CHAPTER XXIV
UNDER THE SEA AGAIN
"I have not yet told the men what I propose to do," CaptainNicholson informed the boys, ass they made their way aboard theY-3.
Captain Nicholson introduced the lads to the man at the helm.
"Old Jansen," he said with a flourish of his arm.
The boys acknowledged this introduction, and Old Jansen touchedhis cap.
"Jansen," said the commander, "we are going to attack the Turkishbattleships at the mouth of the Euphrates."
The old man let out a siren-like yell, and turned crimson allover his pink and white face.
Captain Nicholson turned the submarine over to him, and, followedby the two lads, made his way below.
"I never knew eighteen throats could make so much noise," saidFrank to Jack, after the crew had been informed of their project.
And it was indeed a terrific noise the men made when they learnedthey were about to go into action.
"The 'subs' aren't like the big ships," Captain Nicholsonexplained. "With such a small crew I know the men personally,and I know I can count on each and every one of them, particularlyOld Jansen, and Brown, the gunner's mate. I need not caution theengine-room crew for special watchfulness. Every oiler aft knowsa warm bearing would condemn him forever in the eyes of hisshipmates."
A few moments more and the submarine was racing along toward themouth of the Euphrates, where the enemy was known to be. Just asdusk was setting in, Brown, the gunner's mate, reported anaeroplane to leeward. Captain Nicholson, Jack and Frank, whostood on the bridge, could just make it out with binoculars.
"I hate to use any electricity out of my batteries now," saidCaptain Nicholson, "for it is likely to be very precious later.However, I don't want to run chances of being discovered. We'lldive."
The three made their way below. The entrance was hermeticallyclosed, and soon the tanks were being filled. A moment later theY-3 began to submerge.
At a depth of 60 feet Captain Nicholson trimmed down, and f or anhour the vessel ran along at eight knots, the commander wishingto make sure of complete darkness before coming up.
"How do you manage to keep your course under water, captain?"asked Frank.
"Simple," was the reply. "Gyroscopic compass."
At that moment the man on watch at the bell receiver reported thesound of a ship's propellers above. Captain Nicholson turned hisplace at the periscope over to his first officer and listenedhimself.
The steady rhythmic beat was well off the port bow.
At Captain Nicholson's command, the main ballast tank was emptieduntil the conning tower was well awash. Then the commander,Frank and Jack went up to have a look around, for the airship, aswell as for the vessel.
"Those sky pilots," said the commander, "maintain that they cansee us and get us with bombs at any depth. However, I seenothing of our friend. Looks like he had lost his bet thistime."
They returned below, and Frank put his eye to the periscope.
Almost instantly he made out the outline of large vessel of somekind. He reported this to Captain Nicholson, who brushed himquickly aside and peered into the periscope himself.
"Merchant vessel of some kind," he said aloud. "We haven't timeto fool with him now. May be able to get him as we come back."
Once more now the three made their way to the bridge. The cloudshad gradually thickened and it was very dark.
"I wish it would rain," mused Captain Nicholson, "or that wewould at least have a dull sunrise, for it will be better suitedfor our work. Brown says he's sure we'll be favored withsuitable weather because of the righteousness of our cause; but Iam pinning my faith to the barometer, which has already fallentwo points."
"Well, I hope everything goes all right," said Jack.
"It will," said the commander grimly. "You can bank on that,son. Might as well give the men a little rest," he added.
He poked his head down and called out:
"Turn in and pipe down!"
Then the commander and the two lads stood watch on the bridge.
At 2 o'clock, according to the captain's reckoning, the submarinewas well off the mouth of the Euphrates.
"Can we find our way in by the navigation lights?" asked Frank.
"Not much," replied Captain Nicholson. "We'll stand off and onnear where I place the shore line till we have daylight enough tosee what we are about. Anyhow, I don't suppose there will be anylights, or if there are, they will likely be misplaced, to luresomebody to death."
Now the commander went below and bent over the charts for perhapsthe hundredth time.
"About two miles off yet!" he muttered.
The chart gave the bottom on the sandbar in front of the entranceas shell and hard sand.
"Lucky," Captain Nicholson told the boys when he returned to thebridge. "This will allow us to run with very little under ourkeel in no fear of rocks."
"Is it very deep along here?" asked Jack.
"No," replied the commander. "That's what worries me. The chartshows a bare six and a half fathoms over the bar, continuingslightly deeper until it sheers off into the deep basin that isthe inner harbor."
"And how much water does the Y-3 draw?"' asked Frank.
"From the top of her periscope to the bottom of her keel,"replied Captain Nicholson, "the Y-3 displaces exactly 20 feet.It will be ticklish work to navigate in those six and a halffathoms (39 feet) without being drawn down by suction andstriking bottom so hard as to rebound up to the surface, wherethe Turks are sure to see us."
At 4:30 o'clock in the morning there was light enough to make outthe small gray fort guarding the entrance to the Euphrates. Thesubmarine did not lie more than a mile away.
"It's up to us to get out of sight before the fort watchers seeus," said Captain Nicholson.
Being satisfied of how far his run should be and verifying hiscourse by the compass while still on the surface, CaptainNicholson quickly ordered the vessel trimmed down to a depth of60 feet, and then started forward at about four knots--as low aspeed as was consistent with good handling.
"Lucky it's high tide; just beginning to ebb," said CaptainNicholson. "We'll find all the water on the bar that is everthere."
There was to be no more sleep now on the Y-3. From the gunner'smate down every man of the crew was on the qui vive.
As the submarine neared where the bar was charted, it came uptill the pressure gauge showed only ten feet of water above.
"Ten feet to hide us from the forts' lookouts and guns,"explained Captain Nicholson.
Suddenly there was a jar that stirred all on board off theirfeet. There was a sensation of sinking. As previouslyinstructed, the diving rudder man immediately gave the submarineup-rudder. Captain Nicholson ordered full speed ahead, althoughhe knew it would mean that the vessel's periscope would show,giving the enemy a good look at the vessel.
"If we hadn't come up," said Captain Nicholson, "we would havebeen sucked down solidly into the sand, and good-bye to ourchances at those men-o-war inside."
He was silent a moment and then added: "This is what I call toughluck. We shall have to porpoise."
In a second the submarine was again down in the deep basin beyondthe bar. The vessel hadn't been up long enough for the commandereven to get a look around.
"Here's where we get busy," said Captain Nicholson. "It's up tous to rush the work along before the men in the fort, who musthave seen us, can take measures against us."
The submarine ran along at a speed of ten knots at a depth offorty feet and in almost no time at all had covered the mile fromthe entrance to where the men-of-war lay.
"Now's the time," said Commander Nicholson.
Quickly the torpedoes, 18-inch superheaters, were placed in thetubes. It only remained to arise, sight the enemy and fire.
Quickly the little vessel rose until her periscope gave thecommander a view of the first Turkish cruiser. The commandergave the word for a quick rise and the submersion, and took afirm gr
ip on the periscope.
Through the spray that broke, the keen eyes of the commander madeout the form of his first target. There, on the port side of thesubmarine, was a large Turkish cruiser, stern to.
Midstream, to starboard, lay a light cruiser of the first class,and 800 yards up the basin, between the two, a small armoredcruiser.
The flat country was thickly veiled with mist and a drizzlingrain. A choppy sea added to the chances of making the firstattack on the Turks unobserved.
Captain Nicholson steered a course straight to the starboard sideof the first Turkish cruiser, to launch the torpedo just forwardof amidships at a distance of about 300 yards.
The lookout on the cruiser had not picked up the submarine.Captain Nicholson saw an officer at the stern, sighting the fortwith his glass. The Y-3 crept on unnoticed.
Suddenly a seaman on the forecastle of the cruiser made out theperiscope of the submarine, waved his cap frantically and rantoward an officer.
All this, as it progressed, Captain Nicholson repeated to thelads, who stood just behind him.
Jack glanced at the range scale. It read 349 yards.
The cross wires of the periscope were on her middle funnel.Captain Nicholson jerked the firing valve for No. 1 torpedo.There was a hiss of air and a rush of water.
The first torpedo had been launched!