CHAPTER XI
Caught in the Net
Presently the powerful night-glasses revealed the misty outlines of alarge two-funnelled craft slowly making her way in a southerlydirection, the while signalling steadily, pausing only to receive ananswering message from one of the German patrols.
Then, with all lights screened, came a pair of lean destroyers,zigzagging their way through the mine-field. After a while theysteadied on their respective helms. Unless they altered course, theywould pass at a distance not less than five cable-lengths from thelurking submarine.
"One of their strafed raiders coming here to roost for a dead cert,"quoth the Hon. Derek. "Hands to action-stations, Mr. Macquare. I meanto let that chap pilot me through the mine-field, and, with luck,I'll return evil for good by putting a torpedo into him."
The two destroyers passed without sighting the British submarine.They were emitting dense columns of smoke that wafted over R19's deckas they steamed by. Two deductions were to be drawn from thatcircumstance. The boats were short of steam coal, which was a mostcheerful bit of information. Also, from the fact that they wereburning coal and not oil fuel, they were not by any means of thelatest type of German torpedo craft.
Presently the nearmost destroyer put her helm hard over and circledaway from the submarine. Not until she was pointing in exactly theopposite direction to the one she had been following did she steadyand slow down. Her consort still carried on until she had passed theapproaching armed merchantman. Then she, too, flung about.
Preceded and followed by her escort, the returning raider (forStockdale's surmise was correct) steamed past at a rate of about fiveknots. It would have been a spendid opportunity for R19 to get homethree torpedoes with mathematical precision, but reluctantly theLieutenant-Commander stayed his hand. It was tantalizing but thegreater issue was not to be lost sight of.
Under electrical motive power, for it was too risky to make use ofeven the well-muffled internal-combustion engines, R19 fell in at thetail of the procession, keeping at a distance of four cable-lengthsastern of the rearmost destroyer.
Luck was in her favour, for not only was the night very dark, but theeddying clouds of smoke from the German vessels' funnels werefrequently sweeping over the submarine, thus making a most effectualscreen to her movements, while with her slow speed R19 did not showthe "bone in her mouth"--the phosphorescent bow wave that at any highrate of speed would inevitably betray her position.
Both periscopes were "housed", and the boat prepared to dive at aninstant's notice.
For a full quarter of a mile the course was due south, until, at aflashing-signal from the leading torpedo-boat, the big Germanstarboarded her helm, and steered almost at right angles to herformer direction. R19's officers noticed that the rearmost destroyermade no attempt to alter helm until she gained the position where thearmed merchantman had turned. Evidently the "gateway" through themine-field was narrow, and permitted no liberties.
As the following destroyer turned she flashed out a signal, to whicha distant vessel replied. The next instant the concentrated rays of adozen search-lights swept the surface of the water.
Down dropped R19 to 20 feet. Her periscopes were raised until theyprojected but 18 inches above the surface. Until the crucial moment,Stockdale chose to keep the escort under observation.
Again the Hun vessels turned, this time to port, and were headingstraight for the centre of the far-flung line of patrol boats anddestroyers.
"We're through, I fancy!" exclaimed the Hon. Derek. Then: "Down toforty feet."
At that depth the submarine was immune from the danger of being stovein, even by the keel of the heaviest battleship afloat. For the restof the distance, until the last of the patrolling craft was leftastern, the submarine had to depend upon direction by listening tothe thresh of the Hun torpedo-boats' propellers.
The raider and her escorts were now increasing speed, anotherindication that the danger of the mine-field was a thing of the past.Before long R19, in her efforts to keep up with her hostile guides,was pushing ahead at fourteen knots--a rate sufficient to raise anominous swirl upon the placid surface.
The while Macquare and the Sub were working out the course for futurereference, noting the varying compass bearings and the distance runbetween alterations of helm. Knowing the exact spot where the secondchannel began, it would be a relatively simple matter to "plot out"the secret channel on the chart for use on the return run--if R19were fortunate enough to leave the Baltic. In order to check eachother's calculations the Lieutenant made his readings on a magneticcompass, while the Sub used the gyro-compass, which, unaffected bydeviation and variation, enabled the navigator to obtain hisknowledge of direction without having to take into consideration halfa dozen intricate but important influences to which the magneticinstrument is subjected.
Presently, finding the pace too hot, the Hon. Derek gave orders forspeed to be reduced to five knots. The returning raider had playedher part as far as R19 was concerned, and, as a reward--althoughStockdale would have willed it otherwise--she was rapidly drawing outof torpedo range. Even if the submarine dared to risk letting fly acouple of torpedoes, the possibility of hitting a vessel stern-on wasrather remote, while the presence of a hostile craft inside theirmine-field would at once be revealed to the German patrol-boats.
A faint rasping metallic sound caused both officers to look up fromtheir respective tasks. It was the unmistakable noise of meshed wiregrating along the submarine's side. Then, with a decided jerk, thevessel's way was checked. Under the impulse of her propellers shetilted nose downwards, the while the disconcerting sound of theflexible wire grinding against her was growing more and more involume.
The artificer in charge of the motors acted promptly on the order todeclutch and then reverse. Before her propellers had made a dozenrevolutions the port-hand one, entangled in aremorselessly-tightening obstacle, slowed down, and then stoppeddead.
R19 was firmly held in the meshes of an anti-submarine net.