CHAPTER XIII
THE SEA MONSTER
Tom Swift, who had been making readings of the various gauges, takingnotes for future use, and otherwise busying himself about thenavigation of his reconstructed craft, turned quickly from theinstrument board at the cry from Mr. Hardley. The gold-seeker, with alook of terror on his face, had recoiled from the observation windows.
"Bless my hat band!" cried Mr. Damon. "Look, Tom!"
They all turned their attention to the glass, and through the platescould be seen a school of giant fishes that seemed to be swimming infront of the submarine, keeping pace with it as though waiting for achance to enter.
"Are we well protected against sharks, Mr. Swift?" demanded theadventurer. "Are these sea monsters likely to break the glass and getin at us?"
"Indeed not!" laughed Tom. "There is absolutely no danger from thesefish--they aren't sharks, either."
"Not sharks?" cried Mr. Hardley. "What are they, then?"
"Horse mackerel," Tom answered. "At least that is the common name forthe big fish. But they are far from being sharks, and we are in nodanger from them."
"Oh!" exclaimed Mr. Hardley, and he seemed a little ashamed of theexhibition of fear he had manifested. "Well, they certainly seemdetermined to follow us," he added.
The big fish were, indeed, following the submarine, and it required noexertion on their part to maintain their speed, since below the surfacethe M. N. 1 could not move very fast, as indeed no submarine can, dueto the resistance of the water.
"They do look as though they'd like to take a bite or two out of us,"observed Ned. "Are they dangerous, Tom?"
"Not as a rule," was the answer. "I don't doubt, though, but if a loneswimmer got in a school of horse mackerel he'd be badly bitten. Infact, some years ago, when there was a shark scare along the New Jerseycoast, some fishermen declared that it was horse mackerel that wereresponsible for the death and injury of several bathers. A number ofhorse mackerel were caught and exhibited as sharks, but, as you caneasily see, their mouths lack the under-shot arrangement of the shark,and they are not built at all as are the man-eaters."
"Bless my toothbrush!" exclaimed Mr. Damon. "Still, between a horsemackerel and a shark there isn't much choice!"
Mr. Hardley, with a shudder, turned away from the glass windows, andTom glanced significantly at Ned. It was another exhibition of theman's lack of nerve.
"We'll have trouble with him before this voyage is over," declared theyoung inventor to his chum, a little later.
"What makes you think so?" asked Ned.
"Because he's yellow; that's why. I thought him that once before, andthen I revised my opinion. Now I'm back where I started. Youwatch--we'll have trouble."
"Well, I guess we can handle him," observed the financial manager.
"I'm going a little deeper," announced Tom, toward evening on the firstday of the voyage on the open ocean. "I want to see how she stands thepressure at five hundred feet. I feel certain she will, and even at agreater depth. But if there's anything wrong we want to correct itbefore we get too far away from home. We're going down again, deeperthan before."
A little later the submarine began the descent into the lower oceandepths. From three hundred and fifty feet she went to four hundred, andwhen the hand on the gauge showed four hundred and fifty there was atense moment. If anything went wrong now there would be serious trouble.
But Tom Swift and his men had done their work well. The M. N. 1 stoodthe strain, and when the gauge showed four hundred and ninety feet Mr.Damon gave a faint cheer.
"Bless my apple dumpling, Tom!" he replied, "this is wonderful."
"Oh, we've been deeper than this," replied the young inventor, "butunder different conditions. I'm glad to see how well she is standingit, though."
Suddenly, as the needle pointer on the depth gauge showed five hundredand two feet, there came a slight jar and vibration that was feltthroughout the craft.
"What's that?" suddenly and nervously cried Mr. Hardley. "Have westruck something?"
"Yes, the bottom of the ocean," answered Tom quietly. "We are now onthe floor of the Atlantic, though several hundred miles, and perhaps athousand, from the treasure ship. We bumped the bottom, that's all,"and as he spoke he brought the submarine to a stop by a signal to theengine room.
And there, as calmly and easily as some of the masses of seaweedgrowing on the ocean floor around her, rested the M. N. 1. It was atest of her powers, and well had she stood the test, though harder oneswere in store for her.
And inside the submarine Tom and his party were under scarcely greaterdiscomfort than they would have been on the surface. True, they wereconfined to a restricted space, and the air they breathed came fromcompression tanks, and not from the open sky. The lights had to bekept aglow, of course, for it was pitch dark at that depth. Thesunlight cannot penetrate to more than a hundred feet. But sunlight wasnot needed, for the craft carried powerful electric lights that couldilluminate the sea in the immediate vicinity of the submarine.
"Are you going to stay here long?" asked Mr. Hardley, when Tom hadspent some time making accurate readings of the various instruments ofthe boat. "Of course, I realize that you are the commander, but if wedon't get to the treasure ship soon some one else may loot her beforewe have a chance. She's been given up as a hopeless task more thanonce, but the lure of the millions may attract another gang."
"I want to stay here until I make sure that nothing is leaking and thateverything is all right," answered the young inventor. "This is a testI have not given her since the rebuilding. But I think she is comingthrough it all right, and we can soon start off again. Before we do,though, I want to try the new diving outfit. Ned, are you game for itnow? This is a little deeper than you have gone out in for some time,but--"
"Oh, I'm game!" exclaimed the young financial manager. "Get out thesuit, Tom, and I'll put it on. I'll go for a stroll on the bottom ofthe sea. Who knows? Perhaps I may pick up a pearl."
"Pearls aren't found in these northern waters, any more than aresharks," said Tom with a laugh. "However, I'll have the suits madeready. I'll send Koku with you, and I'll stay in this time. Mr. Damon,do you want to go out?"
"Not this time, Tom," answered the eccentric man. "My heart actionisn't what it used to be. The doctor said I mustn't strain it. At adepth not quite so great I may take a chance."
"How about you, Mr. Hardley?" asked Tom. "Do you want to put on one ofmy portable diving suits and walk around on the bottom of the sea?"
"I--I don't believe I've had enough experience," was the hesitatinganswer. "I'll watch the others first."
Tom felt that it would be this way, but he said nothing. He ordered thediving suits made ready, a special size having been built for thegiant, and soon preparations were under way for the two to step outsidethe craft.
Those who have read of Tom Swift's submarine boat know how his specialdiving outfit was operated. Instead of the diver being supplied withthe air through a hose connected with a pump on the surface, there wasattached to the suit a tank of compressed air, which was supplied asneeded through special reducing valves.
The diving dress, too, was exceptionally strong, to withstand the awfulpressure of water at more than five hundred feet below the surface. Theusual rubber was supplemented by thin, reinforced sheets of steel, andthis feature, together with an auxiliary air pressure, kept the wearersafe.
Thus Ned and Koku could leave the submarine, walk about on the floor ofthe ocean as they pleased, and return, unhampered by an air hose orlife line. In dangerous waters, infested by sea monsters, weapons couldbe carried that were effective under water. The diving suit was alsoprovided with a powerful electric light operated by a new form ofstorage current, compact and lasting.
"Well, I think we're all ready," announced Ned, as he and Koku werehelped into their suits and they waited for the glass-windowed helmetsto be put on. Once these were fastened in place talk would have to becarried on with the outside world by means of small teleph
ones or bysignals.
"Give me axe!" exclaimed Koku, as some of the sailors were about to puthis helmet in place.
"What do you want of an axe?" Tom asked.
"Maybe so one them cow fish come along," explained the giant. "Kokuwhack him with axe."
"He means horse mackerel," laughed Ned. "Give him the axe, Tom. Idon't like the looks of those fish, either. I'll take a weapon myself."
Two keen axes were handed to the divers, their helmets were screwed on,and they immediately began breathing the compressed air carried in atank on their shoulders.
Slowly and laboriously they walked to the diving chamber. Theirprogress would be easier in the water, which would buoy them up in ameasure. Now they were heavily weighted.
To leave the submarine the divers had to enter a steel chamber in theside of the craft. This craft contained double doors. Once the diverswere inside the door leading to the interior of the submarine washermetically closed. Water from outside was then admitted until thepressure was equalized. Then the outer door was opened and Ned and Kokucould step forth.
They entered the chamber, the door was closed tightly and then TomSwift turned the valve that admitted the sea water. With a hiss theAtlantic began rushing in, and in a short time the outer door would beopened.
"If you'll come around to the observation windows you can see them,"said Tom, when a look at the indicators told him Ned and Koku hadstepped forth.
To the front cabin he and the others betook themselves, and when theinterior lights were turned out and the exterior ones turned on theywaited for a sight of the two divers.
"Bless my pickle bottle!" cried Mr. Damon, "there they are, Tom."
As he spoke there came into view, moving slowly, Ned and Koku. Theirportable lights were glowing, and then, in order to see them better,Tom turned out the exterior searchlights. This made the two forms, intheir rather grotesque dress, stand out in bold relief amid theswirling green waters of the Atlantic.
Ned and the giant moved slowly, for it was impossible to progress withany speed under that terrific pressure. They looked toward thesubmarine and waved their hands in greeting. They had no special objecton the ocean floor, except to try the new diving dress, and it seemedto operate successfully. Ned made a pretense of looking for treasureamid the sand and seaweed, and once he caught and held up by its tail aqueer turtle. Koku stalked about behind Ned, looking to right and left,possibly for a sight of some monster "cow fish."
"They're coming back in, I think," remarked Tom, when he saw Ned turnand start back for the side of the craft, where, amidships, was locatedthe diving chamber. "They're satisfied with the test."
Suddenly Koku was seen to glide to the side of Ned, and point atsomething which none of the observers in the M. N. 1 could see. Thegiant was evidently perturbed, and Ned, too, showed some agitation.
"Bless my rubber shoes! what's the matter?" cried Mr. Damon.
"I don't know," answered Tom. "Perhaps they have sighted a wreck, orsomething like that."
"Look! It's a sea monster!" cried Mr. Hardley. "I can see the form ofsome great fish, or something. Look! It's coming right at them!"
As he spoke all in the observation chamber saw a great, black form, asif of some monster, move close to the two divers.