CHAPTER XXIII--And Last
"There's a bit of a dust-up on board, sir," reported Sub-lieutenantDevereux of Submarine E--, as the British craft steadily overhauled the_Kondor_, whose engines had already been stopped in response to theperemptory signal. "Fellows scrapping like billy-ho. I can just seetheir heads at intervals above the taffrail."
"They can scrap as much as they like while they have the chance,"remarked Lieutenant-Commander Huxtable grimly. "You know yourinstructions, Mr. Devereux? Any rumpus, then signal us, and we'll givethem our last torpedo."
A canvas collapsible boat had been brought up from below, and in thisthe boarding-officer and five seamen, all armed, took their places.Both the _Kondor_ and the submarine were almost without way, lying attwo cables'-lengths apart, E--'s two quick-firers covering the prize asthe boat made for the German vessel.
Devereux was received with well-feigned affability by the soi-disantSwedish skipper, a politeness that the sub thought fit to reciprocate,at least for the present.
But when Devereux had examined the supposed _Gefle's_ papers his mannerunderwent a change.
"Thanks for letting me see them, Herr Kapitan," he remarked, "but now Imust ask you to order your crew below and consider yourself a prisonerof war. I warn you that at any attempt at resistance your ship will besent to the bottom."
"But----," began the astonished Hun. "I--I do not understand. ThisSwedish merchant-ship. You mistake make."
"Perhaps," drawled the sub. "If I have, I'll take full responsibility.If you can satisfactorily explain to the British naval authorities whyyou were surrounded by Hun submarines yesterday, why you supplied themwith munitions of war, why you were then His Imperial Majesty's ship_Kondor_, and why you are now the s.s. _Gefle_----."
"Donnerwetter!" ejaculated the German skipper furiously, then, beforeDevereux could interpose, he dashed out of the chart-house and shoutedto one of the officers stationed aft.
Almost immediately a muffled explosion was heard, and the _Kondor_,giving a violent shudder, began to settle by the stern. Rather thansurrender, their captain had given orders for a bomb to be exploded inthe after hold.
"We have cheated you, Englishman!" he exclaimed in a shrill falsetto.
There was a wild rush for the boats. Hastily those in davits werelowered, with the result that one was capsized, while in the confusion aGerman seaman leapt headlong into the submarine's collapsible boat andoverturned it.
To do him credit, the kapitan made no attempt to quit the bridge.Regarding the British officer with a leer of triumph, he waited whilethe panic-stricken men got clear of the doomed ship.
Meanwhile, having witnessed the swamping of her dinghy, E--hadapproached with the intention of taking off her boarding-party.
"What's that?" exclaimed Devereux, as, during a temporary lull in theclamour, the sound of a voice appealing for help was borne to his ears.The words were shouted in unmistakable English.
"Someone cooped up down below, sir," declared one of the submarine'screw.
Devereux looked enquiringly at the German skipper of the _Kondor_. Thelatter too had heard the shout. The self-assurance and air ofcontemptuous indifference faded instantly.
"You murderous swine!" ejaculated the sub. "What dirty game have youbeen up to? Come along down below with me."
The Hun, trembling violently, clung desperately to the bridge rail. Therisk of going below and being taken down by the sinking ship was nothingcompared with the fear of a just retribution.
It was not a suitable occasion for arguing the point. Devereux, a huge,loose-limbed fellow, was a giant beside the little, podgy Hun.
Wrenching the kapitan's hand from the rail, Devereux dropped him to thedeck like a sack of flour, then, skipping down the bridge ladder, hepicked him up and carried him, screaming and struggling, down thecompanion.
Guided by the sounds, the sub bore his captive for'ard, two of thesubmarine's crew following their youthful officer.
Already the stern of the _Kondor_ was almost level with the water, whileher decks inclined at a steep angle. Above the noise of the inrushingwater and the hiss of escaping steam, could be heard the now franticappeal for help.
At the door of the cell Devereux was confronted by a grave problem. Theplace was locked, and the kapitan, asserting truthfully that he did notpossess a key, was clamouring incoherently that the mistake inoverlooking the fact that there were prisoners below was not his, butthat of some of his subordinates.
"Stand aside there!" shouted Devereux to the inmates of the cell.
Whipping out his revolver he sent a bullet crashing through the lock,then, heedless of the cry of agony that came from the German skipper, hecharged the splintered door with his shoulder.
In the half light he was dimly aware that two people were scramblingbetween the debris.
"Any more?" he asked.
"No," was the reply, as the two rescued men, assisted by the sailors,reeled along the sloping alley-way to the ladder.
Having seen the would-be victims of German _Kultur_ safely on their wayto the upper deck, Devereux realized that it was quite time to make goodhis own escape, for the water was beginning to surge for'ard along thesombre orlop deck. As he turned to make his way aft he became awarethat the kapitan, moaning dismally, was staggering in the oppositedirection, whence there was no outlet.
"Where are you off to, you blithering idiot?" shouted the young officer.
In a couple of strides he overtook the Hun, gripped him round the waist,and carried him on deck. Then, to his surprise, Devereux found that thekapitan's face was streaming with blood. A sliver of lead from thebullet that had demolished the lock of the cell had struck him in theright eye, completely destroying the optic nerve.
"Can't say I feel sorry for you," thought the sub-lieutenant,recollections of the cold-blooded cruelty of the Hun vividly in hismind. Nevertheless, still holding the injured skipper, he leaptoverboard, whither the rest of the boarding-party had preceded him.
Strong as he was, Devereux had a hard tussle to swim to the submarine.Caught by vicious eddies, swirled to and fro like a straw on the surfaceof a mountain torrent, he was almost exhausted when hauled into safety.
Giving a glance over his shoulder as he was assisted to the deck of hisown craft, Devereux saw that the _Kondor_ was making her last plunge.Throwing her bluff bows high in the air, she disappeared in a smother offoam and a pall of black smoke mingled with steam.
Then, to his surprise, upon going aft to report to his commandingofficer, Devereux found Huxtable shaking, like a pump-handle, the handof one of the men he had rescued.
"By Jove!" exclaimed the astonished Devereux. "Blest if we haven't----!Why, it's Sefton!"
"Guilty, m'lud!" replied that worthy.
"And Crosthwaite--he wasn't on that hooker?" asked Devereux anxiously.
"No, thank heaven," replied Sefton fervently. "He's still in hospital.This is my young brother. I've got to blame him for this business, theyoung rascal. It was a narrow squeak for the pair of us."
"It was," assented Huxtable gravely. "We spotted the _Kondor_ yesterdayand kept her under observation."
"Then you bagged that Hun battleship?" enquired Sefton.
"No, worse luck," replied the lieutenant-commander of E--. "She alteredhelm just as we were having a shot at her, and some other fellows didthe trick. Mustn't complain, though. We are all members of the sameco-operative society in the trade. The _Kondor's_ crew? A few hours inthe boats won't hurt them, and I'll wireless our destroyers. They aretoo villainous a crew to slip out of our hands. Come below, old man,and we'll rig the pair of you out in dry kit. With luck, you ought tobe in Pompey again within twenty-four hours."
----
Pacing the diminutive quarter-deck of H.M.T.B.D. _Boanerges_, as sheswung to the first of the flood-tide, were two naval officers. It wastoo dark to distinguish their features, even in the red glow of theircigarettes.
Three months had ela
psed since the desperate struggle on BlackstoneEdge. The _Boanerges_, a brand-new destroyer recently delivered fromthe Clyde, had just commissioned at Portsmouth for service with theGrand Fleet.
"My dear Boxspanner," remarked the taller of the twain, "I've come tothe conclusion that life ashore isn't worth the candle. In commonparlance, I'm fed up. The last straw is the abominable petrol tax.Just fancy, the blighters allow me two gallons a month----"
"You weren't on leave for more than three weeks, Pills," interrupted theengineer-lieutenant.
"Just so; that's the rub. I could have done with a three months'allowance, and used the lot in a week. By the way, talking of that newcarburetter----"
"Boat ahoy!" came a hoarse hail from the fo'c'sle as the lynx-eyedlook-out detected a dark object approaching under oars towards thedestroyer.
"Aye, aye!" was the orthodox reply, given in clear, decisive tones.
The boat was brought smartly alongside the accommodation-ladder, and ayoung officer came briskly over the side. Jack Sefton, "sub" no longerbut a full-fledged "luff", as the two gold rings, surmounted by a curl,on each of his sleeves denoted.
"Well?" enquired Boxspanner eagerly. "Have you seen Crosthwaite?"
"Saw him this afternoon," was the reply. "Passed the medical board withflying colours. He's reported fit for duty on the 8th."
"Good business!" ejaculated Stirling fervently.
"And," continued Sefton, "I'm in the know. Our owner's due forpromotion. He'll be given a light cruiser; and unless I'm very muchmistaken we'll have Crosthwaite as our skipper before long."
"Quartermaster!" said Sefton, as he turned to descend thecompanion-ladder.
"Sir," replied that worthy, already known to our readers as ThomasBrown, A.B., but now a promising petty officer.
"See that I am turned out at 5.45."
"Aye, aye, sir."
The three officers disappeared below. The quartermaster smiled grimlyas the faint words of the chorus of "They don't run corridor cars on ourbranch line" caught his ear, followed by an emphatic "Chuck it, oldbird."
"Proper jonnick they are, every mother's son of 'em," muttered P.O.Brown, as he walked for'ard. "Chaps as us fellows would go through 'ellwith, if we ain't done so already," his thought reverting to thatmemorable action in the North Sea when the Huns fled before Jellicoe'sarmed might.
And thus we say "Adieu," or perhaps "Au revoir," to three gallantgentlemen who had so worthily played their parts in upholding the honourof the White Ensign with Beatty off Jutland.
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