Dave Darrin and the German Submarines
Page 21
CHAPTER XX
DAN STALKS A CAUTIOUS ENEMY
"Shall we escort you in?"
It was the following morning, and the "Prince" was proceeding eastward.An American destroyer, roaring along on her way, funnels belching cloudsof black smoke, her engines at full speed, her whole frame quivering,sent this signal to the "Prince":
"Do you wish convoy?"
"No, thank you," Dan signalled back, as the destroyer slowed down for ananswer. "We can look out for ourselves."
"You don't look it," came back the response.
"We'll get in, all right," Dan replied by signal.
"Sorry for you," came the reply. "Think we'd better stick by."
"Confound him," muttered Dalzell. "He means well, but if he stands by ushe'll spoil our good chance of trapping some more of these submarines."
"Ask him who commands," Darrin suggested.
Dan ordered the question signalled.
"Preston," came the reply.
"We know him well enough," laughed Dave. "He was at Annapolis with us."
Dan was now quick to see the point of Dave's original suggestion, for hesignalled:
"Do you remember Dalzell?"
"Danny Grin!" came the prompt response from the destroyer.
"Yes; he commands this tub," Dan signalled back.
"Oh!" came the comprehending signal from the destroyer.
Then, after a brief interval:
"Danny Grin could always laugh his way into luck. Good-bye, andsuccess!"
"Thank you," Dan did not omit to signal back. "More of the same to you."
The destroyer increased her speed and forged ahead, disappearing in thedistance.
"He knew that Dan Dalzell could take care of himself," Dave declared.
"At least," replied the "Prince's" commander, "he must have realizedthat I had some game out here on the water that I didn't want spoiled."
"Periscope astern, sir!" called a lookout two hours later.
Dan's watch officer turned just in time to detect, with his glass, atube even then being withdrawn back into the water.
"Twelve hundred yards astern, at least," he reported to Dalzell. "Icouldn't have picked it up without a glass, nor could the lookout."
"Watch for a torpedo," Dan directed, "although I don't believe he'll tryat such a distance in his position."
This guess proved correct, for the "Prince" continued on her way forfully five minutes after that without further sign from the submarine.
That very fact made Dalzell impatient.
"Confound the Hun!" he growled. "If he won't try for me, then I'll coaxhim!"
Accordingly the "Prince's" engines were stopped. As soon as headwayceased, the seeming tramp appeared to drift helplessly on the waves.Dan's next move was to order men to run over the decks and thesuperstructure as though making repairs.
"Just what do you figure the Hun will think has happened to you?" Darrinasked.
"He'll have to do his own guessing," Dan rejoined. "I'm not going tohelp him solve the puzzle. But surely something must have happened tous."
For a few minutes nothing was seen, in any quarter, of the enemy craft.At last, however, a glimpse was caught of a periscope to starboard.
"He's trying to figure us out," Dan chuckled. "I hope we don't look goodenough for him to waste a torpedo!"
His hand at the engine-room telegraph, Dan waited, while Ensign Starkwatched that periscope through his glass.
"There goes the periscope out of sight," announced the watch officer,presently.
A full ten minutes passed. Then sight of the periscope was picked uponce more, this time closer in.
"You've got him guessing, at the least," Dave smiled.
"Yes, but I'm still hoping he won't guess 'torpedo,'" was Dalzell'sresponse. "Stand by, gunners!"
"There comes the conning tower," Stark announced.
"He's going to gun us, then," Dan concluded. He waited, standing almoston tiptoe, until the gray back of the sea monster thrust itself upthrough the water.
"Back with the ports! Let him have it, starboard battery!" Dan called tothe waiting naval gunners.
Their officer had the range and all was ready. Two shells splashed inthe sea just short of the submersible, the third just beyond it.
"Second round!" Dan bellowed from the bridge.
Profiting by their margins of error the gunners this time fired so truethat one shell landed on the gray back forward, the other aft. The hitswere glancing, so the enemy was not put out of business.
The next instant a puff of smoke left the enemy's forward gun. No badshooting, that, for the forward gun of the "Prince's" starboard batterywas promptly knocked from its mounting. Four men went down as the shellexploded.
"Two killed, sir!" came the swift report from the deck. The others,wounded, were assisted below. The shell had done further damage, for abig fragment had knocked to bits one of the sliding port doors.
Dan signalled for speed ahead, swung around, and at the same timeordered raised for instant work a machine gun that nestled in the bow ofthe "Prince."
"Let the enemy have it!" called Dalzell.
Straight at the submarine Dan dashed, throwing the spray high around thebows. The machine gunners, quickly getting sight, kept a steady streamof bullets striking against the enemy's hull, despite the fact that therange was constantly shifting. This keeping of the range was notdifficult when shots were fired continuously, for the enemy was nearenough for the officer in charge of the piece to tell by splashes ofwater when any of the bullets went wild.
"He won't dive now, but if he does, it will suit me just as well," Danchuckled. "That old hull must be a sieve now."
Two torpedoes were discharged at the oncoming "Prince." One of thesemissed the ship narrowly. The other struck, glancingly, on the portside, forward, and disappeared without exploding.
By now the submarine was doing some maneuvering of its own. Its forwardand after guns were discharged whenever possible, but the shells failedto land, until the "Prince," still managing to keep on, was within threehundred yards, and bent on ramming the enemy craft.
Over the bridge screamed a shell, passing so close that Dan and Daveducked involuntarily.
Crash! There was a ripping of metal, a black smudge of smoke soonsettling over everything, and the "Prince's" smokestack was gone,clipped off within seven feet of the point where it emerged through thedeck.
Then with a quick turn of the steering wheel the "Prince" was sentcrashing into the long, low, gray hull. From close to the water came theyells of the Hun crew as they scrambled up through the conning towerhatchway.
On passed the "Prince," making a wide sweep and coming back again. Thesubmersible had already sunk from sight, leaving but few of her menstruggling on the surface of the water.
By the time that the "Prince" had lowered a boat some of the Germans hadsunk. Only three men were rescued and hauled in.
Lined up on the spar deck of the steamship these proved to be thesecond-in-command and two seamen.
"It's an outrage to deceive us in the manner that you did," angrilydeclared the German officer, in English.
"Take that matter up with the Assassins' Union," Dan jeered. "On thiscruise I've heard other German officers call it an outrage. It appearsto me that you Germans reserve the right to commit all the outrages."
"Then you've met other submarines?" scowled the young officer.
"This part of the sea must be pretty clear of the pests, at the ratewe've been going," Dan announced, cheerfully. "We had a lot ofprisoners, too, but you'll find the brig empty now, for we transferredthem."
"The brig?" demanded the German officer. "What have I to do with that?"
"It will be your lodging," Dan informed him. "Also your play yard."
"I refuse to go there!" exclaimed the enemy officer, indignantly.
"Oh, well, you'll be carried there, then," said Dalzell, carelessly.
"But a ship's brig is no place to confine officers," the German w
ent on,heatedly. "As an officer I demand proper quarters."
"Take them below," Dan ordered, briefly.
For the first few steps the German officer had to be dragged. Then,realizing the hopelessness of resistance, he yielded and walked along incompany with his seamen, though he called back:
"I have helped to sink many ships, and trust that I may have had thehonor and pleasure of sending friends of yours to the bottom."
Ignoring the fellow, Dan went back to the bridge, thence down to thehurricane deck. Men were already engaged in removing the wreck of thesmashed smoke-stack.
Emergency repairs were completed in due time, with materials kept onboard for such a case.
And now, when he could safely run at full speed once more, if necessary,Dalzell gave the order to proceed. He was about to go below, to thewardroom for luncheon, when a radio operator came running to the bridge.
As has been stated, the "Prince" carried a full radio outfit, that couldbe installed rapidly, but Dan's orders had been to conceal all evidenceof radio equipment until absolutely necessary to use it.
None the less, a small receiving station had been rigged up, andconcealed, so that, though Lieutenant-Commander Dalzell's sending radiuswas short, he could receive messages from any quarter.
The message at which he now glanced read:
"S. S. 'Prince': Report."
It had come in code, but Dan was able to translate it without referenceto his code book.
Instantly, he gave orders to have the radio outfit erected, thendescended to his meal.
Later one of the radio men reported that the equipment was in shape forsignalling. So the young commander sent in his report of work so faraccomplished to the destroyer base at the home port.
"Excellent!" came back the hearty commendation. "Results better thanexpected. But ruse will soon be known, so return and report. Darrin'snew orders will also be ready for him on arrival."
"Home, James!" said Dan, jovially, to the officer of the deck, when hehad deciphered the coded instructions.
That night he and Dave took an extra long sleep, though both remainedfully dressed, ready for summons at any moment.