CARDYKE TO THE RESCUE
THE collision with the iceberg had, as Fielding anticipated,
completely unnerved the Dago crew. Even Juan Cervillo realised that
there were great difficulties and perils in his path that were as
formidable as the retributive warships he had hitherto escaped. As
the _Independencia_ steamed off on her aimless course the Spanish
captain contrived to induce some of the engineers to go below and
shut off steam, and, gradually losing way, the cruiser came to a
standstill. Cervillo would wait till the fog lifted rather than risk
another collision. It might be for days, but there were enough
provisions and water to last for nearly a month.
As soon as the vessel had slowed down an examination of the damage
caused by the collision was made. The principal injury was to the
bows, where the massive steel plating had been fractured and buckled
for a distance of twenty feet from the stem. The whole of the
fore-peak was flooded; but the inrush of water was prevented from
making its way aft by the water-tight bulkheads. Even the foremost of
these was strained to such an extent that the doors let in a
considerable quantity of water. As the cruiser slipped off the berg
the torrent of ice-laden sea that broke over her decks literally
swept everything removable as far as the base of the after tripod
mast, while of the boats taken from the _Steephill Castle_ only three
remained. The aftermost funnel, struck by a huge fragment of ice, had
been carried away, leaving a jagged ridge of steel projecting five or
six feet above the casings. This accounted for the loss of ten of the
crew; another thirty or forty had been swept away when the
_Independencia_ had dipped beneath the waves, while several more were
severely injured by the first concussion and the subsequent violent
motion of the stricken craft.
No wonder, then, that Juan Cervillo was almost at his wits' end. He
realised that he had made a mistake in seeking refuge in northern
waters. The irresistible craving to increase the amount of his booty,
instead of retiring to a South American port with the proceeds of his
successful captures, had caused his present plight. In a partially
crippled ship, incapable of making more than ten knots, and separated
from his ultimate port of refuge by thousands of miles of carefully
patrolled ocean, his position was hazardous in the extreme. Further
captures by the _Independencia_ were almost impossible, since the
usual speed of tramp steamers considerably exceeded that of the
damaged cruiser.
In the midst of these calamities Cervillo's thoughts were not for the
safety of his rascally crew, but how he could effect his own escape
with the riches that the pirates had so unlawfully acquired. The
question of fellow-feeling for his comrades in distress troubled him
not one moment; they could shift for themselves as best they might,
provided he was safely off the disabled ship with the booty. How
could this be done? he asked himself. It was more than the task of a
single man; but did the crew know of his plans his life would not be
worth a moment's purchase. Plan after plan flashed across his mind,
only to be condemned as impracticable, till his cunning brain evolved
a scheme that seemed capable of being put into execution.
"Da Silva," he exclaimed, addressing one of his officers, a Spaniard
like himself. "I want to speak to you in my cabin."
Side by side the two men walked aft till they reached the after
hatchway. It was closed, the bo'sun, in anticipation of bad weather,
having given orders for this to be done. In obedience to a hail a
dozen seamen came running through the fog-laden atmosphere, and
tackles were rove to the heavy steel plates covering the means of
communicating with the half-deck and the officers' cabins.
Slowly the metal slab rose till there was a space of nearly three
feet between the lid and the coaming. One of the seamen slipped
through with the intention of clearing away a chain slung on the
underside. As he did so a report rang out. The man clapped his hands
to his head and toppled across the framework of the hatchway.
Simultaneously the other seamen, alarmed at the noise, hurriedly let
go the tackles, and the hatch-cover fell back with a resounding
clang.
"_Caramba!_ The prisoners are loose!" exclaimed Cervillo.
By a prematurely fired shot all chances of "rushing" the pirates were
thrown away. One of the Frenchmen, with the mercurial excitability of
his race, seeing the pirate enter the hatch, had foolishly discharged
one chamber of his revolver. Before the men under Hiram B. Rutter's
command could rush up the companion ladder the falling of the
armoured slab had rendered their attempt absolutely impossible.
"Hang it, man!" exclaimed Fielding, who had hastened to the base of
the after ladder on hearing the shot and the clang of the cover.
"We've made a hopeless mess of things this time."
Recriminations would have been a mere waste of time. Fielding blamed
no one. He knew, however, that an attempt to storm the quarter-deck
when the hatch was again removed would be useless, as the pirates
would by that time have taken elaborate precautions. As a matter of
fact Cervillo had ordered twenty armed men to come aft, while a
quick-firing gun was temporarily mounted so that its muzzle gaped
menacingly over the aperture leading to the half-deck.
"Yes, Mr. Rutter," continued the sub. "We must sit tight. They can't
very well turn us out, neither can we turn them out, so we must make
ourselves comfortable as best we can. Luckily our quarters are not so
cramped as hitherto, and our circle of acquaintances has widened
considerably."
"That's about right, I guess," agreed the American. "We've only to
keep our eyes skinned and allow no low-down pirate to get down here,
and I reckon we'll come out on top."
Accordingly ten men were stationed at each ladder, ready to pour in a
destructive fire should the crew of the cruiser attempt to descend
from the quarter-deck. This done, the rest of the involuntary guests
were sent to explore the steerage and orlop-decks.
In the captain's and officers' cabins the electric light was still in
working order, although in the quarters previously occupied by the
hostages lamps and candles were the only means of artificial
illumination allowed. There was enough good fare to allow all the new
masters of the after part of the ship to partake of a sumptuous meal,
which, after the meagre fare they had been compelled to subsist upon,
was appreciated with great gusto.
"I wonder how Cervillo will get on without the use of his cabin?"
asked Cardyke.
"He can jolly well go on short commons, as we had to do," growled
Fielding. "Finished, Cardyke? Good! Now cut below, take Hardy with
you, and make an examination of the bread-room, and the compartments
in the flats. Be sure to find out whether there is any fresh water.
Either the wardroom pump is out of order or the supply is getting
low."
Accompanied by the faithful coxswain the mid. descended the several
flights of iron ladders till he reached the flats. An examination of
the fresh-water tank showed that there was barely enough to last over
another day. The bread and spirit rooms were comparatively well
stocked.
"We'll do the rascals out of their grog, sir, if we don't do anything
more," observed Hardy, pointing to the open spirit-room.
"They've plenty for'ard, I don't doubt," replied Cardyke. "Those
fellows don't follow service routine. They've most likely a pannikin
of rum at their fingers' ends or a few puncheons of wine ready
broached. But what's in this place, I wonder?"
The mid. pointed to a store-room adjoining the after submerged
torpedo compartment, which, unlike the spirit-room, was securely
padlocked.
"Can't say, sir," replied Hardy. "Used to be the store for warheads
of torpedoes; but they can't very well have got hold of any o' they."
"We'll jolly soon find out," asserted Cardyke. "It's something of
importance, for there's been a sentry stationed here; look at the
cigarette-ends. He must have bolted up on deck at the time of the
collision."
"Then he won't return to his post just yet awhile," rejoined Hardy.
"D'ye want me to prise the door open, sir? I suppose there ain't
dynamite or stuff of that sort stowed away here?" And the coxswain
drew his revolver.
"Better be careful," said the mid., warningly. "Don't blow the lock
off. See if you can lay hold of a crowbar."
Hardy departed on his quest, and presently returned with a hack-saw.
"This'll do a mighty lot better'n a crowbar, sir," said he. "Would
you mind steadying the padlock while I set to work?"
Five minutes sufficed to saw through the heavy brass framework, and
Cardyke threw open the door. Within the room were piles of
iron-clamped boxes, reaching almost to the ceiling. One or two had
been wrenched open, but it took the united efforts of the midshipman
and the burly coxswain to set one of the chests upon the floor. It
was full of gold ingots.
"Lawks!" ejaculated Hardy, at a loss to say anything else, for the
sight of untold wealth almost capsized his equilibrium.
"We've done the pirates very nicely," said Cardyke. "They'll be wild
with fury to think that we've recaptured the booty."
"Strikes me this is mighty queer. We can't hand the stuff back to its
rightful owners, sir; and the bloomin' pirates can't make use of it
now they've got it on board."
"There's one consolation--it's one in the eye for the rascals," added
the mid. "I'll go and report matters to Mr. Fielding."
"Yes, it's some satisfaction to know we've scored," observed the sub.
when Cardyke made his report. "Sooner than let the rascals lay their
hands on the stuff I'd have the whole lot pitched overboard. But
that's a serious business, the shortage of water. I don't know what
we can do."
"I have it," announced Cardyke. "There's plenty of ice floating
about; we can get a lot of it on board, and melt it down."
"Don't quite see how," objected Fielding.
"The ship's not moving through the water. We can lower a bucket from
one of the ports in the captain's cabin. I don't think it will
attract attention."
"Much more good this," interrupted General Oki, who had overheard the
conversation. "Let man down by rope; pick up ice, and put in sack.
Sack full above top in no time."
"A man would stand a good chance of being frozen to death in five
minutes," objected the sub. "Besides, it would mean a bullet through
his head if the pirates discovered what he was up to."
"Me speak to Mr. Hokosuka," said the general; and turning to his
compatriot he explained the state of affairs.
"Hokosuka he go to-night," announced Oki. "Heap plenty of fresh water
tomorrow."
The rest of the day passed without interruption. The fog showed no
signs of lifting, while at intervals came the thunderous crashes as
the icebergs in the vicinity of the cruiser toppled over or split
asunder. As Cardyke had said, there was plenty of fresh water in a
solid form close at hand. Some of the fragments of ice were so large
that the noise they made as they scraped the ship's sides could be
distinctly heard.
Shortly after dark, for the sun did not set till half-past ten,
Hokosuka was ready for his enterprise. The Jap had stripped off his
clothing and had smeared himself from head to foot with a mixture of
mineral oil and animal fat. This done, he reclothed himself in some
old yet thick garments, so that he would be better able to withstand
the numbing effects of the water. Three large canvas sacks were
prepared ready to be lowered out of the port to the water's edge.
These Hokosuka proposed to fill with lumps of ice before he was
hauled back to his comrades.
Noiselessly the deadlight covering the port was unscrewed; Hokosuka
fastened a rope round his waist, and was preparing to clamber through
the port when he was struck in the face by a man's toes that
mysteriously appeared from without. Before he could recover from his
astonishment the owner of the toes slid feet foremost through the
port, and to the surprise of all who recognised him, the wily Mukyima
gravely saluted his compatriots and the two Englishmen.
The man had contrived to understand the position of affairs, and,
taking advantage of his marvellous agility, dropped over the side,
and crawling aft by means of the torpedo-net shelves, gained the open
port. Luckily for him it was open, for all the other ports and
scuttles were secured by deadlights. But what surprised Fielding and
Cardyke more than the feat the Jap had successfully performed was the
matter-of-fact way in which the Japanese took the reunion. Hokosuka
was astonished--not at seeing his friend once more, but by the sudden
blow in the face. Beyond that there were no visible expressions of
welcome or delight upon the visages of the unfathomable Asiatics.
Without further delay Hokosuka departed on his perilous errand. In
five minutes the first sack was hauled up. Another eight minutes
passed before the second consignment arrived; then there was an
ominous delay.
"The man is frozen to death," exclaimed Fielding. "Haul away as fast
as you can."
The sub., Cardyke, Rutter, and four or five more tugged at the
rope--it broke.
Thrusting his head out of the port Fielding tried to peer through the
darkness. No call for aid came from the surface of the
night-enshrouded sea. He placed his hand upon the rope holding the
third. It was heavy--far too heavy for a bag filled with ice only.
"He's hanging on to this rope," announced the sub. in a low tone.
"It's not stout enough to haul him up."
A hand touched his shoulder. He withdrew from the port-hole, and,
turning, saw Cardyke, clad in a pilot-coat and with a rope made fast
round his waist.
"I'll see what I can do," said the mid., quietly. "I'll take another
length of rope with me. There's no time to waste."
The next instant he had vanished. Scraping down the rusty-streaked
grey side of the ship, guiding his descent by means of the rope
attached to the weighted sack, Cardyke proceeded on his errand of
rescue. For full thirty feet he was lowered before he touched the
mouth of the ice-filled bag. By giving two tugs upon the
supplementary line the mid. signalled to his friends to stop
lowering, and, fumbling with his hands, he strove to find the hapless
Jap. But still success did not reward his efforts. He realised that
the piercing cold was beginning to make itself known in a most
unpleasant fashion. His hands were already numbed, the keenness of
the air stung his face like repeated blows of a whip.
Three tugs--lower still. The mid.'s feet were in the water. Again he
groped. His fingers touched Hokosuka's grease-covered face. The man
gave no sign of life. Perhaps he was already dead with exposure.
Labouringly Cardyke passed the end of the second rope under the Jap's
shoulders, and with a painful effort succeeded in tying a running
knot. This done he tugged frantically at the rope. It was a last
effort--the cold had completely paralysed his muscles.
Limply Cardyke was hauled up, and as willing hands assisted him
through the port, he had barely strength to utter "Haul away on the
other line" ere he fainted.
Half a minute later Hokosuka, bound to the third sack with the
severed portion of the rope by which he had been lowered, was dragged
into the cabin. Mukyima bent over him, and placed his hand on the
unconscious man's heart. It still beat feebly.
While the Japanese were attending to their courageous comrade Rutter
approached.
"Can you come this way?" he asked, addressing Fielding. "I guess
they're trying to break in. The hatch-cover is all a-shake."