IN THE NIGHT
Frank took command of the submarine. As he had feared, there was some
protest among the men Captain Jack had decided upon to man the vessel,
but the pirate chief soon overcame this. Therefore, when the submarine
put off from Kaiserland, the men were anxious to obey the lad's every
order.
From the fort to the place where the submarine lay the paths of both
land and sea parties lay together. According to Captain Jack's
calculations the start from this point, if made simultaneously by land
and sea forces, would enable both to reach their destination at
approximately the same hour, if the submarine was held to five knots an
hour. It had been deemed advisable for the undersea craft to go some
distance from land and then run south submerged.
From the deck of the submarine Frank waved a band to his friends on
shore. The others stood watching while the vessel crept through the
water. At length, upon Frank's order, it submerged.
Captain Jack ordered his men south.
The land party now was divided into three sections. Captain Jack led
the main body, composed of twelve men. Jack had the same number under
his command. Counting Timothy and Allen, Captain Glenn commanded
thirteen men.
While Jack was nominally in command of the party, it had been decided
that it would be wise to let Captain Jack show the way, this because
the pirates would feel more secure under his guidance. They moved
south at a rapid walk.
Darkness fell and still the marchers made their way through the thick
trees and underbrush. The march would be a long one, so after two
hours' walking, Captain Jack slowed his men down a trifle.
At 10 o'clock Captain Jack called a halt in the darkness. He glanced
at his watch by the dim light of the moon, and passed the word for Jack
and Captain Glenn, who approached a moment later.
"Half an hour's march and we shall be within sight of the base," said
Captain Jack. "The Germans have felled trees between them and the
forest proper, apparently with the idea of preventing a surprise from
this direction. We'll have to trust to luck and the darkness to get us
safely across opening."
"We'll take it at a run," said Captain Glenn.
"That will be the best way," Captain Jack agreed, "but I figure we had
better approach from different points. Templeton, I'll wait here with
my men while you make a quarter of a mile detour to the right. Captain
Glenn, you do the same to the left. I'll wait here fifteen minutes.
When you see the first of my men move across the opening, you follow
suit."
"A good idea," was Jack's comment.
"Don't forget," Captain Jack said, "that the main thing is to get the
bombs planted without being discovered. If we can do that without
interruption, it would even be well to draw off without firing a shot.
But the bombs must be placed squarely within the German settlement or
our work will count for nothing."
"Right you are, Captain," said Captain Glenn.
"Very good, then. Now, you fellows get to your places and then move
toward the clearing. As soon as you see my men moving across the
opening, advance."
Jack and Captain Glenn returned to their commands and gave the
necessary marching orders. The men moved off in the darkness.
Less than an hour later Jack stood in the shelter of a large tree at
the very edge of the clearing. In the distance he could make out what
appeared to be numerous buildings. This was the point, the lad felt
sure, where the blow would be struck.
In his left hand Jack carried a small but powerful bomb, which had been
provided by Captain Jack. The fuse attached would burn fifteen
minutes. In the time after it was lighted this meant that the
attacking party had fifteen minutes to get out of the way before the
explosion occurred. Captain Glenn and Captain Jack carried similar
explosives.
Jack kept his eyes upon the place where Captain, Jack's party soon was
to move across the open. For five minutes he gazed without result, and
then he saw several shadowy figures stealing across the clearing.
Jack turned to his men with a command.
"March!" he ordered.
He placed himself at their head and they dashed through the darkness at
a run.
A quarter of a mile on the other side of Captain Jack's party, Captain
Glenn also had ordered his men forward.
Meanwhile, what of Frank and the submarine?
Shaping his course by the chart which Captain Jack had given him, Frank
kept the course accurately. The speed of the vessel was maintained at
five knots, in accordance with Captain Jack's calculations. As Frank's
watch showed half past eleven, he felt that the time to exercise the
greatest caution had come.
The lad turned the wheel over to Williams and took the latter's place
at the periscope. Directly he was able to make out the coast line, and
even at this distance he felt certain that he could make out a long row
of buildings in the background. The submarine was, of course, still
too far away for possible vessels, which would lie low on the water, to
be within the lad's range of vision.
"Where are the mines?" the lad asked Williams.
"Foot of the ladder, sir," was the reply.
"Fuses attached?"
"Yes, sir, and anchors, too, sir."
"Good! Of course, we'll have to come to the surface to let them go."
"Of course, sir."
"Then be ready when I give the word. I can't pick up any submarines at
this distance, but they may all be upon the surface as well as resting
beneath the water."
"I'm ready, sir."
"Torpedoes all right?"
"Yes, sir. I just examined them ten minutes ago."
"Guess there are no other precautions we can take," said Frank. "Be
ready to grab a couple of mines and follow me on deck when I give the
word." Frank turned and summoned one of the pirate crew, a negro, who
answered to the name of Jefferson.
"Jefferson, take the wheel," he said.
Jefferson did so, grinning.
"Slow to two knots, Williams," ordered Frank.
Williams signaled the engine room and the pace of the submarine slowed
down until the vessel was barely moving through the water.
Frank glanced at his watch. It was 12 o'clock.
"Fifteen minutes in which to lay the mines," he said to himself. "They
must explode at 12:30--"
At 12:10 the submarine emerged from the depth and floated calmly upon
the surface of what appeared to be an artificial harbor. Frank and
Williams, leaving Jefferson at the wheel and ordering the engines
stopped, sprang on deck, carrying two small packages each. These,
bound in little tin boxes, were the deadly mines.
"One off here, Williams," said Frank, putting one on deck and glancing
at his watch.
The hands showed 12:15.
"We'll have to work fast," said Frank.
Quickly Frank dropped one of the mines over the port side of the
vessel, aft. Williams followed suit to starboard, forward. Frank poked
his head down the hatchway and yelled:
"Full speed, ahead, Jefferson!" The vessel dashed forward. "West by
north five points!" yelled Frank.
The submarine veered sharply.
Two minutes from where the first mines had been dropped overboard,
Frank and Williams let go the remaining two. As they did so, Frank
perceived several long shapes emerging from below. He took one look
and then dived below with a cry to Williams:
"Submarines!"
It was true. Attracted by the impending danger in some unaccountable
fashion, the German terrors of the deep were coming from fancied
security beneath the waves for a look around.
Frank grabbed the wheel from Jefferson and turned the head of the
submarine due north. He rang for full speed ahead.
At almost the same instant one of the German submarines espied the
stranger in the midst. There was a hail across the water. Then a
torpedo flashed close to the Roger.
Again Frank glanced at his watch. It was 12:25--only five minutes
were left in which the pirate submarine might reach a place of safety.
Frank feared to give the signal to submerge for the reason that the
speed of the craft would be impeded.
It was better to run the gauntlet of the submarines on top of the
water. Torpedoes passed close, but Frank maneuvered the little vessel
from port to starboard and back again so rapidly that none struck
home.
And at last Frank, watch in hand, felt that the submarine was safely
out of the danger zone. His watch showed 12:30.
Frank strained his ears to catch the explosion that would tell him the
deadly mines had done their work.