TOUCH AND GO
SNATCHING up a revolver Fielding left the cabin and made his way
along the half-deck till he reached the foremost ladder. Here were
standing nearly a dozen men ready to repel the threatened attack. The
American had spoken truly. Already there was a strain upon the
tackles, and the metal covering was just rising from the coamings.
The pirates were evidently trying to uncover the hatchway without
alarming their foes.
Jumping on the ladder Fielding waited till there was sufficient room
to thrust the muzzle of his revolver under the rising metal plate. He
fired, but whether the shot found a billet or otherwise he knew not,
for the men hauling at the tackles instantly let go, and the
ponderous mass of metal fell with a clang. Simultaneously all the
electric light in the after part of the ship went out; the pirates
had cut the wiring. Lamps and candles were hastily procured, and as
there were plenty in the store-room there was no cause for economy in
this respect; while with the ice that Hokosuka had gathered almost at
the cost of his life there was sufficient water to last nearly a
fortnight.
Finding the partially liberated captives were on the alert the
pirates desisted from making attempts upon the hatchway that night,
and in consequence Fielding was able to divide his command into two
watches, one of which could turn in while the other stood by ready
for any emergency.
The pirate captain undoubtedly meant to attempt all artifices to
recapture the prisoners solely on account of the bulk of the booty
that was stored on the orlop-deck. Were it not for that important
factor Cervillo would not hesitate to seize the first vessel he came
across, transfer the remainder of the booty and crew to her, and
scuttle the _Independencia_, without thought of mercy towards the men
who had baulked him. But his greatest desire was to recover, by
stratagem or force, the precious metal stored in the after part of
the cruiser. Just before dark the voice of the pirate was heard
speaking to them.
"Señor Englishman," he began. "We are in difficulty. The ship is in
danger of sinking."
"Is she?" asked the sub. with well-affected surprise. He knew
perfectly well that had the _Independencia_ really been on the point
of foundering the pirates would be in a panic.
"To save your lives, señor, is the wish of me, Juan Cervillo. So if
you come up we put you away in boats."
"I've no doubt you'd be most pleased to put us away," replied
Fielding. "Where are your boats? Have you enough for the crew? And do
you think boats would stand much chance of being picked up in these
seas?"
"Me find a ship."
"Then we'll wait till you do, especially if the ship is a British
cruiser."
"You refuse?"
"Absolutely."
"Den I pour petrol into cabins, and set fire. You dogs will burn to
death."
"Very considerate of you to provide us with heat in this cold
atmosphere," replied Fielding, coolly. "Now, listen, Señor Cervillo:
you will not dare to use so much as a litre of petrol. I'll tell you
why. We know that most of the gold you precious scoundrels have
collared lies on the orlop-deck."
Fielding paused to let his words sink in. Cervillo gasped with fury.
He had vainly consoled himself that the treasure had escaped the
notice of the men whom he hoped to use to further his ends.
"And so," continued the young British officer, "we've made up our
minds that if you attempt any of your dirty, underhand tricks we will
open the cover of the submerged torpedo-tubes and sink the ship. Then
where will you be? And what good will the stolen treasure do you?"
"Señor, I swear to you----"
"Don't waste your breath, you scoundrel!"
"Señor, hear me. Give up the gold, and you will be on shore placed,
with not one hair of your head----"
"Scalped, eh? Now look here, you rascal: At the first sign of
treachery down goes the _Independencia_ to the bottom of the sea."
Juan Cervillo, baulked, and powerless to gain his end, made his way
for'ard to his temporary quarters, that, contrasting unfavourably
with his cabin, served to increase his discomfiture. During the rest
of that short night the pirate captain racked his brains to devise
some scheme to save himself and secure the treasure. He realised that
Fielding and his associates held the whiphand. He knew enough of
Englishmen in general to feel sure that the sub. would keep his word,
and scuttle the ship should things go badly with them.
Day dawned, but still the fog held. The _Independencia_ was still
floating idly on the ocean. All her boilers were allowed to cool down
save two. The reserve of oil fuel was running short, and only by the
strictest economy could another four hundred miles be got out of the
ship.
Like a caged tiger Juan Cervillo paced his limited quarters. The
Englishman was the source of all the difficulty, he assured himself
again and again. But for that obstacle that stood in his path, the
villain would make good his escape, and leave his companions in
infamy to their fate.
Yes, the first step was to regain possession of the bullion in the
after store-room. Then he could form his plans to get the stuff
safely ashore at the expense of his companions.
Presently Cervillo opened the door and looked out. The upper deck was
almost deserted. Few of the crew could stand the numbing effects of
the Arctic weather. Pacing up and down on the lee side of the
quarter-deck was a muffled figure that Cervillo recognised as his
minion Da Silva. The pirate captain beckoned, and his lieutenant
hastened towards him. Both men entered the cabin that Cervillo had
been obliged to occupy, and the door was shut and bolted.
"I've been striving to find a means of recapturing those insolent
dogs," began Cervillo, jerking his thumb in the direction of the
after end of the ship. "_Caramba!_ It must be done! But how? Can you
suggest anything, Da Silva? You were ever a man of resource.
"We managed it before with chloroform," began the lieutenant.
"That will not do. They are too astute to be caught twice that way.
No, Da Silva. They warned me that if I used my usual methods they
would scuttle the ship--and, think, the gold goes with it!"
"Will they dare do it--don't they value their lives?"
"I cannot take the risks. I would not give that much for the whole
lot of them"--and Cervillo snapped his fingers contemptuously--"but
they have the wealth that is ours by right of conquest. They are
desperate men. If they should sink the ship what chance have we in
our shattered boats in this fearful sea of fog and ice?"
"I would suggest that we bring forty or fifty men aft, and hold them
ready to open fire; warn our men first, so that no more panic may
take place--they were quite out of hand yesterday--then raise an
alarm that the ship is sinking, and every man is to save himself.
Those Englishmen and their companions will bolt from below like
startled rabbits, and we can mow them down as soon as they are all
clear of the hatchway."
"But if we fail?" asked Cervillo, dubiously. "If only one man
survives and runs below again he would open the valves before we
could stop him."
"Then why not drop a charge of dynamite through the ventilator? The
damage would be great, but not enough to sink the ship, and you would
have the whole crowd of them removed without any trouble at all. We
settled thrice that number in the Plazza of Barcelona."
"No," replied the Spanish captain. "That also will not do. Could I be
sure of wiping out this nest of hornets with one blow I would not
hesitate. But without doubt they would not be all close together.
Some would be down in the after-hold. I should be greatly surprised
if that English officer has not given every man instructions as to
what is to be done should anything happen to him. It's the gold that
keeps our hands behind our backs; but for that----"
"Then why not offer them a share of the gold, and a passage in the
first ship we fall across? There are whalers to be met with in these
seas, I believe. The rest would be simple. Once you had them off the
ship there is no reason why you should abide by your promise--dead
men tell no tales." And Da Silva grinned sardonically.
Cervillo shook his head.
"These men seem different to others I have met," he remarked. "They
stoutly refuse to discuss terms. No, Da Silva, that will not do. Your
plan of raising a false alarm seems to be the most likely. As soon as
this accursed fog lifts we'll try it. It is worth the risk."
"The fog is lifting now," said the lieutenant, opening the scuttle
and looking out.
Da Silva spoke truly. The belt of fog was dispersing, and already the
sea was visible for a distance of nearly four hundred yards--a
greyish, sluggishly heaving expanse dotted here and there with masses
of floating ice of various shapes and sizes.
"Then we'll make our preparations, Da Silva. Please warn the crew
that a false alarm is to be raised, and order them to muster aft with
rifles and revolvers."
While the lieutenant was carrying out his chief's instructions Juan
Cervillo made his way to the fore-bridge. It was now sufficiently
clear to see a considerable distance. The _Independencia_ was
floating idly in an almost circular basin of mountainous masses of
ice, some of the jagged peaks rising four hundred feet or more in the
air. Had she been steaming she would have rammed the floating
ice-barrier again. The only way of escape was to turn and run
southward, between the horns of the almost encircling field of ice.
To Cervillo's heated imagination it seemed as if the surrounding
bergs were already converging to imprison the partially crippled
cruiser.
Apart from the peril the grandeur of the scene was almost beyond
description. The sun, that even at midday was low in the heavens, was
still hidden behind the pinnacles of the berg, its feeble rays
gilding the minaret-like projections, and causing them to scintillate
gorgeous shafts of light. At frequent intervals masses of ice,
slipping from the gradually melting mountain, would descend with a
rumble resembling thunder, crash into the sea amid a cauldron of
foam, or splash into fragments against a lower projection on the face
of these stupendous precipices. A vessel coming within reach of these
Titanic missiles would be instantly pulverised.
Cervillo realised the danger. All thought of carrying out his plans
for the capture of Fielding and his companions must, for the time
being, be set aside. The escape of the cruiser from the ice prison
that threatened her must be the first consideration.
With great difficulty the engineers and stokers performed their
tasks, and at a leisurely five knots the _Independencia_ headed for
the open sea. Every now and again one of her propellers would drive
its blades into a mass of ice, the jar sending a quiver through the
ship, till Cervillo, fearing that the two outside propellers might be
irreparably damaged, ordered steam to be shut off from the cylinders
actuating them, keeping the two inside "screws," which were partially
protected by a twin rudder, revolving at a comparatively low rate
barely sufficient to give the vessel steerage way.
Nearer and nearer the _Independencia_ approached the gap in the
almost encircling walls of ice--a channel less than a quarter of a
mile in width, and flanked by lofty, overhanging precipices. It
seemed from a distance that the gap was even less than it actually
was, so high were the glacial cliffs on either hand.
Suddenly the cruiser struck; not violently, but sufficient to make
the fact known to all on board. Her forward part, drawing 7 ft. of
water more than her normal draught owing to the flooding of her fore
compartments, had struck a ridge of submerged ice.
This time there was hardly any panic amongst the polyglot crew. The
men were almost too apathetic to care for anything short of sudden,
real danger. The engines were reversed, and almost without an effort
the _Independencia_ glided stern foremost off the reef. Soundings
were taken, revealing a depth of only eight fathoms. Then the truth
became apparent.
The _Independencia_ was barely floating in a vast depression in the
ice-field. The Bergs were really part of one extensive sheet of ice,
twenty, thirty, or perhaps even more miles in length, and less than a
dozen feet under her keel was a bed of ice possibly a thousand feet
thick between her and the floor of the ocean.
It was indeed a strange freak of fortune that had guided the cruiser
betwixt those icy portals in the fog. Now came the question: Had the
bed of the glacial lagoon risen and decreased the depth, and did a
barrier of shallow water lie between her and the open sea?
Three times the cruiser essayed to pass the shoal, each time bumping
slightly. The fourth time, by keeping 300 yds. to starboard of the
point where the vessel had touched the first time, Cervillo contrived
to clear the danger, only to be confronted by another; for so close
was the _Independencia_ to the berg that one tremendous mass of ice
fell within a hundred yards of her starboard side.
It was touch and go. On the one hand the risk of grounding badly on
the shoal of ice, on the other the danger of being smashed by the
sudden fall of the overhanging face of the glistening mass of
congealed water. But Cervillo kept his head, and standing by the
quartermaster compelled him to steer as close to the cliffs as
possible, and after a quarter of an hour's suspense the
_Independencia_ gained the open sea.
The ship was in a bad state, for she was leaking badly, the inrush
being barely kept under control by the powerful centrifugal pumps.
She was down by the head; her fuel was running short, and the
provisions, except those stored aft, were sufficient only for another
ten days. No wonder, then, that the pirate captain was anxious to
recover the booty, and save himself as best he might.
[Illustration: AFTER A QUARTER OF AN HOUR'S SUSPENSE THE
"INDEPENDENCIA" GAINED THE OPEN SEA.
[_Page_ 210.
]
Not until the cruiser had left the ice-field a good twenty miles
astern did Juan Cervillo proceed to put into operation the plan that
Da Silva had suggested. The men detailed to form the firing-party
were ordered on the quarter-deck, but to the captain's surprise all
the seamen and many of the engine-room staff came tumbling aft, all
armed to the teeth.
"What is the meaning of this, men?" shouted Cervillo, as he faced the
mob of olive and black-featured seamen.
The question was almost unnecessary. He realised that it was a case
of mutiny.