JACK PERPETRATES A PRACTICAL SEA JOKE
"Searchlight ahead, sir."
Captain Jack made the report to Commander Ennerling.
It was in the small hours of the morning, and the submarine, having
taken its prize in to Clyde City's harbor, was now on its way up the
coast to tie up for the night at Dunhaven.
They were running about six miles off the coast. As the president of
the Naval board had a great desire to test the craft running all but
submerged, only the upper portion of the conning tower was above the
water.
At Clyde City the "Selma" had been put in charge of the squad of the
harbor police boat, and the yacht's captain and mate, neither of them
badly injured, had been freed.
Dry clothing had been secured for the ladies, and they were taken ashore.
Eghert Lawton was profuse in his expressions of gratitude, and declared
that he hoped to meet all hands of the submarine party again at an early
date indeed. Our friends learned, later, that the mutineers had been
sent to prison.
Now only her regular party was aboard the "Pollard." For half an hour
the little vessel had been running along, nearly submerged, and with the
searchlight not showing.
At Jack's report Commander Ennerling looked up from the compass he had
been studying by the shaded light that showed at only that point in
the tower.
"She's coming head-on toward us," said Ennerling. "Benson, Navy men are
handling that searchlight."
"You think so, sir?"
"No; I know it," was the dry rejoinder. "There's a way, in the Navy, of
swinging a searchlight; a way that no merchantman or yachtsman has ever
yet caught."
As yet the vessel behind the searchlight was not visible. Indeed, if she
were painted the dark gray color of the Navy craft, it would be some time
yet before her hull could show plainly at night.
Commander Ennerling used his glasses for some moments.
"Shall I answer with our searchlight, sir?" inquired the submarine boy.
"No, no, thank you. I'm more interested in seeing how close we can get
to that vessel, since she belongs to the Navy, before she succeeds in
picking us up with her light. It's of great practical value to know
just how close we can get to that other vessel, undiscovered, in the
night time."
"How close would you like to get to her?" inquired young Benson, a
smile playing about the corners of his mouth.
"Humph! I'd like to tie up to the other craft," muttered the Naval
officer.
"Well," propounded Jack, "what's to prevent us from doing it?"
"Several things. The watch that's kept aboard a Naval vessel under way,
for one thing."
"I'll try the trick, sir, if you'll stand for it."
Ennerling turned to stare at the boy in amazement.
"Benson, you've done several clever things, but now you're talking
nonsense."
"I don't say I can do the thing," rejoined Jack, "but would you like to
see me try?"
"Yes, if you take no risk of ramming the war ship, or doing any other
damage."
Captain Jack instantly shut off the speed, reversing, next allowing the
"Pollard" to stop and drift as she lay.
"What's that for?" asked Commander Ennerling.
"I'm going to try," replied Jack, with a laugh. "Oh, Hal!"
Hastings came at once up aloft with them. His mouth opened in a broad
grin as he listened to his chum's rapid sentences.
"And now ask Eph to come up here," finished Jack.
As Somers reached his young chief Benson demanded:
"Eph, see that light? Commander Ennerling is sure it belongs to a Naval
vessel. We're going to try to tie up to her while she's going at
cruising speed."
"Say, that's like you!" burst from Eph Somers, an admiring grin showing
in his face.
"Eph, have you sufficient nerve to get into your bathing suit like
lightning, and go overboard with a lantern and a rocket or two, with
only a state-room door to float on?"
"Of course," nodded Eph. "The sea's not rough, and a state-room door is
big enough to ride on. But you're not going to leave me marooned, are
you?"
"Not likely," laughed Jack. "You're right in the path of the approaching
vessel, Eph, and they'll see your rockets and lantern. They'll pick
you up."
Eph's face went suddenly solemn.
"Say," he muttered, "I'll have a real interesting time trying to make
some sort of an explanation, won't I? What shall I tell them if they do
pick me up?"
"Tell 'em anything you like, except that the 'Pollard' is trying to tie
up," responded Jack.
"That all?" demanded Eph, with a grin. "If it is, I'm off to get into
my traveling clothes."
"Hurry," nodded Jack. "Send Hal up to the wheel, while I explain the
whole thing to Mr. Farnum. But, commander, what if that shouldn't be
a Navy vessel?"
"It is," responded Ennerling, with emphasis. "It's the gunboat
'Massapeqna.' She's in these waters just now. You'll find I'm right."
Jacob Farnum began to laugh heartily when he caught the whole of Captain
Jack Benson's new idea of a sea joke.
Eph was quickly in his bathing suit. He and Jack unhinged a stateroom
door, carrying it up through the conning tower. Hal, in the meantime,
under orders, had attended to bringing the "Pollard's" platform deck
briefly above water.
The movements of the searchlight ahead convinced the submarine boat's
observers that the gunboat's watch officer had not yet detected the
presence of so small and unlighted an object as the "Pollard," miles
away.
As the door was floated on the water alongside, Eph stepped out onto it,
squatting. He had with him a lantern, three rockets and a box of wind
matches.
"Don't forget I'm here, if I'm overlooked by the other people," called
Eph, with a wave of his hand, as he floated slowly astern.
"And don't let 'em know where you came from, or what's up," called back
Jack Benson.
"Say, do you think I'm as foolish as I look?" blurted Eph,
half-indignantly. Those were the last words exchanged, for the
"Pollard," now moving slowly forward, had left its detached door
astern.
With only a couple of feet of the conning tower above surface, the
"Pollard" began to make good submerged time forward. Presently the
little craft dropped below the water altogether. Ten minutes later the
tower flashed above the water for just a moment.
The Naval commander quickly brought the night glass into play.
"That's the '_Massapequa_,'" he declared, laying down the glass.
"There, they've picked us up," cried Jack, as the light passed over
the top of the conning tower.
"They won't be sure after just that brief flash at us," rejoined
Ennerling. "Drop out of sight."
Jack let the "Pollard" drop at a semi-dive. Just as they had barely gone
under there was a steadier flash of light on the water in front of them.
Jack chuckled.
"Quick work," nodded Ennerling, approvingly. "The lookout on the
gunboat thought they saw something here on the water, and swung the ray
back to find out what it was. Now, they've doubtless concluded that
they were fooled by a shadow."
"The next time we come up we'll have passed the 'Massapequa' and be
astern of her," predicted Jack.
"Good enough, if you can calculate correctly the distance. The gunboat,
of course, has no searchlight aft."
For some minutes the "Pollard" ran under water.
"I'm sure we're a little astern, now," said Captain Jack. "I'll take a
lift up into the atmosphere."
With that the "Pollard," which had been running not more than five feet
below the surface of the water, rose gently.
"Jove!" murmured Commander Ennerling.
"Did you work by calculation, Benson, or guesswork?"
"I calculated the distance as nearly as I could," replied Jack Benson
quietly.
"Then you're a marvel, lad," cried Commander Ennerling, admiringly.
It was little wonder that the Naval officer was astounded. For the
"Pollard" had emerged barely a hundred feet to the starboard of the
gunboat's line of course, and barely two hundred feet astern.
"The rest is going to be easy," laughed Captain Jack, confidently. "The
trick is as good as played on the '_Massapequa_.'"
He gave the wheel a hard turn to bring the nose of the submarine about.
"There's your gleeful friend, Eph Somers," announced Commander Ennerling,
pointing ahead as the "Pollard" came about.
A bare eighth of a mile away, directly in the track of the gunboat, sat
Eph on his door. Those in the tower could not quite make him out in the
night, but they could see the circles described by the lighted lantern
that Eph was swinging.