docks, freight steamers were being unloaded, or were dischargingtheir cargoes into transportation barges fastened alongside. Busy, noisy,important little tugs blew their shrill whistles as they steamed alongwith some steamer or heavily laden barge in tow. Little any one inHamburg Harbor that calm, bright, beautiful morning, dreamed that whenthe sun was but a little higher in the heavens, one of these same littletugs, under the command of her brave captain, would perform a deed ofheroic daring.

  For many minutes, not a word was spoken by the three friends, socompletely were they absorbed in the wonderful scene. Then, as he drewa long breath, "Isn't it great?" said Tom, and the spell was broken."Makes you realize there is great work going on in the world,"thoughtfully observed Dick. "It's all wonderfully interesting," agreedBert, "but what really interests me most is not what is going on onwater, but what will be going on on land within a few days."

  At his words they wheeled with one accord and fixed their eyes on theland. Careless now of all the harbor sights and sounds, they gave scantheed to the great commercial city with its miles of river harbor. Theone great thought that dominated every other was that very soon nowtheir feet would be set on German soil, and then away to Berlin to matchAmerican speed and skill against the athletes of the world. For thisthey had traveled thousands of miles across the sea, and what would bethe outcome? victory or defeat? When, the trial ended, they should standon the deck of this steamer, homeward bound, would it be with heartsswelling with proud triumph, or sinking at the prospect of going homebeaten? "Wouldn't you like to know now fellows," breathed Tom, "what'sto be the answer?"

  "Why," said Bert quietly, "don't you _know_? It's going to be victory,of course. Anything else is not to be considered for one moment."

  "Right-o," said Dick, brightening, "and here and now we cross out theword defeat from our vocabulary and pledge ourselves to win."

  With a hand clasp all around to seal the pledge, they took the cabinstairs with one bound as the breakfast gong sounded.

  "Well," said Dick, as he seated himself at the table, "our last meal onboard. Let's make the most of it."

  "Yes," Tom assented with comic seriousness, his face drawn into dolefullines, "for we don't know where we will get the next meal."

  "What do you care _where_ we get it, as long as we get it?" summed upDick, as the laugh subsided.

  Breakfast over, they stood with the others on deck, waiting only for thechecking of the baggage to go ashore. As they waited, the busy harboragain claimed their attention. Six or seven hundred feet away, a largefreight steamer was rapidly unloading into a barge that waited at herside. "What do you suppose her freight is?" Bert asked of a gentlemanbeside him who had been especially chummy with the young Americans. "Oh,it may be anything," laughed his friend. "From silk and linen todynamite."

  "Wow," said Tom, with a comic shiver, "if it's dynamite, I'm glad weare no nearer to her."

  The gentleman smiled, but replied gravely, "It's a very good thing tokeep as much distance between you and any form of dynamite as possible."

  "Indeed, you are right," said another passenger, a jolly fellow, who hadkept them very merry during the voyage with his witty sayings, and hisexhaustless fund of funny stories. "Everyone might not be willing totake the chance that Casey did for the sake of getting even. His friendO'Brien had a way of giving him a very vigorous slap on the chest by wayof greeting. The blow always came over the breast pocket where Caseycarried his cigars, and a number of them had been broken. Casey did notfancy this at all, and a scheme came into his head to get even withO'Brien. He procured a small stick of dynamite and placed it in thepocket with his cigars. Filled with satisfaction, he was walking downthe street, chuckling to himself, when he met his friend Dennis. 'Phat'sthe joke?' asked Dennis. 'Sure,' said Casey, shaking with laughter, andshowing Dennis the stick of dynamite in his pocket, 'Oi'm thinkin' ofthe surprise of O'Brien phwen he hits me.'"

  A hearty laugh greeted this story, and it had scarcely subsided whenBert, whose trained sight very little escaped, drew attention to a vastvolume of smoke that was pouring from the stern of the _Falcon_, thesteamer that carried the load of dynamite. At the same instant a greatconfusion broke out on board of her. Sailors came running to the deck,and rushed affrightedly to the rail. The excitement spread to othervessels near at hand.

  A tug, one of the largest, ran alongside the _Falcon_, whose crew,pursued by fear, began jumping or tumbling over her side on to the tug'sdeck. Whistles sounded, and vessels near at hand began drawing away fromher with all possible speed.

  "She must be on fire," someone said.

  "She is," answered Captain Everett, coming up, his face very pale, "andpart of her freight, I'm told, is several hundred cases of dynamite.Nothing can save her now. It is only a matter of minutes, or maybeseconds."

  At the startling news every face blanched, and every eye was fixed onthe fated steamer. It was a scene to stamp itself on the memory of all.The sailors, tumbling pell-mell upon the tug, the crews of the differentvessels hurriedly executing sharply uttered commands, the boatsscurrying away like a flock of frightened birds.

  Sure now that all had been t
aken from the fated ship, the rescuing tugwas steaming rapidly away, when two men suddenly appeared on the_Falcon_, and, running to the rail, waved their hands in frantic appealfor rescue.

  For a moment or two the tug did not notice the men, but soon the puffingof exhaust pipes grew less noisy and she slowed down. She had seen thetwo poor unfortunates, and now the same question was in the mind of all.What would the captain of the tug do? What ought he to do? There was notime to land those on board and return. Every second lost meant alessened chance of going back and making a final safe getaway. If heleft the two men to their fate it would look like deliberate cruelty;but, on the other hand, if he went back, he must carry every soul onboard into imminent danger of a terrible death. Dared he do it?

  A moment she hung undecided, her screw scarcely turning the water at herstern, while all waited with beating hearts. Then she wheeled, and withall steam on hurried back. She moved with great speed, but to theonlookers it seemed as if she crept through the water. Seconds seemedlike long minutes, until at last the sailors were safe on deck. Her bowonce more pointed to open water, she steamed away toward safety. Not yetdid they who had followed her every movement dare to cheer her captain'sbrave action. She was not yet safe.

  One hundred, two, three, four, five, six hundred feet of water at laststretched between her and the great danger that she had so narrowlyescaped.

  Now a cheer arose, but scarcely was it heard before it was drowned in atremendous roar as the _Falcon_ sprang bodily from the water. Then agreat column of fire a hundred feet high leapt up from the doomed ship.Over this hung a cloud of black smoke which completely hid the vesselfrom view, while the sea rocked as if with a submarine earthquake. Theair was filled with steam and smoke, charred wood, fragments of steeland iron, and flying cases of dynamite. When the smoke cleared, whichwas not for many minutes, there was not a vestige of the ill-fated_Falcon_, nor of the barge at her side.

  Many of the cases of dynamite exploded in the air, seeming to echo thefirst great, deafening explosion. A number of them narrowly escapedfalling on the deck of the gallant little tug that twice had braveddestruction. One of them did indeed graze her stern, ripping up some ofthe planks from her deck, carrying away part of her rail, and throwingdown and stunning many of those who crowded her forward deck. It was anarrow escape. Had the explosion occurred a very few minutes sooner manyof the cases of dynamite would have fallen on the tug's deck in themidst of her crew and those who had fled to her for safety. No one daredthink of the fearful scene of carnage that would have followed.

  Many other ships in the harbor barely escaped destruction. A collier wasstruck by the flying pieces of steel and iron, some of them weighingfifty pounds or more, and her steel plates, nearly an inch in thickness,were pierced and torn in many places. By the very force of theconcussion her great smokestacks were crushed flat.

  Nor did those on board the _Northland_ entirely escape the terrificforce of the explosion. Their ship seemed to lift under them, and manywere thrown to the deck, but none received any serious hurt.

  It is needless to say that thought of their own affairs had beenbanished from the minds of all on board during this scene of awfulconfusion and mortal peril; but it had passed.

  As once more the great river settled into calm, the work of debarkationwent on. A little while and our young travelers, still thrilling withthe excitement of the scene through which they had just passed, foundthemselves at last on German soil.

  The afternoon was very delightfully spent in "doing" Hamburg town, andthe next morning, after a quiet night at the hotel, the train bore themonward toward Berlin, and the fulfillment, as they believed, of alltheir hopes.

  Knowing that the morning papers would have a full story of the harbordisaster, everyone straightway possessed himself of a copy, and settledhimself eagerly to read the account. In consequence, it was a veryquiet carful of people as they scanned the columns with their glaringheadlines. Our three college boys, like all the others, had a fairknowledge of the German language, but it was not so easily nor soquickly read as English, and so eager were they to learn the full extentof the disaster that they were very glad to accept the offer of one oftheir party, who was a native German, to translate for them.

  Soon startled exclamations broke forth, as they learned that for adistance of twelve miles windows were broken and chimneys demolished,tall steel-framed office buildings shaken to their foundations, andthousands of people had been in panic from fear of earthquake. Inamazement they heard that great pieces of steel weighing fifty poundshad been found three or four miles from the harbor, and that the shockwas felt a hundred miles away.

  "Well," said Drake, as he folded up his paper at last, "the wonder isthat there was a single ship left in the harbor, and that we did not allgo to the bottom of the river. I don't see what saved us, anyway."

  It was not to be wondered at that they could talk of nothing else duringthe greater part of the journey, but as the train neared their goal,the much-talked-and-thought-of city of Berlin, there was a suddenreaction from seriousness to gaiety. It is not in boy nature to looklong on the dark side of things, and it was a hilarious party of youngAmericans that descended from the train, and wended their way along thestreets of the German city, that till now had only existed for thembetween the covers of a geography.

  German talk, German faces, German costumes were all about them, and earsand eyes were kept very busy with the new sights and sounds.

  "Now, Tom," chaffed Bert, as at the hotel they prepared for dinner,"trot out your German."

  "Ach ja," responded Tom, obligingly. "Was wilst du? Du bist ferricht,mein kind? Ich habe kein geld? Oder wilst du die Lorelei haben? Ach,wohl, hier es ist,

  "'Ich weiss nicht was soll ist bedeuten, Das ich so traurig bin, Ein mahrchen aus alten zeiten, Das kommt mir nicht aus dem sinn. Die luft ist----'"

  At this point in the quaint German legend Tom's breath left him as hefelt himself lifted bodily from his feet and laid upon the bed, withhis mouth bound about with a towel snatched from the washstand. Notuntil he had, by repeated inclinations of his bandaged head, promised"to make no attempt to finish the Lorelei," and to give them hisso-called German in "as small doses and at as large intervals aspossible," was he released.

  "Ah, well," said he, when he was free, "such is the gratitude andappreciation of so-called friends."

  Peace restored, the three friends went down to dinner, softly humming,each in a different key,

  "Ach, du liebe Augustine."