CHAPTER XIX
A GERMAN VIEW OF SUBMARINES
Suddenly the Hun craft, as indicated by the trail of bubbles in herwake, made an oblique turn, going off to Dan's port. But Dan kept on,shouting down to the spar deck:
"Stand by the port guns! Not a shot unless ordered!"
A moment or two and the submersible, as indicated by the bubbles on thewater, had turned head-on again coming close to the surface. She was nowin position to deliver two torpedoes.
It was the moment for which Dan had waited.
"Let go with all three guns, port battery!" he yelled. "Rapid fire."
Three jets of smoke and flame shot out from as many muzzles. The guncrews rushed to reload.
"One hit!" shouted Dan. "Again!"
"Two hits--and she's done for!" yelled Dan, joyously, as he scanned thewater. "Good work, men!"
The hits had been made by guess, except for the guidance of the wake,while the submarine ran barely submerged. Even Dalzell's report of hitshad been based on appearances. But now the "Prince," plowing on her way,steamed into a patch of oil-strewn water and out of it again.
"I'll be satisfied if there is no more fighting in this day's work," Danconfessed, mopping the icy perspiration from his forehead.
"Danny-boy, you've done a big enough day's work to satisfy the greediestof fighters!" cried Dave, gripping his chum's hand.
"Now we'll look after the prisoners, and pick up the survivors from thewrecked steamship," proposed Dan.
Then, as he glanced out forward, where a small, sullen German mob stoodscowling under guard of armed sailors, he added:
"In view of what we've seen to-day I'm sorry we have so many prisoners."
"Dan, that's not humane," rebuked Dave.
"I don't feel humane," Dan admitted, simply. "What I've seen to-day hasmade my blood hot. I'd be willing to let go, with both batteries, at thewhole German people."
"Thank goodness you can't do it," laughed Darrin. "You'll cool downsoon, Danny."
Putting back, Dan ran the "Prince" toward the boats and rafts from thesunken steamship. While overhauling them he went down from the bridgeand approached the German prisoners.
"Who was the commander of this outfit?" Dalzell inquired, in English, ofcourse.
"I was, and am," replied a scowling German officer.
"Your name?"
"Sparnheim!"
"Then, Sparnheim, all I have to say to you is that you may have beencommander, but now you'll take orders, instead of giving them. Do youfeel any shame for what you did to that steamship?"
"I don't," was the frowning answer. "I attacked enemies of Germany andof the Kaiser!"
"What did the women in the boats yonder do to Germany, or the Kaiser?"Dan demanded.
"They sailed the sea, at least," retorted Sparnheim.
"Is that a crime?"
"But the German government had warned all passengers from the sea!"
"Under the impression that the German government owned the sea?" Dalzelldemanded, ironically. "To-day's work, so soon after light and sunrise,must have shown you that others have something to do with the control ofthe sea. Three of your accursed submarines have gone to the bottom."
"Yes, through your treachery!" hissed the German officer.
"Treachery?" Dan asked, with a hard smile.
"Yes; you hoisted a flag that does not belong to you."
"We fired under our own flag. That is a right recognized by thenations."
"It was treachery, just the same," insisted the German. "You were afraidof us, so you took a cowardly advantage."
"Treachery! Cowardly advantage!" Dalzell repeated, in disgust. "Wedestroyed your craft. But did you not try to destroy ours? Cowardlyadvantage? Of what use would submarines be to your people if you scornedtaking cowardly advantage? Sparnheim, you are paid as a German officer?"
"To be sure," admitted the other.
"Then you are making your living as an assassin--as a cowardly murderer.And the nation that employs you is no better than you are, but a partnerin your crimes."
"It is not true! We are not murderers, not criminals!" raged theprisoner. "We fight that Germany may live!"
"If she must live by such cowardly work as is done by her submarines,then she does not deserve to live," Dan retorted. "I am not going totake advantage of your helplessness. I regard you as a man with a lostsoul, and to that extent I am sorry for you. I wanted your view of yourcrimes, and could not forbear to express my own opinions. We know eachother's views, and do not need to talk further."
The "Prince" had lain to again, for now she had overtaken the first ofthe boats from the foundered steamship. A gangway had been lowered andthe men and women who had taken to the small boats were now coming upover the side.
"Which animal among them commanded the craft that sunk our ship?"demanded a woman hoarsely, as she eyed the sullen Germans. Dan pointedout Sparnheim.
"You killed several men and two women and a baby!" cried the woman,pointing an accusing finger at the quivering Sparnheim. "The baby wasmine! One of the men that you murdered was my husband! May you neverknow another moment of happiness!"
"You murdered my husband."]
Beside herself, she tried to spring past the sailor guards to attack thefellow with her own hands.
Darrin came along just in time to take hold of one of her arms.
"Come, madam," he urged, soothingly, "do not foul your hands by touchingsuch a beast."
"I wish I could have him hanged--the murderer!" cried the woman,passionately.
"I am more cruel than you, then, madam," Dave continued, as he led heraway step by step, "for I would have the wretch live a long life. Nomatter how long he lives his ears must be filled with the shrieks ofdying women and children. He must hear the cries of the drowning andthe moans of the wounded. He must start in terror from his sleep atnight, for he has done foul deeds that will haunt him as long asmemory lasts. He has lived the sneaking, cowardly life of a pirate,and is steeped in all the foulness of piracy. His has not been thelife of the brave fighting man, who willingly grants the foe an equalchance. He has murdered and pillaged. This fellow can never, as longas he lives, escape the accusations of his own lost soul."
"It is a lie!" foamed Sparnheim. "A lie, a lie, a lie, I tell you! WhatI have done, I have done as a loyal and patriotic German. What I havedone was for my country and my sovereign!"
"To be sure," Dave agreed, "but you can never shift your part of theburden from yourself. Your life will be one of misery."
Others of the passengers had crowded forward to share with the frenziedwoman the storm of reproaches that she visited upon these Germans, butDan felt that matters had gone far enough.
"All rescued survivors will please step inside," he called out. "We willregister your names and make the best possible provision for you."
Having gotten the rescued ones well aft, Dan turned to the petty officerin charge of the prisoners.
"March them down to the brig," he ordered.
Sparnheim drew himself up, then indicated a younger man at his side.
"Me? You know who I am. And this is Lieutenant Witz. When you send mymen to your brig, what do you do with us?"
"We won't separate you," Dan assured him, with a smile.
"I demand to know where you will send us. That is, if we are not to havethe freedom of the deck?"
"You will both go to the brig with your men," Dalzell answered.
"But we are officers and gentlemen!" cried Sparnheim, indignantly.
"Gentlemen!" repeated Dan Dalzell, a world of irony in his tone.
Then to the petty officer:
"To the brig, with the whole lot of them!"
Sparnheim struck at a sailor who took hold of his arm and the sailorpromptly felled him to the deck.
"I am insulted and treated outrageously because I am helpless," yelledthe German, sitting on the deck.
"I am sorry that violence was necessary," Dan replied, raising him tohis feet. "You have only to ob
ey, and you will not be handled roughly."
"I will not go to the brig with common sailors!" roared Sparnheim.
"It is rough on the sailors," Dan agreed, "so I shall have to apologizeto your 'common sailors' and ask them to endure your company. If theymaltreat you, you can make complaint, you know."
It required two husky sailors to drag Sparnheim below. Witz, who wasmore tractable, went as ordered, head down, and eyes lowered.
"The air is sweeter now that they're gone," Dan confided to his chum.
"Much!" Dave agreed, dryly.
Soon after that the last of the survivors from the sunken steamship werepicked up and made as comfortable as possible.
It was not until the following morning that these survivors, and theGerman prisoners as well, were transferred to an in-bound destroyer.
Then the "Prince," with a farewell toot of her whistle to the destroyer,turned her nose about and steamed off in search of such furtherenterprise as the broad sea might hold in store for her.