THE DESPAIR OF THE "RECALL"
Dave Darrin stood within ten feet of Hallam when that latter midshipman
had lost his balance and fallen into the boiling sea.
Dave's spring to the stern rail was all but instantaneous. He was
overboard, after his classmate, ere the marine had had time to leap to
the life buoys.
Out of the corner of one eye Dan Dalzell saw the marine start on the
jump, but Dan was overboard, also, too soon to see exactly what the
marine sentry was doing.
Both daring midshipmen sank beneath the surface as they struck.
As Dan came up, however, his hand struck something solid and he clutched
at it. It was one of the life buoys.
As he grasped it, and drew his head up a trifle, Dan saw another
floating within thirty feet of him. Swimming hard, and pushing, Dan
succeeded in reaching the other buoy. He now rested, holding on to both
buoys.
"Now, where's David, that little giant?" muttered Dalzell, striving hard
to see through the seething waters and over the tops of foam-crested
waves.
After a few minutes Dan began to feel decidedly nervous.
"Yet Dave can't have gone down, for he's a better swimmer than I am,"
was Dan's consoling thought.
At last Dalzell caught sight of another head. He could have cheered, but
he expended his breath on something more sensible.
"Dave!" he shouted. "Old Darry! This way! I have the life buoys."
At the same time, holding to both of them, but kicking frantically with
his feet, Dalzell managed slowly to push the buoys toward Dave.
Soon after he had started, Dan did utter a cheer, even though it was
checked by an inrush of salt water that nearly strangled him.
He saw two heads. Dave Darrin was coming toward him, helping Hallam.
The wind carried the cheer faintly to Dave. He raised his head a little
in the water, and caught sight of Dan and the buoys.
Some three minutes it took the two chums to meet. Dave Darrin was all
but exhausted, for Hallam was now unconscious.
As Darrin clutched at the buoy he tried to shout, though the voice came
weakly:
"Catch hold of Hallam. I'm down and----"
But Dan understood, even before he heard. While Dave clutched at one of
the life buoys Dalzell shot out an arm, dragging Hallam in to safety.
Now, it was Darrin who, with both arms, contrived to link the buoys
together.
At last the youngsters had a chance to observe the fact that the
battleships had put about and were coming back.
"We'll soon be all right," sighed Dave contentedly, as soon as he could
speak. "There are thirty-five hundred officers, middies and sailors of
the American Navy to look after our safety."
From where they lay as they hung to the buoys the chums could even see
the launches lowered.
Dan, with some of the emergency lashing about the buoy, succeeded, after
a good deal of effort, and with some aid from Dave, in passing a cord
about Hallam and under the latter's armpits that secured that midshipman
to one of the buoys. The next move of the chums was to lash the buoys
together.
"Now," declared Dave, "we can't lose. We can hang on and be safe here
for hours, if need be."
"But what a thundering long time it takes them to bring the battleships
around to get to us!" murmured Midshipman Dalzell in wonder.
"Be sure not an unnecessary second has been lost," rejoined Dave. "We're
learning something practical now about the handling of big craft."
"I wonder if Hally's a goner?" murmured Dan in an awe-struck voice.
"I don't believe it," Dave answered promptly. "Once we get him back
aboard ship the medicos will do a little work over him and he'll sit up
and want to know if dinner's ready."
Then they fell silent, for, with the roar of wind and waters, it was
necessary for them to shout when they talked.
As the minutes went by slowly, the two conscious midshipmen found
themselves filled with amazement.
A dozen times the launches darted by, not far away. It seemed impossible
that the keen, restless eyes of the seekers should not discover the
imperiled ones.
At such times Dave and Dan shouted with all the power of their lusty
young lungs.
Alternately Dan and Dave tried the effect of rising as far as they could
and frantically waving an arm. There was not a cap to wave among the
three of them.
"I'm beginning to feel discouraged," grunted Dave in disgust at last.
"They must have spent a full half day already looking for us."
"Merciful powers!" gasped Dan at last, as they rode half way up the
slope of a big wave. "I just caught sight of the 'recall of boats'
flying from the flagship!"
"No!" gasped Dave incredulously.
"Yes, I did!"
"But--"
"They've failed and have given up the search," spoke Dan rather
despairingly.
"But--"
"We may as well face it," muttered Dan brokenly. "They don't believe
that any of us has survived, and we've been abandoned."
"Then," spoke Dave Darrin very coolly, "there's nothing left for us but
to die like men of the American Navy."
"It seems heartless, needless," protested Dan.
"No," broke in Darrin. "They've done their best. They're convinced that
we're lost. And I should think they would be, after all the time they've
searched for us--half a day, at least."
Dan said nothing, but tugged until he succeeded in bringing his watch up
to the light.
"The blamed thing is water-logged," he uttered disgustedly.
"Why?"
"The hands point to less than half past nine!"
Darrin managed to get at his own watch.
"My timepiece doesn't call for half past nine, either," he announced.
"Can it be possible--"
"Yes; the time has only seemed longer, I reckon," observed Dalzell.
"Well, we'll face it like men," proposed Dave.
"Of course," nodded Dan. "At least, we're going down in the ocean, and
we wear the American Naval uniform. If there's any choice in deaths, I
guess that's as good and manly a one as we could choose."
"Poor old Hally won't know much about it, anyway, I guess," remarked
Darrin, who seemed unnaturally cool. Possibly he was a bit dazed by the
stunning nature of the fate that seemed about to overtake them.
"Maybe the ships will go by us in their final get-away," proposed Dan
Dalzell very soberly.
"Not if I'm seaman enough to read the compass by what's visible of the
sun," returned Midshipman Darrin.
"Then there's no help for it," answered Dan, choking slightly. "I wonder
if we could do anything for Hallam?"
"We won't do anything to bring him to, anyway," muttered Darrin. "Under
these circumstances I wouldn't do anything as mean as that to a dog!"
"Maybe he's dead already, anyway," proposed Dan, now hopefully.
"I hope so," came from Darrin.
Now they saw the not very distant battleships alter their courses and
steam slowly away.
All was now desolation over the angry sea, as the battleships gradually
vanished. The two conscious midshipmen were now resolved to face the end
bravely. That was all they could do for themselves and their flag.