HOLDING THE CONNING-TOWER
JUAN CERVILLO was completely taken aback at the result of the one
shot. It had put him absolutely beyond the pale. Piracy without
bloodshed was serious enough in all conscience, but to have gone to
this extent meant that capture would, without doubt, end in
ignominious death at the hands of the executioner. Not that he would
allow himself to be captured if it could possibly be avoided. He had
been so far successful. Could he but carry out his plans for the next
few days there was a probability that the _Independencia_ might be
able to slip away from her pursuers, and land his crew with their
ill-gotten booty in some unfrequented place, where they might make
their way in individual parties to one of the lawless South American
republics.
All need for keeping the hostages on deck was for the time being at
an end. The Dutchmen were marched off down below, in a secure place
of confinement on the orlop-deck, while Fielding and Cardyke found
themselves in a cabin on the half-deck in company with General Oki,
Mr. Hokosuka, and a Japanese scientist named Mukyima, The cabin was
wretchedly furnished, having been the quarters of a former
watch-keeper while the ship was awaiting sale. There was a cracked
looking-glass, iron wash-basin and stand, a folding-table fixed to
the bulkhead, and a few camp-chairs.
The three Japanese were already in the cabin when Fielding and the
mid. were unceremoniously thrust in and the door locked behind them.
The former rose and saluted the new arrivals courteously, but by no
expression did they depart from the characteristic imperturbability
of the Asiatic.
"Good evening, gentlemen!" exclaimed Fielding, thinking this manner
of salutation was the best way to ascertain whether the Japanese
hostages spoke English.
"Good evening," replied General Oki. "We are sorry we cannot exchange
our honourable salutations in an atmosphere more auspicious."
"We're glad you speak English," said the sub. "We do not understand
Japanese--I have never been in the Far East."
"I am the only one of three who can speak the tongue of our
illustrious allies and instructors in naval science and warfare,"
continued the Japanese general. "Mr. Hokosuka here does, it is a
veracity, speak few English words. Mr. Mukyima, to the sorrow of his
ancestors, has taken no stride to overpower your tongue."
"We are all in a bit of a hole," remarked the sub., gravely. "Our
destroyer, the _Frome_, boarded the _Yosen Maru_ a few hours ago and
learnt of your predicament. Unfortunately in attempting to capture
this pirate vessel, and incidentally to effect your rescue, we fell
into the hands of these rascals."
"My sympathies with your deplorable misfortune," remarked Oki.
"An' me, too," added Hokosuka.
"Thanks," replied Fielding, briefly; then after a pause he continued,
"What are these rascals going to do with us, I wonder?"
"Pirate hold us to ransom for sum of one million yen," said the
Japanese, as calmly as an Englishman would announce how much an ounce
he paid for his tobacco. "I pay not--Hokosuka he pay not--Mukyima he
pay not."
"I suppose this rascal Cervillo will try and squeeze a tidy sum out
of our relations on our account," said the sub., turning to Cardyke.
"He'll be very much mistaken concerning me, for I doubt whether my
people could raise ten thousand, and even then I feel sure they
wouldn't on principle."
"Same here," agreed the mid. "But the question is: Are we to stick
here without making an effort to break ship?"
"What do you suggest?" asked Fielding, with a slight tinge of
asperity. "Swim a few hundred miles to the nearest land?"
"No; but if we could manage to get out of this dog-hole we might
seize a part of the ship and hold our own."
"Till starved out, eh? And for what purpose?"
"It seems to me that if we could reach the chart-room, or the
conning-tower, we could properly play the dickens with the villains."
"H'm!" ejaculated Fielding, who was beginning to realise that action
was preferable to a prolonged confinement in a wretchedly furnished
cabin. "The conning-tower? But how? And if we did how could we hold
it? We've no weapons."
"We might manage to squeeze through that scuttle," suggested Cardyke,
warming up to his point.
Fielding gave a dubious glance at the Japanese. General Oki was
getting on in years, Mukyima was a big fellow--one of the
Samurai--and both might experience difficulty in effecting their
escape.
"No fear; we can do," exclaimed Oki, "Hokosuka, he take pistols from
men without knowing it." And turning to his companions the Japanese
general explained that plans were being formed to make a stand
against the piratical crew.
Fielding opened the scuttle. Although broad of shoulder he could, by
holding one arm above his head, and the other against his side, pass
the widest part of his massive form through the circular aperture.
Mukyima then tried, and by a wonderful contraction of his muscular
body, squeezed his shoulders through without any apparent difficulty.
"The scuttle is only four feet below the upper deck," said Fielding.
"I'll go first; there's the boat-boom lashed just beneath us. We can
stand on that, use the rise of the scupper as a foothold, and raise
ourselves up over the side. If all is quiet we can creep cautiously
for'ard. If not we must wait till we are all ready to make a rush,
then run for the conning-tower as fast as we know how."
Oki expressed himself satisfied with the arrangements, and shortly
after midnight Fielding was assisted through the narrow opening.
Cardyke and Hokosuka gripped his ankles, and for a short space of
time he hung head downwards till his hands came in contact with the
boom.
"All right--let go," he whispered, as the _Independencia_ listed to
port, and as agile as a cat he landed on the rounded spar. Ere the
vessel heeled in the other direction the sub. had secured a firm hold
upon the rim of the scuttle, his feet planted upon the boom. Then
cautiously he climbed till his head was just above the level of the
deck.
It was almost pitch dark. A screened light was burning in the
chart-room, and the glow of a dozen cigarettes showed that some of
the crew whose watch on deck it was, were taking things as agreeably
as they possibly could, shielding from the keen wind behind the
starboard 'midship barbette.
"All clear," he said, in a low voice. "You are the youngest and most
active, Cardyke. Hang on till the last, and I will give you a
leg-up."
With an agility that was remarkable for his years the veteran Oki
made his way through the exaggerated needle's-eye, and was soon lying
flat on the edge of the deck. Mukyima and Hokosuka followed, and were
soon snugly ensconced by the side of their compatriots. Fielding then
lowered himself to assist the midshipman, but Cardyke had forestalled
him, and was crouching upon the boom.
His intimate knowledge of the ship gave Fielding the place of honour
in making their way for'ard. In Indian file, and as silently as they
possibly could, the four daring spirits followed the sub., crawling
on their hands and knees, expecting every minute to be challenged by
a more vigilant member of the pirate crew.
Unseen and unheard they passed the danger zone in the vicinity of the
barbette, and from thence to the foot of the monkey ladder the deck
was clear. Fielding was within twenty feet of the ladder when a
French seaman came lurching aft.
Without a moment's hesitation the sub. lay down upon the deck,
curling himself up in a natural attitude as if asleep, and his
companions with promptitude followed his example.
As the seaman stumbled past, his right foot came in violent contact
with Cardyke's forehead. The mid., although the blow well-nigh
stunned him, did not utter a sound, and the seaman continued his
erratic course.
Before the fellow had passed the barbette an officer appeared from
behind the foremost funnel casing. Seeing the five men apparently
deep in slumber on the deck he mildly remonstrated. Receiving no
reply he stooped, and touched Cardyke on the shoulder. As he did so
he caught sight of the distinctive "piping" on the mid.'s sleeve, and
as if he had picked up a live coal he jumped backwards, shouting for
assistance.
"Bowl him over," shouted the mid., all necessity for silence being
now out of the question. His strong hands grasped the Spaniard's
ankles, Fielding's heavy fist caught the pirate on the point of his
jaw, and with a gurgled exclamation the astonished man measured his
length on the deck.
In a trice the sub. was running up the ladder to the spar deck, Oki
and Mukyima at his heels, and Cardyke following in the rear. Two
signalmen attempted to bar their path, but went down like ninepins,
and, breathless but unharmed, the adventurers gained the
conning-tower to find that Hokosuka was not with them.
"No fear; him come all right," said Oki, reassuringly.
The words were hardly out of his mouth ere Hokosuka rejoined them,
and silently handed Fielding and the general a revolver apiece. A
third he retained himself. How he gained possession of the weapons
none of his companions knew, nor did the Japanese think fit to
enlighten them on the matter. The main thing was that three of them
were armed with loaded revolvers, each holding six cartridges. There
was no spare ammunition, but Fielding remarked that they ought to be
thankful for small mercies, and trust that there would be no need to
have to expend all the cartridges.
Meanwhile a regular pandemonium had broken out on the pirate cruiser.
Alarmed by the uproar, men poured from below, not knowing whether
they were attacked by a retributive cruiser. In the darkness the
confusion was increased tenfold, and Fielding profited by the chaotic
state of things to put the steering hard to port, steadying the helm
while the _Independencia_ pointed in exactly the opposite direction
to her previous course. The quartermasters at the steering-gear on
the bridge had abandoned their posts at the first alarm, and
consequently the sudden alteration of her course was not corrected As
the cruiser was travelling at a high speed the change of helm gave an
alarming list away from the centre of rotation, and, unaware of what
had caused the "heel," the crew began to shout that the vessel was
capsizing.
"If we had a boat's crew at our backs we could sweep the rascals down
below in a brace of shakes," exclaimed the sub., as he proceeded to
close the slits in the armoured walls. "As we haven't we must make
the best of things. When they've calmed down a bit they'll try and
rout us out. In the interval we must take steps to prepare our
defences."
Hitherto the _Independencia_ had been steaming without navigation
lights, and all lamps 'tween decks were screened, but in order to
reassure his cowardly crew, Cervillo, who had hastily left his cabin,
ordered the lights to be switched on.
Standing on the bridge the pirate captain swore, implored, and
threatened as fast as he could shout. The conviction that the cruiser
was in danger was too firmly rooted in the minds of the seamen to be
removed by a torrent of almost incomprehensible words. Men began to
make a rush for the boats that had been transferred from the pseudo
_Steephill Castle_, two of which hung in the davits on either
quarter. The first boat was stove in against the ship's side, the
second, crowded with men, was so heavy that directly the falls were
manned the laden craft took charge. The ropes slipped from the grasp
of the men who held them, and the boat with its living freight fell
into the sea.
This disaster quieted the panic-stricken crew to a certain extent,
and the officers, with the assistance of a few pistol-shots,
succeeded in driving the mob for'ard. Then it was that the discovery
was made that the _Independencia_ was as far out of her course as she
could possibly be.
By dint of threats and a few lusty strokes with the flat of his sword
Cervillo compelled the quartermasters to return to their posts, only
to discover that as fast as they put the helm up some mysterious
agency promptly put it hard down.
Presently the excited officer who had been capsized by Fielding in
the rush for the conning-tower was able to make a coherent
explanation of what had occurred. Cervillo, fuming with rage, sent a
couple of men down to the cabins where the prisoners had been
confined. The Dutchmen were safely under lock and key, but the
British officers and the three Japanese had escaped.
While the search was in progress a Greek sailor took it into his head
to have a look in the conning-tower. The result was somewhat
surprising as far as he was concerned; for directly his features
appeared in the narrow entrance Hokosuka's lithe fingers clutched him
by the throat. Unable to utter a sound the Greek was choked into
insensibility, relieved of his knife and pistol, and gently dropped
between an empty signal-locker and the stanchion rails. The respite
thus gained was small, but the five occupants of the armoured box
made good use of it. The electric circuits communicating with the
different parts of the ship--most of which had been restored to a
fairly efficient state--were ruthlessly crippled, only the
engine-room telegraph and the steam steering-gear left intact. These
Fielding resolved to destroy at the last moment.
The daring five were not left long undisturbed. Two petty officers,
one of whom carried a hand-lantern, discovered the insensible Greek
seaman.
Uttering a shout that brought others running to the spot, the two men
advanced cautiously towards the conning-tower. The one with the
lantern found himself flying backwards from the effect of a
well-delivered blow from Cardyke's fist. The second, whipping out a
revolver, fired twice in quick succession, the bullets flattening
themselves against the massive steel plates just above the mid.'s
head.
"That's done it," muttered Fielding. Then aloud he exclaimed, "Don't
fire a shot till I give the word. Keep close."
A hail of bullets rattled against the outside of the conning-tower,
followed by an intermittent patter as the leaden hail beat against
the formidable walls.
Receiving no reply, and not knowing that the defenders possessed
firearms, three or four men made a deliberate rush towards the gap
that gave access to the "brain of the ship." The foremost man
Fielding brought down with a bullet through his thigh. The others
fell in a heap over their comrade's prostrate body, lying still in
deadly fear till they mustered sufficient courage to crawl back to
their friends. Again the firing broke out, but without effect.
After a while one of the attackers placed his cap on the end of the
capstan bar, and, bearing it well in front of him, crept softly up to
the entrance, another man, armed with a keen knife lashed, to the end
of a pole, standing ready with his crude yet formidable weapon to
slash at any of the occupants who might be enticed to make a cut at
the decoy.
In the semi-gloom, for outside a few lanterns had been brought up and
placed in position where they might be of service to the attackers,
the defenders caught sight of a white object carefully advancing
inside the entrance of the conning-tower. It was the seaman's cap.
Unguardedly Cardyke was on the point of dealing the intruder a heavy
blow with a brass bar, which he had detached from some mechanism,
when Oki, with characteristic shrewdness, noticed that the forward
motion of the object was jerky and undecided. The Japanese general's
hand clutched the midshipman's wrist, warning him to be on his guard.
Closer and closer came the decoy, till almost the whole of the cap
was in view.
Suddenly falling flat upon the floor Oki extended his right arm and
fired. The shot, aimed slightly upwards, caught the decoy-bearer just
below the knee, and brought him to the deck, while his companion,
letting his weapon clatter from his nerveless grasp, ran shrieking
from the spot.
Realising that they had a hard nut to crack the pirates hesitated to
close, but an intermittent fire was kept up, with the idea of
preventing any of the defenders from leaving their well-nigh
impregnable fortress.
This state of affairs continued till dawn. Then there was a lull in
the firing, and Juan Cervillo's voice was heard demanding instant
surrender, otherwise a dynamite fuse would be thrown into the
conning-tower and blow its defenders to atoms.
[Illustration: THE SHOT CAUGHT THE DECOY BEARER JUST BELOW THE KNEE.
[_Page_ 92.
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