The German Submarine
It was indeed a most unpleasant discovery. The submarine was one of
the active "U" boats possessing an enormous radius of action. Her size
rendered her incapable of being carried even in sections from one of
the German North Sea across Austria to Pola or Trieste; she must, in
naval parlance, have made the voyage "on her own bottom". It was
indeed a daring piece of work running the gauntlet of the British
patrol ships in home waters, passing through the well-guarded Straits
of Gibraltar and entering the Mediterranean Sea, which was held almost
entirely by British and French war-ships. Unseen, save when receiving
supplies of oil and provisions from well-subsidized tenders sailing
under a neutral flag, she had reached a secret rendezvous in Asia
Minor, and was now within easy distance of the unsuspecting Allied
fleets.
If one German submarine could perform this unparalleled feat others
could do the same, and a fresh danger menaced the ships that were so
persistently hammering at Turkey's gate.
Presently one of the German officers gave vent to an exclamation of
satisfaction, at the same time pointing along the mountain path which
ended close to where he was standing. The others bestirred themselves,
like men who after long waiting have their expectations realized.
The head of the convoy was approaching.
"Well met, von Birmitz!" exclaimed the captain of the convoy to the
senior officer of the submarine, who wore the uniform of a
lieutenant-commander. "We had your message, but why did you not send a
wireless? It would have saved hours."
"It would have been unsafe, my dear von Elbing," replied the German
naval officer. "Those cursed Englishmen would intercept the message,
and the cat would be out of the bag. But I am right glad to see you,
and more especially the stuff you bring."
The military officer laughed uproariously.
"Nothing like being candid," he remarked. "Did you have a good voyage?"
"Excellent. And what is more, we passed within two hundred metres of a
British battleship, and she never had the faintest notion that one of
our most formidable _unterseebooten_ was anywhere in the Mediterranean."
"You bagged her, of course?"
"Unfortunately, no. There were too many English destroyers about, and
we had not enough petrol to risk being driven miles out of our course.
There was sufficient only to bring us here, and here we have been the
last three days with the English fleet within easy striking distance,
yet we were helpless."
"You will not be for long," rejoined von Elbing, "so the sooner we get
to work the better."
"Meanwhile, do me the honour of broaching a bottle of the best Rhine
wine," said von Birmitz. "Our boat is but a small one for a man of
your build, but with caution you will be safer than in Fort----"
"Nagara," added the other. "You are right. When those English shells
begin to fall it is a bit of a tight corner, but fortunately von Biltz
and I have a snug and safe retreat."
The officers embarked in the canvas boat and were rowed off to the
submarine. Before going below, von Birmitz spoke to a seaman, who
instantly semaphored to a German sentry stationed on the high ground at
the entrance to the inlet.
Crosthwaite had not noticed the fellow before. He now realized that he
had run a great risk of detection, for, in his curiosity to overhear
the conversation, he had approached so closely to the edge of the cliff
as to be clearly visible from the place where the sentry from the
submarine was posted.
The seaman semaphored a reply, which was evidently satisfactory, for,
rubbing his hands gleefully, the Lieutenant-Commander followed his
guests down the narrow hatchway.
A little later the submarine, the deck of which was previously only
just awash, began to rise till she showed a freeboard of nearly six
feet.
Dick estimated that she was about three hundred feet in length, and
considerably longer than the latest type of British submersible. Her
conning-tower was of an acute oval section and apparently spacious.
There were two periscopes, while abaft the conning-tower was a light
signalling-mast supporting the wireless aerials. Fore and aft were
short quick-firing guns mounted on water-tight disappearing platforms,
while, owing to freeboard she exposed, the Sub could see the ends of a
couple of broadside torpedo-tubes, both within ten feet of the 'midship
section.
"She carries six tubes at least," whispered Dick; "two on each side
abeam and two in the bows. It's just likely she has a pair of stern
tubes also. No wonder she wants a good supply of torpedoes; yet what
has she done with those she brought with her? That fellow made no
mention of having used any. Hello, she's getting under way."
As he spoke, men hurried up from below. The propeller began to churn
and the submarine gathered way. Describing a semicircle she slowed
down, while a couple of seamen in the Berthon boat began to run a line
ashore. To this was bent a stout hawser, which, as soon as it was made
fast to the stump of a tree, was carried to a motor-capstan on deck.
Slowly and with extreme caution the _unterseeboot_ was warped close
inshore until it was possible for a man to leap from her deck on to dry
ground.
It was the only place in the creek where deep water existed close to
the shore, for elsewhere the depth shoaled gradually.
The work of replenishing the submarine's stock of petrol proceeded with
the utmost dispatch, each large steel drum being carried to the beach
by Turks, whence it was whipped on board by means of a light steel
crane. The drums were quickly emptied into the vessel's tanks, and the
empties taken ashore again and reloaded on the wagons.
Nearly the whole morning was spent in taking on board the supply of
petrol. According to Dick's estimate, the quantity was sufficient for
a surface run of at least four thousand miles.
After that part of the business was completed, the additional torpedoes
were cautiously slung inboard and passed down a long, narrow hatchway.
In this operation the Turkish troop took no part. The handling and
stowage was performed entirely by the submarine's crew.
In the midst of these operations the seaman sentry began signalling
frantically. Summoned from below, von Birmitz hastily appeared,
followed by his guest and the other officers of the submarine who were
not engaged In superintending the work.
Somewhat ungracefully von Elbing leapt ashore, landing on his hands and
knees. He shouted an order to the men of the convoy, hurried up the
path, and was soon lost to sight.
Meanwhile the crew of the submarine were hurriedly securing hatches,
and lowering the disappearing guns and the wireless mast. In their
haste they were unable to pass below four torpedoes lying on deck.
These they fastened to ring-bolts by means of stout ropes, then at the
Lieutenant-Commander's orders the crew cast off the hawsers and
scurried-below.
Twenty seconds later the submarine sank in twelve fathoms of water,
till from their elevated position the two British officers could just
discern her outlines as she glided towards the centre of the creek.
"They've smelt a rat," declared Dick.
"One of our destroyers, by Jove!" added Farnworth, as a
four-black-funnelled, black-hulled craft proudly displaying the white
ensign could be seen beyond the barrier of rock that almost closed the
narrow entrance.
"We must attract their attention, regardless of the consequences,"
declared Dick, and springing to his feet he waved the silk handkerchief
that had previously rendered good service as an insulator to von
Eitelheimer's scabbard.
"Let's fire our revolvers, sir," suggested the midshipman.
"Can but try," replied Dick recklessly. "Only I'm afraid they won't
hear; the wind's the wrong way."
Both men emptied their revolvers In the air, but to their intense
disappointment the destroyer held on her course without attempting to
reply, and presently she was lost to sight behind the rising ground.
"Think that rotten submarine will have a go at her, sir?" asked
Farnworth.
"Hardly likely. She'll want to try her luck at bigger game," replied
Dick. "But the point is this: we must do our level best to warn our
people--and as soon as we possibly can. It will take the German
submarine another five hours at least to prepare for sea, and those
fellows won't reappear in a hurry until the coast is perfectly clear.
The question is, did the troops belonging to the convoy hear our shots?
If so, we must look out for ourselves."
"What do you propose, sir?"
"Wait till the submarine resumes loading up, then we'll cut back and
see if we can't collar a couple of horses. You'll remember the Turks
left their horses hobbled, and there was no one left on guard. Then
we'll go all out and make for Kum Kale. If we find the French there,
well and good; if not, we must make a raft or sneak a boat, and trust
to luck to be picked up by one of our patrol ships."
Cautiously the two fugitives made their way backward along the terrace
running parallel to and above the mountain path. After traversing
nearly a quarter of a mile they halted abruptly, for seated on a rock
by the side of the ridge were two German military officers, who, to
pass away the tedious wait, had climbed the hillside and were now
enjoying cigars.
"Luckily, we were not making a dash for it," remarked Dick. "But at
the same time we did right to make a reconnaissance by daylight. I'm
afraid these terraces terminate abruptly, but we'll see."
Accordingly Crosthwaite and his companion climbed to the next ridge.
Still not satisfied they ascended to the next, which was about two
hundred feet above the one where the two German officers had
unwittingly cut off their retreat.
"There's only the road for us," announced Dick after a while. "See,
all these terraces end abruptly. There's a precipitous gorge right
through the mountain."
"A good thing we didn't try it in the dark, sir," said the midshipman.
"A fellow wouldn't be worth much if he pitched over there."
"Well, let's get back to our former hiding-place," suggested the Sub.
"It's about time the submarine appeared."
Dick was right in his surmise, for the boat had just emerged from its
hiding-place and was being warped in towards the shore.
"Where's von Elbing and his men?" demanded the Lieutenant-Commander of
his subordinate. "One would think that the English destroyer was
searching for him!"
"He's coming," announced the German sub-lieutenant.
"About time," grumbled von Birmitz. "It will be quite another
twenty-four hours before they go to Chanak and back, and we can't move
until they do."
The interrupted work was continued, while the German officers chatted
on the beach. Presently the seaman stationed on the cliffs as a
look-out began signalling, his message being taken down by another
seaman on the deck of the submarine.
"Gott in Himmel, what is this?" exclaimed von Birmitz dumbfoundedly,
when the message was handed him. "Von Elbing, listen. Our man reports
that as soon as we were submerged two German officers began signalling
to that cursed English destroyer, and that they even fired shots to
attract her attention."
"Impossible," declared von Elbing. "Unless----"
"Unless what?"
"Two English prisoners escaped from Fort Medjidieh. They took the
uniforms of Major von Eitelheimer and of one of our second lieutenants."
The Lieutenant-Commander swore loudly.
"It must be they," he declared. "Warn your men, von Elbing. I'll turn
out a dozen of my crew, and we'll have a hunt for these troublesome
pests. Mark my word, there'll be trouble if we don't settle with them."
"They cannot get far," added von Elbing complaisantly. "If we surround
this hill there is no escape except by the road, and that is well
guarded. Let us hasten, for it is already late in the afternoon."
Dick nudged his companion.
"Now we're on our mettle," he said grimly. "The fun is about to
commence."