CHAPTER XXXVII.
THE GALAPAGOS FISHERMEN.
IN spite of the drastic reduction in length, and the fact that themotors in the bow section were still disabled, the "Meteor" was ableto maintain a respectable speed of ninety miles an hour. Owing to hercomparatively small midship-section she offered less resistance tothe wind than do the standard types of British dirigibles.
Apart from the restriction in crew and store space the onlydisadvantage of the reduced "Meteor" was the fact that she yawedconsiderably. Formerly she was "drawn" by the for'ard propellers and"pushed" by the after ones, but now the tractors were out of actionthe whole of the driving effort was aft. Consequently the motion wasrather erratic, the greatest inconvenience being experienced by thoseof the crew stationed in the bow division.
"You there, Callaghan?" asked the Captain at the telephonecommunicating with the new wireless room; for previous to abandoningthe two midship compartments the wireless operator had transferredhis delicate apparatus to a cabin immediately abaft the for'ardmotor-room on the starboard side.
"Ay, ay, sir," replied the Irishman.
"Call up the 'Repulse,' will you, and ask the Admiral if he canconveniently detach a light cruiser. Tell him we are still in pursuitof Durango, who is on board a tramp, nationality unknown. Our presentposition is 1 deg. 45' 20" N. lat., and 86 deg. 2' 10" W. long.,approximate."
"That ought to settle the business," continued Vaughan Whittinghame,turning to his comrades in the observation room. "I hardly like theresponsibility of compelling a strange vessel to heave-to: it mightlead to awkward international complications; besides, it would be adifficult matter for us to board her, even if her skipper offered noobjections."
"Let's hope the Admiral will be willing to detach a cruiser," addedthe doctor. "There is no reason why he should not, as far as I cansee, since things have quieted down in Valderia. It reminds me----"
Dr. Hambrough's reminiscences were interrupted by the wireless manentering the observation room.
"What's amiss now, Callaghan?" asked the Captain, who could read badnews on the Irishman's face.
"Something wrong, sir," replied the operator. "I can't call up theflagship, nor any other ship or station, if it comes to that. I wasvery particular, sir, when I transferred the gear----"
"When was it last used?" asked Vaughan.
"At seven o'clock last Tuesday, sir."
"That was before the storm. I shouldn't wonder if the same electricaldisturbance that crippled our motors has not played the wireless anasty trick. Any way, Callaghan, see what you can do, Unfortunately,we have not Monsieur de la Fosse with us."
The Irishman backed out of the cabin.
"Must make the best of a bad job," continued the Captain withoutvisible signs of annoyance at the latest misfortune. "At any rate, weshall have to use discretion when we tackle the business with thetramp. What course do you suggest, Mr. Dacres?"
"I think we ought to wait until we overhaul the vessel, sir; then,when he have discovered her nationality, we can act accordingly. It'sa seventy-five per cent chance that she's either a British or aYankee."
"But, surely, if she were," demurred Setchell, "that rascal wouldn'thave the cheek to be taken on board?"
"You must remember Durango is as full of resource as a Christmasturkey is full of stuffing," replied Dacres. "He's had the cheek topose as an Englishman--an Englishman, mind you!--more than once. It'spretty certain, if the tramp sails under a red ensign, that Durangohas bluffed her 'old man.' Bluffing, as a fine art, is a valuableasset."
The "Meteor" was now heading N.E. by N., at less than five hundredfeet above the sea. She was passing over a number of small sailingcraft that reminded the sub of a scene off the Dogger.
"They are principally engaged in carrying turtles from the Galapagosto Panama," remarked Gerald. "Recently there's been a big demand forturtles, and the industry has revived. It's strange that most of theexport trade should be carried on in craft like those; yet one rarelyhears of any of them coming to grief."
"I hope that Durango hasn't been put on board one of them!" suggestedthe irresponsible Setchell.
"Don't say that," expostulated Dacres.
"Mr. Setchell has named a possibility," added Captain Whittinghame."The thought never occurred to me. If, when we overhaul the tramp, weare satisfied that Durango is not on board we can return and makeinvestigations amongst the turtle fleet. It will be a week or morebefore they fetch Panama."
By this time a stiff south-easterly breeze had sprung up, so that thedrift of the airship was considerable. In less than an hour it haddeveloped into half a gale.
"That's the worst of this part of the globe," remarked Dacres. "Inthe Doldrums it is either a flat calm or blowing hard enough to carryaway one's sticks. There are no half measures."
"Sail in sight, sir," announced one of the look-out men. "Deadahead."
"It's one of those Galapagos boats," declared Captain Whittinghame,after making a careful scrutiny through his binoculars. "Poor brute!she's tried to steal a march on the rest of the fleet and has runinto this gale of wind."
"She's got it well on her starboard quarter, though," said Setchell."She's almost running free."
"The worst direction for a craft of that build," added Gerald. "Look,there goes her canvas, ripped to ribbons."
The turtle boat--she was barely thirty feet overall and entirelyopen--was now at the mercy of the waves. Wallowing sluggishly in thetrough of the huge crested seas she was in momentary danger of beingswamped.
Captain Whittinghame was not long in making up his mind. He quicklyweighed the difficulties: the "Meteor" unable to manoeuvre so easilyas before; the practically crippled motors; the urgency of the quest,all flashed through his brain. On the other hand, human life was indanger.
As quickly as possible the "Meteor" was brought head to wind andabout half a mile to leeward of the dismasted craft. With thepropellers running ahead just sufficiently for him to counteract theforce of the wind the airship rolled and pitched like a barrel.
"Clear away a coil of three-inch manila," ordered VaughanWhittinghame. "Stand by to veer out a buoy."
Several of the crew of the "Meteor" hastened to carry out theircaptain's orders and, in spite of the howling wind, they succeeded ingetting the necessary gear on the upper deck.
The men in the turtle boat, seeing that help was at hand, were wavingtheir arms frantically.
"Pity those fellows didn't make use of their energy in cutting awaythat raffle and riding to it," remarked Dacres. "What will happenwhen we forge ahead with that craft in tow, sir?"
"We'll lie steadier than we are at present," replied the captain."All the same, we'll approach her stern-foremost. It will give thepropellers a better chance."
Round swung the "Meteor," dropping half a mile to leeward during theoperation, but as soon as she made towards the crippled boat the newconditions suited her admirably. Instead of rolling she settled downto a steady undulating motion.
"Pay out the rope," ordered Captain Whittinghame.
The airship was now only two hundred feet above the raging sea. Assoon as the whole coil, one hundred and thirteen fathoms in length,was paid out and allowed to trail in the water, she forged aheadimmediately over the disabled craft.
Dexterously one of the crew of the latter caught the trailing ropeand made it fast round the stump of the foremast. Just then atremendous broken sea was observed to be bearing down upon thealready sluggish vessel.
The three men who formed the crew saw it coming. The master attemptedto put the helm down, but the craft had not yet gathered way. A shoutof terror, barely audible above the roar of the wind and water, arosefrom the men; the two who were for'ard deftly fastened themselves tothe slack of the rope trailing from the "Meteor." The helmsman,seeing what they were about, promptly abandoned the tiller, ran tothe bows, and cast off the tow-rope. Even as he did so the huge wavesurged down upon the doomed craft and swept completely over her. Shesank like a stone.
"Take a
couple of turns round the capstan," shouted Dacres, who sawwhat had occurred; then thrusting the starting lever hard down hebade one of the crew stand by while he himself went to the guard-railto direct operations.
Fortunately the master of the lost craft was a man of powerfulphysique and held on to the rope like grim death. His two companions,being lashed on, were in no actual danger, but could the masterretain his hold sufficiently long to enable him to be hauled intosafety?
Whittinghame had now ordered the motors to be switched off, and the"Meteor," scudding before the gale, no longer dragged the three menagainst the hard wind. Foot by foot the three-inch manila came home.It had to be stopped while the first of the rescued men was assistedover the bulging side of the airship, and again when the second washauled into safety.
Dacres, keenly on the alert, saw that the master's strength wasebbing. Quickly bending a stout rope round his waist and calling tothree of the crew to take a turn, he leapt over the guard-rail, sliddown the convex slope and grasped the wellnigh exhausted master byhis wrists.
Forty seconds later the sub and the man he had risked his life tosave were standing almost breathless upon the upper deck of theairship.
"Take them below," ordered Dacres, "coil away this rope and make allsnug, then clear upper deck."
Directly this was done the "Meteor" forged ahead and quickly settleddown to her former pace.
As soon as the rescued men had been supplied with food and drinkGeneral Whittinghame asked them whether any steamer had passed them.
To this the master replied that one had, about four hours previously.His description of her left no doubt but that she was the craft whichhad picked up Durango and his companions from the waterloggedflying-boat.
"Do you know her name?" asked his questioner.
"No, senor, I do not. Do you, Enrico?"
The man addressed shook his head. Neither could his companion give asatisfactory answer. He remembered that it began with Q, and that thename of the port she belonged to was Boston.
"Good!" ejaculated Captain Whittinghame when, his brother hadinterpreted the information. "She's a Yankee. I don't suppose weshall have much trouble now. Four hours ago, eh? Allowing her eightknots at the very outside with this sea running we ought to overhaulher in less than half an hour. Tell those fellows not to worry. Wewill pay them well for the information and put them ashore at Panama,or else the first vessel we speak that will serve their purpose."
Vaughan had not over-estimated the time taken to overhaul the Bostontramp. Eighteen minutes after resuming the chase the look-outreported a column of smoke rising above the horizon. Four minuteslater the sought-for vessel was plainly visible.
On her short rounded counter appeared the words "Quickstep, ofBoston, Mass."
Being high in ballast she was rolling furiously. Cascades of waterwere pouring from her scuppers. Spray was flying in sheets over herbows and dashing against the wheel-house on the bridge, for owing toa sudden change of wind she was plugging almost dead into the teethof the gale.
"It is impossible to communicate with her with this sea running,"remarked Captain Whittinghame. "All we can do is to slow down andwait until the gale moderates."
As he spoke an oilskinned figure was observed to stagger out of thewheel-house and make his way to the starboard side of the bridge.Casting off the halliards leading to a block on a shroud between thetwo stumpy masts he hoisted a signal.
Owing to the direction of the wind it was for the time beingimpossible to read the flags, and it was not until the 'Meteor'forged ahead and was almost abeam of the tramp that Dacres couldinterpret the message.
"I--F--that's something to do with communicate," he announced."Where's the code-book?"
"Here you are," replied Setchell rapidly turning over the pages.
"'I--F: I cannot stop to have any communication.' Like hisimpudence!"
"Or Durango's," added Whittinghame. "We cannot acknowledge, so wewill mark time on the 'Quickstep.' How's the glass, Mr. Dacres?"
"Steady, sir, with a slight tendency to rise. This gale will soonblow itself out."
"Then the sooner the better," declared the Captain.
The rest of the day passed in tedious inaction Night fell, and thebow searchlights of the airship played incessantly upon the tramp.Day dawned and found, as Dacres had predicted, that the gale hadexpended itself, and although the seas still ran high, the angrywaves were rapidly subsiding.
It was now safe for the "Meteor" to approach within hand-signallingdistance. The officers and crew of the "Quickstep" were all on deck,curiously regarding the airship, but there were no signs of Durangoand the two Valderians.
"What airship is that?" came from the tramp.
"The 'Meteor.'"
"We doubt it."
"But we are; if you'll heave-to and send a boat we will prove it."
"What do you want?"
"You have three men on board, rescued from a water-logged boat."
"What of it?"
"One is the outlaw, Durango."
"I guess not."
"You guess wrongly, then. Durango and two Valderians."
"Sure? He said he was a Britisher."
"We'll soon prove it if you send a boat."
"I will. We'll heave-to."
Captain Whittinghame slapped his brother on the back.
"At last!" he exclaimed.