The Stolen Cruiser

by Percy F. Westerman

  CHAPTER VII

  HOLDING THE CONNING-TOWER

  JUAN CERVILLO was completely taken aback at the result of the oneshot. It had put him absolutely beyond the pale. Piracy withoutbloodshed was serious enough in all conscience, but to have gone tothis extent meant that capture would, without doubt, end inignominious death at the hands of the executioner. Not that he wouldallow himself to be captured if it could possibly be avoided. He hadbeen so far successful. Could he but carry out his plans for the nextfew days there was a probability that the _Independencia_ might beable to slip away from her pursuers, and land his crew with theirill-gotten booty in some unfrequented place, where they might maketheir way in individual parties to one of the lawless South Americanrepublics.

  All need for keeping the hostages on deck was for the time being atan end. The Dutchmen were marched off down below, in a secure placeof confinement on the orlop-deck, while Fielding and Cardyke foundthemselves in a cabin on the half-deck in company with General Oki,Mr. Hokosuka, and a Japanese scientist named Mukyima, The cabin waswretchedly furnished, having been the quarters of a formerwatch-keeper while the ship was awaiting sale. There was a crackedlooking-glass, iron wash-basin and stand, a folding-table fixed tothe bulkhead, and a few camp-chairs.

  The three Japanese were already in the cabin when Fielding and themid. were unceremoniously thrust in and the door locked behind them.The former rose and saluted the new arrivals courteously, but by noexpression did they depart from the characteristic imperturbabilityof the Asiatic.

  "Good evening, gentlemen!" exclaimed Fielding, thinking this mannerof salutation was the best way to ascertain whether the Japanesehostages spoke English.

  "Good evening," replied General Oki. "We are sorry we cannot exchangeour honourable salutations in an atmosphere more auspicious."

  "We're glad you speak English," said the sub. "We do not understandJapanese--I have never been in the Far East."

  "I am the only one of three who can speak the tongue of ourillustrious allies and instructors in naval science and warfare,"continued the Japanese general. "Mr. Hokosuka here does, it is averacity, speak few English words. Mr. Mukyima, to the sorrow of hisancestors, has taken no stride to overpower your tongue."

  "We are all in a bit of a hole," remarked the sub., gravely. "Ourdestroyer, the _Frome_, boarded the _Yosen Maru_ a few hours ago andlearnt of your predicament. Unfortunately in attempting to capturethis pirate vessel, and incidentally to effect your rescue, we fellinto the hands of these rascals."

  "My sympathies with your deplorable misfortune," remarked Oki.

  "An' me, too," added Hokosuka.

  "Thanks," replied Fielding, briefly; then after a pause he continued,"What are these rascals going to do with us, I wonder?"

  "Pirate hold us to ransom for sum of one million yen," said theJapanese, as calmly as an Englishman would announce how much an ouncehe paid for his tobacco. "I pay not--Hokosuka he pay not--Mukyima hepay not."

  "I suppose this rascal Cervillo will try and squeeze a tidy sum outof our relations on our account," said the sub., turning to Cardyke."He'll be very much mistaken concerning me, for I doubt whether mypeople could raise ten thousand, and even then I feel sure theywouldn't on principle."

  "Same here," agreed the mid. "But the question is: Are we to stickhere without making an effort to break ship?"

  "What do you suggest?" asked Fielding, with a slight tinge ofasperity. "Swim a few hundred miles to the nearest land?"

  "No; but if we could manage to get out of this dog-hole we mightseize a part of the ship and hold our own."

  "Till starved out, eh? And for what purpose?"

  "It seems to me that if we could reach the chart-room, or theconning-tower, we could properly play the dickens with the villains."

  "H'm!" ejaculated Fielding, who was beginning to realise that actionwas preferable to a prolonged confinement in a wretchedly furnishedcabin. "The conning-tower? But how? And if we did how could we holdit? We've no weapons."

  "We might manage to squeeze through that scuttle," suggested Cardyke,warming up to his point.

  Fielding gave a dubious glance at the Japanese. General Oki wasgetting on in years, Mukyima was a big fellow--one of theSamurai--and both might experience difficulty in effecting theirescape.

  "No fear; we can do," exclaimed Oki, "Hokosuka, he take pistols frommen without knowing it." And turning to his companions the Japanesegeneral explained that plans were being formed to make a standagainst the piratical crew.

  Fielding opened the scuttle. Although broad of shoulder he could, byholding one arm above his head, and the other against his side, passthe widest part of his massive form through the circular aperture.Mukyima then tried, and by a wonderful contraction of his muscularbody, squeezed his shoulders through without any apparent difficulty.

  "The scuttle is only four feet below the upper deck," said Fielding."I'll go first; there's the boat-boom lashed just beneath us. We canstand on that, use the rise of the scupper as a foothold, and raiseourselves up over the side. If all is quiet we can creep cautiouslyfor'ard. If not we must wait till we are all ready to make a rush,then run for the conning-tower as fast as we know how."

  Oki expressed himself satisfied with the arrangements, and shortlyafter midnight Fielding was assisted through the narrow opening.Cardyke and Hokosuka gripped his ankles, and for a short space oftime he hung head downwards till his hands came in contact with theboom.

  "All right--let go," he whispered, as the _Independencia_ listed toport, and as agile as a cat he landed on the rounded spar. Ere thevessel heeled in the other direction the sub. had secured a firm holdupon the rim of the scuttle, his feet planted upon the boom. Thencautiously he climbed till his head was just above the level of thedeck.

  It was almost pitch dark. A screened light was burning in thechart-room, and the glow of a dozen cigarettes showed that some ofthe crew whose watch on deck it was, were taking things as agreeablyas they possibly could, shielding from the keen wind behind thestarboard 'midship barbette.

  "All clear," he said, in a low voice. "You are the youngest and mostactive, Cardyke. Hang on till the last, and I will give you aleg-up."

  With an agility that was remarkable for his years the veteran Okimade his way through the exaggerated needle's-eye, and was soon lyingflat on the edge of the deck. Mukyima and Hokosuka followed, and weresoon snugly ensconced by the side of their compatriots. Fielding thenlowered himself to assist the midshipman, but Cardyke had forestalledhim, and was crouching upon the boom.

  His intimate knowledge of the ship gave Fielding the place of honourin making their way for'ard. In Indian file, and as silently as theypossibly could, the four daring spirits followed the sub., crawlingon their hands and knees, expecting every minute to be challenged bya more vigilant member of the pirate crew.

  Unseen and unheard they passed the danger zone in the vicinity of thebarbette, and from thence to the foot of the monkey ladder the deckwas clear. Fielding was within twenty feet of the ladder when aFrench seaman came lurching aft.

  Without a moment's hesitation the sub. lay down upon the deck,curling himself up in a natural attitude as if asleep, and hiscompanions with promptitude followed his example.

  As the seaman stumbled past, his right foot came in violent contactwith Cardyke's forehead. The mid., although the blow well-nighstunned him, did not utter a sound, and the seaman continued hiserratic course.

  Before the fellow had passed the barbette an officer appeared frombehind the foremost funnel casing. Seeing the five men apparentlydeep in slumber on the deck he mildly remonstrated. Receiving noreply he stooped, and touched Cardyke on the shoulder. As he did sohe caught sight of the distinctive "piping" on the mid.'s sleeve, andas if he had picked up a live coal he jumped backwards, shouting forassistance.

  "Bowl him over," shouted the mid., all necessity for silence beingnow out of the question. His strong hands grasped the Spaniard'sankles, Fielding's heavy fist caught the pirate on the point of hisjaw, and with a g
urgled exclamation the astonished man measured hislength on the deck.

  In a trice the sub. was running up the ladder to the spar deck, Okiand Mukyima at his heels, and Cardyke following in the rear. Twosignalmen attempted to bar their path, but went down like ninepins,and, breathless but unharmed, the adventurers gained theconning-tower to find that Hokosuka was not with them.

  "No fear; him come all right," said Oki, reassuringly.

  The words were hardly out of his mouth ere Hokosuka rejoined them,and silently handed Fielding and the general a revolver apiece. Athird he retained himself. How he gained possession of the weaponsnone of his companions knew, nor did the Japanese think fit toenlighten them on the matter. The main thing was that three of themwere armed with loaded revolvers, each holding six cartridges. Therewas no spare ammunition, but Fielding remarked that they ought to bethankful for small mercies, and trust that there would be no need tohave to expend all the cartridges.

  Meanwhile a regular pandemonium had broken out on the pirate cruiser.Alarmed by the uproar, men poured from below, not knowing whetherthey were attacked by a retributive cruiser. In the darkness theconfusion was increased tenfold, and Fielding profited by the chaoticstate of things to put the steering hard to port, steadying the helmwhile the _Independencia_ pointed in exactly the opposite directionto her previous course. The quartermasters at the steering-gear onthe bridge had abandoned their posts at the first alarm, andconsequently the sudden alteration of her course was not corrected Asthe cruiser was travelling at a high speed the change of helm gave analarming list away from the centre of rotation, and, unaware of whathad caused the "heel," the crew began to shout that the vessel wascapsizing.

  "If we had a boat's crew at our backs we could sweep the rascals downbelow in a brace of shakes," exclaimed the sub., as he proceeded toclose the slits in the armoured walls. "As we haven't we must makethe best of things. When they've calmed down a bit they'll try androut us out. In the interval we must take steps to prepare ourdefences."

  Hitherto the _Independencia_ had been steaming without navigationlights, and all lamps 'tween decks were screened, but in order toreassure his cowardly crew, Cervillo, who had hastily left his cabin,ordered the lights to be switched on.

  Standing on the bridge the pirate captain swore, implored, andthreatened as fast as he could shout. The conviction that the cruiserwas in danger was too firmly rooted in the minds of the seamen to beremoved by a torrent of almost incomprehensible words. Men began tomake a rush for the boats that had been transferred from the pseudo_Steephill Castle_, two of which hung in the davits on eitherquarter. The first boat was stove in against the ship's side, thesecond, crowded with men, was so heavy that directly the falls weremanned the laden craft took charge. The ropes slipped from the graspof the men who held them, and the boat with its living freight fellinto the sea.

  This disaster quieted the panic-stricken crew to a certain extent,and the officers, with the assistance of a few pistol-shots,succeeded in driving the mob for'ard. Then it was that the discoverywas made that the _Independencia_ was as far out of her course as shecould possibly be.

  By dint of threats and a few lusty strokes with the flat of his swordCervillo compelled the quartermasters to return to their posts, onlyto discover that as fast as they put the helm up some mysteriousagency promptly put it hard down.

  Presently the excited officer who had been capsized by Fielding inthe rush for the conning-tower was able to make a coherentexplanation of what had occurred. Cervillo, fuming with rage, sent acouple of men down to the cabins where the prisoners had beenconfined. The Dutchmen were safely under lock and key, but theBritish officers and the three Japanese had escaped.

  While the search was in progress a Greek sailor took it into his headto have a look in the conning-tower. The result was somewhatsurprising as far as he was concerned; for directly his featuresappeared in the narrow entrance Hokosuka's lithe fingers clutched himby the throat. Unable to utter a sound the Greek was choked intoinsensibility, relieved of his knife and pistol, and gently droppedbetween an empty signal-locker and the stanchion rails. The respitethus gained was small, but the five occupants of the armoured boxmade good use of it. The electric circuits communicating with thedifferent parts of the ship--most of which had been restored to afairly efficient state--were ruthlessly crippled, only theengine-room telegraph and the steam steering-gear left intact. TheseFielding resolved to destroy at the last moment.

  The daring five were not left long undisturbed. Two petty officers,one of whom carried a hand-lantern, discovered the insensible Greekseaman.

  Uttering a shout that brought others running to the spot, the two menadvanced cautiously towards the conning-tower. The one with thelantern found himself flying backwards from the effect of awell-delivered blow from Cardyke's fist. The second, whipping out arevolver, fired twice in quick succession, the bullets flatteningthemselves against the massive steel plates just above the mid.'shead.

  "That's done it," muttered Fielding. Then aloud he exclaimed, "Don'tfire a shot till I give the word. Keep close."

  A hail of bullets rattled against the outside of the conning-tower,followed by an intermittent patter as the leaden hail beat againstthe formidable walls.

  Receiving no reply, and not knowing that the defenders possessedfirearms, three or four men made a deliberate rush towards the gapthat gave access to the "brain of the ship." The foremost manFielding brought down with a bullet through his thigh. The othersfell in a heap over their comrade's prostrate body, lying still indeadly fear till they mustered sufficient courage to crawl back totheir friends. Again the firing broke out, but without effect.

  After a while one of the attackers placed his cap on the end of thecapstan bar, and, bearing it well in front of him, crept softly up tothe entrance, another man, armed with a keen knife lashed, to the endof a pole, standing ready with his crude yet formidable weapon toslash at any of the occupants who might be enticed to make a cut atthe decoy.

  In the semi-gloom, for outside a few lanterns had been brought up andplaced in position where they might be of service to the attackers,the defenders caught sight of a white object carefully advancinginside the entrance of the conning-tower. It was the seaman's cap.

  Unguardedly Cardyke was on the point of dealing the intruder a heavyblow with a brass bar, which he had detached from some mechanism,when Oki, with characteristic shrewdness, noticed that the forwardmotion of the object was jerky and undecided. The Japanese general'shand clutched the midshipman's wrist, warning him to be on his guard.Closer and closer came the decoy, till almost the whole of the capwas in view.

  Suddenly falling flat upon the floor Oki extended his right arm andfired. The shot, aimed slightly upwards, caught the decoy-bearer justbelow the knee, and brought him to the deck, while his companion,letting his weapon clatter from his nerveless grasp, ran shriekingfrom the spot.

  Realising that they had a hard nut to crack the pirates hesitated toclose, but an intermittent fire was kept up, with the idea ofpreventing any of the defenders from leaving their well-nighimpregnable fortress.

  This state of affairs continued till dawn. Then there was a lull inthe firing, and Juan Cervillo's voice was heard demanding instantsurrender, otherwise a dynamite fuse would be thrown into theconning-tower and blow its defenders to atoms.

  THE SHOT CAUGHT THE DECOY BEARER JUST BELOW THE KNEE. [_Page_ 92.]