Fighting Byng Part 22

"Can't find a trace of anything wrong I cannot fix with little trouble."

I knew it was not an amateur talking. He had been able to do anything with machinery of a hydraulic nature, his paper-mill experience being largely along that line. Besides, he had spent the last fifteen years in and about the water with practical knowledge of marine machinery and pumps.

He rested a short while and went down, this time with tools he thought he needed, and in another two hours the full engine force of the _Anti-Kaiser_ was drawing the water out of the freight hold. Howard descended repeatedly to see that it continued to work properly.

Scotty stood watch continuously during the day, scanning every sail or smoke that came within range of his gla.s.ses. We all prayed for good weather. A storm such as they have in the Gulf occasionally would be very bad, but that was a risk we had to take.

Howard induced a big sponger, a friend of his, to bring supplies of all sorts. After twenty-four hours of steady pumping the hold was cleared. Howard said the wreck had righted itself slightly.

During this time Don and I disposed of the Hun bodies a long way from the scene of our operations, for obvious reasons.

Then came the more delicate work of pumping out the submerging tanks of the wreck. If this could not be done our work would fail, but Howard was confident and labored almost like a superman. He said he was now as familiar with the engine-room of the sunken sub as the man who made it, and was certain. It took six hours to get satisfactory connections and again the pumps were started.

After pumping three hours on the submerging tanks, Howard dived again, tremendously anxious. He remained below some time before coming up, clearly disappointed. The pumping so far had failed to show the slightest results.

"It's got to come, Wood; it's got to come; but, d.a.m.n it, it don't come," he fumed, speeding up the pumps to the last ounce of the _Anti-Kaiser's_ powerful engines.

"Hit it for three hours more, then you can tell better. We may expect results too soon," seeing the canker of doubt at work. He realized fully what a failure meant, stupendous service to his country, his fortune and the opportunity to resume the name of Howard Byng, and place little Jim right before the world, all hung in the balance. Who could have stood such a strain and retained power of judgment or even sanity.

I watched him closely the next three hours. The pangs of h.e.l.l could have gripped no man harder. He stood by the pumps and engines compelling by sheer force of will the last atom of effort in the combination of steel, bra.s.s and fuel.

Then he donned the diving suit somewhat as a man going to his execution, but hoping for a reprieve at the last moment, though with magnificent will he continued to lash the straining pumps, and they seemed to actually speed up under the fierce compelling gaze, as he went over the side to go down to p.r.o.nounce his own doom.

He had been on the bottom but a short time when he signaled to "haul up." I will agree while we were doing so were anxious moments; we were not to remain in doubt long. Even before he could get his suit off he waved his arms, and I knew he was again Howard Byng, resourceful, successful, exultant.

He almost tore off the diving suit after I unfastened it. Scotty and Don sensed excitement and all crowded about him.

"She's coming--she's coming," he shouted; "her bow is now three feet from the bottom and her stern is almost clear. She's ours! She's ours!

She must have a heavier line fastened to her bow or the tide will carry her away enough to break our pump connections," he added breathlessly. "She is ours, boys; the Hun is ours! The world is ours!"

he again shouted, the strain ending in delirious joy. Then, running to the bow of the _Anti-Kaiser_, he grabbed the end of a two-inch hawser, scorned the diving suit, and went over the side like a porpoise or a sea-lion into its natural element.

I paid out the line to him. In a moment more he had made it fast to the bow of the Boche sub, and was coming rapidly up the line hand over hand, like an orang-outang.

CHAPTER XXVI

All that night the pumps driven by the engines of the _Anti-Kaiser_ worked with unerring certainty, and appeared to feel the important work; every exhaust, powerful and distinct, p.r.o.nouncing a new life, a new ambition, a wonderful achievement for Fighting Howard Byng.

After daylight we could visualize results. Below we could easily distinguish what seemed a rather nebulous, long, dark shadow in the sea. Howard went down and found that the U-boat was raising at the rate of a foot per hour, and a total of sixty hours would be required before it would reach the surface.

Now new troubles threatened. The weather that had so graciously favored us for almost a week looked ominous. Howard, who knew all about Gulf weather, scanned the sky and shook his head.

"I believe we are in for it. But the way we're anch.o.r.ed now our bow is all right. It's going to come from out there," he said, pointing toward the northwest.

Another anchor was carried out and every precaution taken while the pumps still chugged with perfect rhythm, and gloriously labored toward the goal for which we prayed. The U-boat now hung in suspension in the clear Gulf water, and was slowly but surely raising to our will, but should the hose connection break, having no check valve, it would immediately fill and sink. Everyone was alert and strained for the emergency. Additional hawsers lashed it fore and aft to the _Anti-Kaiser_ to guard against being s.h.i.+fted by submarine currents that mysteriously form during storms.

It finally came, a veritable hurricane, lasting, fortunately, only about five hours. Wind sixty miles per hour brought solid sheets of water, twisting and undulating as if to wreak vengeance and try our hearts.

During the storm Howard moved about constantly, solemn and determined, examining every detail, forcing the pumps to unflinching performance by sheer power of his adamant will though the storm raged.

I do actually believe machinery, commonly thought to be inanimate, answers to a strong will, literally driven to good behavior and specific performance by the silent, fierce, compelling determination and psychic force of the man in control. Locomotives are especially so sensitive, proven by thousands of authentic instances.

Scotty, like the perfectly trained naval mariner, also defied the storm and for no moment ceased his patrol on the deck, peering for dangers approaching through the angry whirling sheets.

The sea calmed, as did our nervous strain, without a mishap, and the work of the pumps went merrily on, at no time halting a part of a second, as if defying the elements to defeat them in their patriotic and useful purpose.

Near sundown Howard wanted to descend and examine the wreck at close range. I began on the hand air-pump again which had to move with the precision and regularity of respiration. It would become tiresome if one did not know that such rhythm were necessary to a human life below. In this case I believed a most wonderful life.

He stayed down a long time, but when he came up he was more exultant and jubilant than ever before.

"Wood, in the better light I have been examining her hull for breaks, both inside and outside, and for the life of me I can find nothing wrong. I believe the bombs simply put their air or water pumps out of commission. That's why they were trapped down there. She is raising now on an almost even keel. She is ours, Wood; she is ours, and she will float as good as ever when the water is all out!" he urged with the vehemence of a man who was told he could live and return to a congenial sphere into the great world of usefulness with his name again. A name and fortune for little Jim, whom he loved so consumingly and singly that she was a part of him--his blood, his child, his chum and companion.

His enthusiasm was contagious; I got it. Besides, I exulted on my own account. To bring such tangible evidence into a court of law and the world's tribunal of such stupendous importance raised my operations to a magnitude unequaled, and must without effort attract attention of "The All Highest." I had developed from two warrants for minor offenses a matter in which the whole world was intensely interested.

With these ruminations came the thought of safety. We had the Hun boat. We could see it. Another day and its conning tower would be out, and another ought to enable us to tow her away. And we were insufficiently protected.

"Howard, we must not depend on the protection of the guns on this boat. Too much is at stake. We should have a patrol that will prevent any boat or vessel coming within at least three miles. The _t.i.tian_ is too small. Your _Sprite_ would be the thing. She is big enough to mount the five-pound gun to enforce such a limit to all vessels."

"How are we going to get her; she is anch.o.r.ed in the bay at home."

"Can the old darkey, Don, run the _Sprite_, do you think?"

"Yes, almost as well as I can."

"I have been out of touch with Was.h.i.+ngton now for nearly forty-eight hours, and should go to Key West to get a line on what is happening.

Suppose I take him in the little _t.i.tian_, call at Canby's, leave him to bring the _Sprite_, and go on to Key West. I ought to be back here in three or four hours."

"Fine, but put the juice to the _t.i.tian_; she can fly if you give her the gas. You're right: we ought to have the _Sprite_ to patrol and also ought to know what the Boche is up to outside, if anything," he agreed quickly.

During the night the pumps worked unceasingly with a punch and force, imparted by Howard's care and vigilance. As the last word in Boche submarine s.h.i.+ps came nearer the surface, he seemed to actually scorn either sleep or rest and took his food while walking about vigilantly.

He realized it was a supreme moment. Energies he had stored by a comparatively quiet existence for years he used unstintingly.

Before daylight the next morning I took Don in the _t.i.tian_ to Canby's, saw him on his way from there with the _Sprite_, then rushed to Key West and established communication at once with the powers that be.

I was told that every branch of the Government was intensely interested in the development which bade fair to uncover craven, cringing Mexico and many traitorous, treasonable concerns protected by citizens.h.i.+p, and was enjoined to great care and secrecy.

Then I asked to have at least two marines detached from the special guard service in Key West for my use as I was short of man power on which I could depend.

For this they gave the necessary order. They wirelessed me that Ramund and three others, upon being released on bail, had, after a day or two, taken an evident underground rail route to Mexico. The Government agents were out of touch with Was.h.i.+ngton, owing to difficulties furnished by Mexican conditions. The Boches were forfeiting their bail, or up to deviltry, or both.

This bit of information did not please me, for I saw disturbing possibilities. I picked up the daily papers, mail and the two marines, and hurried back to the Tortugas, which I reached about noon time by forcing the _t.i.tian_ to her limit.

The marines were l.u.s.ty fellows, full of ginger. Yes, they both had had target gun practice. I was glad of that.

The five-pound gun was quickly transferred to the deck of Howard's _Sprite_. We put Scotty, who, of course, was an expert with motor-driven boats, and one of the marines aboard her with instructions to encircle constantly our operations, at a three-mile limit, to use the gun to prevent vessels of any character approaching us. The other marine was put in Scotty's place on the _Anti-Kaiser_ and I felt pretty safe. So did Howard.

Wonderful progress was made while I was away. The conning tower was all out and the oval back of the submarine was awash. Howard was haggard, but walking on air. He had calculated that before night the submerging tanks would be empty, then we could transfer the pumps to the engine-room and crew's quarters aft. It wouldn't take long to make her fit for towing.