CHAPTER II
THE TORPEDOED SHIP
During the next hour or more every field glass on board ship was putinto use, and many were the weary arms that used them until the luncheonhour arrived at one o'clock. The captain, knowing how trying theconstant watching must be to civilians who are not used to this work,appointed two watches, so they might relieve each other every hour.
The boys went to the dining room, and as Mr. Elton and his family sat atthe captain's table, the latter took occasion during the meal to referto Ralph and Alfred's services on the bridge in commendatory terms,which was greatly appreciated by their parents.
"I am curious to know," said Ralph, "what the officer meant when he said'two points to starboard.'"
"That is explained in this way," replied the captain. "The compass isdivided into thirty-two points, or eight points in each quadrant."
"I remember you spoke about a quadrant when we were on the bridge. Whatis a quadrant?" asked Alfred.
"I should have said, in the beginning, that the compass is divided intofour parts, one line running, we will say, east and west, and the otherline north and south. In that way there are four cardinal points. Youwill understand, therefore, that from the north cardinal point to theeast cardinal point, which represents one quadrant, are eight points,and so on, from the cardinal point east to south, are eight morepoints," responded the captain.
"Then when the officer said 'two points to starboard,' did he mean twopoints from one of the cardinal points?" asked Ralph.
"No, he had reference to two points from the line ahead, or for the timebeing, he took the line upon which we were traveling, as one of thecardinal lines, and when he said two points he described a line whichwas just one-fourth of the distance around the circle or quadrant to theeast," answered the captain.
"Then we might say that the keel of the ship is one of the cardinallines, and the bridge, which runs across the ship is the other line?"asked Alfred.
"That is a very homely and plain way of putting it," replied thecaptain.
An hour thereafter, while the boys were on the bridge, they noticed thefirst signs of excitement on the part of the officers. A message hadbeen handed the captain a few moments before. Of course, all werecurious to know the news it contained, but no one seemed to be boldenough to ask any questions.
_The Points of the Compass_]
As the second watch appeared at the bridge the boys descended andrejoined their parents. A voice was heard outside summoning thepassengers on deck. They were ranged along the deck house, and thesecond officer appeared.
"I wish to make an announcement, and give further instructions. In orderthat there may be no confusion, in the event the enemy should attack usand compel the passengers to take to the boats, I am going to assignplaces to all of you, so that the moment you hear the five bells youwill know where to go, ready to man the boats. Now, notice the numberson the boats, which you see are swung out on the davits ready to belaunched. Be particular to note where your boat is located, and itsnumber. When you come up the companionway from your cabin, fix in yourmind whether your own boat is on the right or on the left side; some areliable to become confused in coming up.
"Boat No. 1; Mr. Elton, how many are in your party?"
"Five," was the answer.
"Then three more will be assigned; Mr. Wardlaw, wife and daughter; thatwill complete the first boat. No. 2," continued the officer, as he madethe assignments. This was continued until the entire list was completed.
Four seamen were then designated for each of the boats, and the stewardwas directed to prepare emergency food for the different boats, and bydirect orders the food was actually placed in the boats.
It was really with a sigh of relief from the suspense that the boysawaited the signal for their term of duty on the bridge. They were intheir places instantly, and seized the glasses. It was now four o'clockin the afternoon. They were moving toward the setting sun. The sky wasfree of clouds and the ocean fairly smooth. It was an ideal sea forobservation. The boys were on the port or left side of the ship.
"Ralph," said Alfred under his breath, as he moved toward Ralph, andlaid his hand on his arm, without lowering his glasses, "look overthere! there!--two or three points,----"
"I see it,--yes,--Captain, what is that, a half-mile off to the left?"interrupted Ralph.
The captain shot a glance in the direction indicated. "Three points toport!" he said, as he sprang to the wheel and gave a signal to theengineer. As he came back to the point of observation, he said:
"Young eyes are very sharp. You have beaten the watch on the top mast."
The officer in charge of the telephone beckoned to the captain. Thelatter rushed over, and the boys saw him nod.
"How far are they from us?" asked Alfred.
"Two miles," was the answer.
"Two miles!" said Ralph in astonishment. "Why, I thought I wasstretching it when I said a half mile."
"To be more exact, the range finder in the crow's nest makes thedistance 10,980 feet," said the captain.
"Well, they can't hit us at that distance," said Ralph, "can they?"
"No; we can easily avoid that fellow, but he may have appeared as aruse," said the captain, glancing to starboard, with an anxious air.
The first officer standing near, although intently watching thesubmarine in the distance, remarked: "It is now the custom for two ormore of the undersea boats to operate in unison; the one we are nowlooking at may be a decoy."
"What do you mean by 'decoy'" asked Ralph, in astonishment. "Is itlikely that they would expect us to steer right into them?"
_The Submarine Decoy_]
"No; their idea is to have one of the submarines show up in front,knowing that the intercepted vessel will turn to avoid it. Then theother submarine, with nothing but its periscope above the water, and onthe other side of the sailing course of the ship, will be in position,the moment the turn is made, to deliver the shot. That is why thecaptain has gone to the other side, as you will notice the vessel isnow going to starboard," said the officer.
The ship had now turned so that it was broadside to the distantsubmarine. Not only its conning tower was now visible, but a long blackobject fore and aft could be plainly observed.
"Three points to port!" shouted the captain.
The quartermaster swung the wheel around, and the ship seemed to heelover, so suddenly did the rudder act.
"One point to starboard, and full speed ahead!" was the next order fromthe captain.
It seemed that the order had no more than been executed than he againsang out:
"Two points to port!"
"What is that for?" asked Alfred.
"He is zig-zagging the ship through the sea," replied the officer.
"What for?" inquired Ralph.
"There is another submarine three points to starboard astern."
"Then,--then the captain,----"
"Yes; the one behind us is near enough to reach us if we keep on astraight course, but the captain has manoeuvered so as to bring himdirectly in our wake, and continually changed the target so that thesubmarine cannot aim with accuracy," interrupted the officer.
The passengers on the decks below did not need to be told that somethingunusual was happening. The changing course of the ship, the unusualactivity on the bridge, the leveling of the glasses to the port sideand to the stern by the different groups, were sufficient warnings ofthe presence of the dread monsters.
The submarine on the port side was now coming forward with all the speedit possessed, and again the captain turned the ship another point tostarboard. The funnels were belching smoke, and sparks flying from thetop. The engineers were putting on forced draft and the ship seemed tobe trembling as it shot through the smooth sea. It was an idealcondition for the launching of a torpedo.
"Torpedo coming on starboard side!" shouted a voice.
Every one now rushed to the right side of the bridge. There was a shriekbelow. From an unexpected quarter the third subm
arine's periscope wasvisible, and a foamy trail, straight as a mark, began to lengthen outtoward their vessel.
"Reverse! Reverse engines!" shouted the captain. The order was executed,but too late. The trail came nearer and grew broader. Some of thepassengers put their hands over their eyes, others stood like fixedstatues. The captain placed his hand to his brow, but quickly turned.
"Order the men to the boat!" he said in a quiet voice, as he steppedforward and seized the handle of the boat's whistle.
No sooner had the order been given when a terrific crash followed. Thebridge seemed to have been seized with a giant hand and it vibrated withan intense force. A hundred feet from the stern of the ship a greatmass of water shot upward and fragments of the deck were hoisted up andscattered around.
The ship at first swayed to port and then quickly swung back tostarboard, but did not again roll back to port. The captain shook hishead. There was a perceptible list in the position of the ship.
"Take your position in the boats!" he shouted to the men on the bridge,and as he did so he quickly pulled the lever,--one, two, three, four,five.
By the time the last blast sounded the seamen were at the boats assignedto them. The engines had stopped. The passengers, all except those whohad fainted, had left the deck. Ralph and Alfred made a dash for thewaiting room. Their parents were not there. Down they went to thecabins, passing on the way the crowded hallways and the unutterableconfusion which resulted from the order to hurriedly leave the ship.
They found their parents in the cabin, and, due to the forethought ofMr. Elton, the lifebuoys had been adjusted, and their valuables securedbeforehand. Others, however, were not so fortunate. Across the way wereseveral women and children.
"Let me help you," said Alfred, as he entered the first cabin. "I willtake care of the baby," he remarked, as he picked it up, while themother was almost frantic.
"I will take the other one," shouted Ralph.
"We can't stop here another minute," said Alfred. "Do you see how theship is leaning over?"
"Come on, Mother," cried Ralph; "follow us or we may not be able to goup the stairs."
Alfred crowded close behind Ralph, and Mr. Elton assisted the two womenalong the passageway. All arrived on deck, the boys with the twochildren in their arms.
"Where is No. 8?" "I can't find No. 9," said another. "What has becomeof the girl?" shrieked one; "Are we going to turn over?" asked atrembling voice. The officers were going to and fro, mingling with thepassengers.
"What is your boat number?" asks one officer. "This way; that is theplace you are assigned to."
Mr. Elton and his party reached No. 1 without accident, and all but theboys were safely placed in the boat.
"Come on, boys," said Mr. Elton. "But where is the mother of thechildren?" he asked, as he saw the boys were unaccompanied.
"Take the baby," said Alfred, as he passed it to his mother.
Ralph handed the little girl to one of the seamen, and sprang afterAlfred. There was now a dangerous list, and Mrs. Elton noticed it.
"Is there any danger if our boys go below to the stateroom?" she askedthe petty officer, who was holding the rope connected with the tackle oftheir boat.
"She'll have to sway over a great deal further to go down," he remarked.
This comforted her for the moment. Passengers were still coming up fromthe companionways; some were being dragged along, and others acted likedrunken men and women. It was a terribly trying sight.
An old man shambled forward as he emerged from the cabin door, glancedalong at the filled boats held in the davit, tried to speak, and fellheadlong on the deck. A surgeon near by rushed up, turned him over, feltof his heart and pulse, shook his head, and drew the body close up tothe side of the cabin wall. Then the officer made a search to ascertainthe name of the man, and extracted papers from his pockets.
Meanwhile, the boys had not returned, and the ship was turning over onits side more and more.
"Launch the boats!" ordered the captain.
"But our boys! our boys!" shrieked Ralph's mother, but as she arose shewas forcibly restrained. The captain did not hear, and at the commandthe boats went down. Even then a half-dozen passengers emerged from thedoor too late, and one of them, notwithstanding the warning, was withouta life belt.
The ship's deck was now at an angle of fully thirty degrees,--as steepas the ordinary roof. Those emerging from the cabin on the port sidecould not maintain a footing, but were compelled to slide down to theside railing. This was the situation when Ralph and Alfred reached thedoor which led to the deck from the companionway. They were carrying thewoman whose children they had rescued, as she was in a frenzy, andstruggled with the boys. The moment the inclined deck was reachedAlfred said:
"See that she goes overboard, and I will go down for that little girl,"and he crawled back into the ship.
Ralph finally succeeded in loosening the woman's hold, and together theyslid down the deck. The woman was now uncontrollable. She threw her armsabout wildly, and cried for her children. Ralph pointed to the boatsbelow, but this did not quiet her. Taking advantage of the moment whenboth hands were free, Ralph, by a terrific effort, pushed her across therailing, and, with a loud shriek, she shot downward.
Ralph looked around, and caught a momentary sight of his parents in theboat below. Mrs. Elton was calling for Alfred. Ralph nodded his head andtried to crawl back up the inclined deck, but it was useless. An armthen appeared through the door opening, then a head, and he knew it mustbe Alfred.
"Can't you help me up?" shouted Ralph.
Alfred disengaged himself and extended his body down along the deck.This enabled Ralph to seize hold of his legs and draw himself up intothe doorway.
Once there he saw the trouble that Alfred had to contend with. Lyinghalf-way up the stairs was a poor cripple, half dead with fright, andthe little girl, not much better. Laboriously, he had assisted, firstone and then the other, and was about exhausted when Ralph came to therescue.