CHAPTER VI
A DIFFICULT DEPARTURE
Astounded at the statement of the captain, whom they had begun to regardas a friend but whose present manner indicated anything but friendship,the boys glanced at each other in some degree of alarm.
"Just what do you mean by that, Captain?" inquired Ned. "I thought it wasunderstood that we were to have passage on your boat!"
"Vhell, den I forgot dot vhe don'd carry bassengers!"
"And I suppose it took Mackinder to refresh your memory!" snapped Jimmie,stepping forward with an outward thrust of his chin.
At the mention of Mackinder's name the captain gave a quick start. Hisglance at Jimmie was one of uneasiness and alarm.
"Vot do you know about Mackinter?" he inquired.
"I know this," stated Jimmie, angrily. "He's a fake and if you know whenyou're well off you'll let go your lines right now!"
"Yes, Captain," added Ned, "we found Mackinder trying to detain usbecause he fancies we have done something wrong or because he thinks wehave something he wants. Who he may be we don't know!"
"I know!" stated the captain, stoutly. "I know dot feller is a officer inder British army, und vhen he says shtay, den I shtay!"
"An officer in the British army!" gasped Jimmie.
"I think I see now why he wants that package!" declared Ned. "He thinksthat we are bringing some instructions or something to the submarinenamed 'U-13' and he's trying to intercept the despatches!"
"Well, he's welcome to the 'U-13' package as far as we're concerned!"maintained Jimmie. "What we want is to get home to the little old U. S.A., and that right quick. So, Captain, we'll go now, if you please!"
"No!" decided the captain bluntly. "Vhe don'd go!"
"But you may listen to reason!" said Jimmie, drawing his automatic. "Idon't like to hold you up, but you're going to get out of town right nowand we're going with you!"
"Put dot gun oop!" cried the captain, starting from his seat.
"I will on one condition!" declared the boy. "If you get under way atonce without any more monkey business I'll keep it in my pocket. If youdon't I'll use it! We are neutral and we're going to remain neutral if wehave to fight to do so!"
"Vhell, I guess dere's no real goot reason vhy vhe shouldn't go, anyhow!"decided the captain. "Mackinter don'd got no license to shtop us. Aber hedon'd like id, he couldt lump id!"
"Now you're talking sense!" declared Jimmie. "But, remember! No tricks,or we'll feel like starting something ourselves!"
"All right!" consented von Kluck, secretly anxious to help the boys."Chust come along und make me leaf port. Dot let's me ouid!"
Upon von Kluck's appearing at the companionway the crew immediatelyassumed an air of attention. Some were grouped about the capstan, wherethey were watching the sky and speculating on the character of theapproaching storm. Others were occupied at various duties about thevessel. Every man seemed to stand in fear of the captain.
Bawling out a hoarse order, von Kluck at once assumed command of thedeck. Lines were thrown down from the belaying pins. A group of mentailed onto the halyards, hoisting the foresail, staysail and jib.
The Lena Knobloch was a schooner-rigged vessel with two masts. The boysnoted with a considerable degree of satisfaction that she was built alongclipper lines, vastly different from the round-bowed type of vesselcommonly seen in those waters.
Under jib, staysail and foresail the vessel swung around as the docklines were let go. Gathering speed with the force of a favorable wind thelittle vessel plunged ahead. Von Kluck was evidently planning on leavingthe harbor without the use of a tug--a somewhat difficult, if notdangerous, experiment.
Urged by the vociferous driving of the mate men were already hauling onthe halyards of the mainsail. With the added press of sail the LenaKnobloch heeled over until her lee rail was nearly awash.
A strong wind was coming out of the northwest, favoring the maneuver ofvon Kluck, but kicking up considerable commotion on the harbor. Waveswere running so high as to make navigation of small craft exceedinglydifficult if not dangerous.
Carrying full staysail, jib, foresail and mainsail the schooner plungedinto the waves, sending cascades of water over her forecastle with everyleap. She was loaded deeply and the boys could see that she would proveto be what the sailors term a "wet ship."
Every moment the speed was increasing. The mate had trimmed the sheets tothe exact point for greatest efficiency.
Suddenly all hands were startled by a hail from a point on the starboardbow. They saw a small motor boat riding dizzily upon the crest of a waveone moment to be dropped out of sight in the trough the next.
"Ahoy, the Knobloch!" came a cry.
"Ahoy, the launch!" bawled out the mate in a voice of thunder. "What doyou want? Stand off or we'll run you down!"
"We want those passengers of yours!" was the reply.
"All right, come on and get 'em!" yelled the mate above the noise ofsinging wind in the rigging. "We can't stop now!"
"If you don't heave to I'll fire!" was the answer.
"Good night!" cried Jimmie from a position near the lee rail, where hecould look out beneath the main boom. "That's Mackinder!"
A revolver shot sounded amidst the tumult of rushing waters and singingrigging. The echo was quickly bitten off by the rising wind. The shotsounded dully above the humming and roaring.
Before Ned could detain him Jimmie fired. Faintly the boys heard a crashaboard the motor boat. The green starboard sidelight of the launchdisappeared. Urged on by the tremendous press of wind in her sails theLena Knobloch was fast dropping the launch astern.
No other shots were fired at the schooner. Scrambling from his positionat the starboard rail Jimmie made his way aft to a point beside thehelmsman. Here he peered eagerly into the darkness astern.
"I can't see them at all!" he announced, turning presently to hiscompanions, who were grouped about the little skylight.
"Perhaps we've shaken them off for keeps!" ventured Jack. "Did you seewho that was with Mackinder?"
"I thought," said Harry, "that it was his pal, Norton!"
"Well, they're safely out of reach now!" declared Ned. "I'm glad of it,too! If we can hold on at this gait we'll soon reach a port in England,where we can transship the Grey Eagle and get home."
"I only hope the real 'U-13' doesn't come along and demand that packagefrom us!" laughed Harry. "They might take a notion to send us to thebottom if we don't deliver it on demand!"
"Let us hope they're busy on the west coast of England by this time!"suggested Jack. "I don't want any more 'U-13' in mine!"
"Vhat's dot about der 'U-13'?" inquired von Kluck, coming up to thelittle group. "Is id der 'U-13' dot you're skipping?"
In a few words Ned related the important details of their experience withthe 'U-13' package and with Mackinder.
"And so," the boy concluded, "we were just hoping that the real 'U-13'wouldn't show up and claim the package that we haven't got!"
"No danger!" reassured von Kluck. "Dis vindt keeps dose fellers undervasser deep! Dey like rough vedder not at all!"
"Hurrah!" joyfully cried Jimmie. "Blow, winds; blow hard!" the ladcontinued, stretching his hands to windward in an appealing attitude."Blow hard enough to keep the submarines submarooned!"
A laugh went round as the boys listened to Jimmie's coined word. Theywere all heartily in sympathy with the expressed wish that the wind wouldblow hard enough to keep the submarines from the surface.
"But, den," continued von Kluck, with a frown that wrinkled his heavybrows, "dot's not all. Dere's mines floatin' round der Nord Sea dot demverdom Deutsches blanted. Maybe vhe hit one of dem und if vhe do--"
Here the captain shrugged his shoulders, spreading his hands palm upwardand extending them with a final toss aloft to indicate the hopelessnessof a situation such as he intimated might befall them.
"Can't we dodge a mine?" queried Jimmie.
"Sure, if vhe can see id!" declared von Kluck.
"That's t
he trouble," explained Ned. "These mines float deep and before aship can know of its danger--Bang!"
"Well, Ned," announced Jimmie with a grin, as he wrinkled his frecklednose, "I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll bet you my old hat that if we dohit a mine and get blown up I go higher than you do!"
"All right," agreed Ned, laughing in spite of the seriousness of thesituation. "We'll ask von Kluck to be the judge."
"Von Kluck don't seem to be very much worried over the prospect ofhitting a mine!" declared Jimmie. "I guess we're all right!"
"Und now," announced the captain, "come to der cabin und eat!"
The boys needed no second invitation. They were soon seated about thelittle table, where they found great slabs of cheese set out on a plate.Loaves of hard, black bread were placed upon the table by the steward,who withdrew to presently reappear bearing a great pot of steamingcoffee. Von Kluck refreshed himself with a glass of his beloved"schnapps," then fell to heartily upon the bread and cheese, motioning tothe boys to do likewise.
With considerable relish the lads made a good lunch off the bread andcheese and coffee. Hard and dark, but possessing considerable nutriment,the bread was not at all unpleasant to the taste. It had been plentifullyseasoned with small seeds, which lent an appetizing flavor.
Shortly after finishing their lunch the boys again gained the deck, tofind the mate actively driving the men in their various duties. The windstill came out of the northwest with a stinging snap. Ned declared thathe could feel rain approaching.
"Feels to me more like snow!" stated Jimmie, sniffing to windward. "We'llbe getting outside the Friesian Islands soon and then we'll find outwhat's coming. We're somewhat protected here."
"How long will it be before we pass into the North Sea, Captain vonKluck?" asked Ned of the captain, who approached.
"Vhe might make id by morning," stated the captain. "I vish I make aswift voyage dis time. If Mackinter gets news to England ahead of me,maybe he makes droubles by das Lena Knobloch."
"So you're carrying all the canvas you dare?" asked Harry.
"Chust now, yes! Maybe vhen vhe come about und head up into der vindt vheget oop der tops'ls und put oop uuder vun chib. I reach off a goot vaysund leaf Amsterdam und der vest coast of der Zuider Zee, den I make vunstraight reach und run ouid by Eijerlandsche Gut."
"Then I'm going below to try for a little sleep!" declared Jimmie. "I'mnot needed on deck and this wind is too cold for comfort!"
"I'll go with you and keep you company," volunteered Jack.
"We'll all go," added Harry. "Come on, Ned."
Clinging to hand rails the lads scrambled below. The deck leaned at anangle that made walking almost impossible. Every plunge sent shiversthrough the little vessel. Tons of water broke over the bows and dashedalong the planks to rush hissing through the scuppers.
In the cabin a lamp swung wildly from a beam overhead, throwing weird,dancing shadows on the bulkheads. Here the noises of the wind werehushed. Only a moaning from the taut rigging reached the ears of the fourlads. But the cabin was full of eerie sounds of creaking timbers andstraining planks. For some time the boys lay on lockers listening to theconfusion of noises. Presently they fell asleep.
They were wakened by the sound of tramping feet on deck, and knew thatsome maneuver was about to be executed. Coils of rigging were flung ondeck. The stentorian voice of the mate bawled out orders.
"Stand by to come about!" roared you Kluck over their heads.