THE FIGHT ON THE SUBMARINE
It must be admitted that Jack, Fred, and Gif were much startled when
they suddenly found themselves confronted by an armed German who
looked as if he meant what he said when he commanded them to throw up
their hands.
On first going aboard the submarine the three cadets had been very
cautious, but as they had wandered around without seeing any one
aboard the craft, they had come to the conclusion that it was
deserted, and consequently they had become less careful both in their
actions and their conversation.
Of course their hands went into the air. The German had two pistols,
and he looked as if he would be willing to use the weapons upon the
slightest provocation. He was a burly, red-faced man, and only about
half dressed. Evidently he had been sleeping soundly when they had
come aboard.
"You back up there into a corner," growled the German. He spoke
English quite well, although his accent was Teutonic.
The young cadets did not know what else to do, and so obeyed the
command. As they were in uniform, the German took them to be American
soldiers, and this disturbed him greatly.
"Are there any more in your party or are you alone?" he demanded.
This question gave Jack a sudden idea.
"Alone?" he cried. "Not much! There are over a hundred of us," he
answered, referring, of course, to the number of cadets at Colby Hall.
"Are you telling the truth?" growled the German, and his voice
betrayed his nervousness.
"He sure is telling the truth! Look behind you and see," said Fred,
and began to laugh in a suggestive way.
This laugh took the German off his guard, and he turned swiftly to see
who might be behind him. It was the opportunity that the young captain
and the young lieutenant had hoped would come, and, taking a perilous
chance, they threw themselves on the back of the German, each at the
same time catching hold of a hand that held a pistol. Then Gif rushed
in; and between them the cadets succeeded in hurling the fellow,
muscular though he was, to the floor.
"Give up!" cried Jack suddenly, and, bringing out his flashlight, he
placed the cold glass of the end against the German's neck.
"_Kamerad! Kamerad!_" yelled the fellow promptly, thinking that it was
a pistol which was pressing upon him, and on the instant he released
his hold on the two pistols while he stretched out flat on his chest
on the floor of the submarine.
Jack lost no time in picking up one of the pistols, while Fred picked
up the other. The flashlight was turned over to Gif, who, meanwhile,
had armed himself with a steel bar.
"Now the question is--what are we going to do with this fellow?"
remarked Jack, after the short encounter had come to an end. It must
be confessed that he and the others were much worked up over the
situation, for they had not dreamed of coming in such personal contact
with one of the enemy.
"We've got to get out of here, and do it quick," returned Gif. "Those
other Germans may come back at any minute."
"Yes, but we'll have to take this fellow along," said Fred. "No use of
leaving him here to give an alarm."
"We'll gag him!" declared the young captain. And without loss of time
the three cadets fixed up a gag such as they sometimes used when they
were initiating a new member of one of the secret societies of the
military academy. Then the German's hands were bound tightly behind
him, and he was ordered to get up and march.
"Wait a minute," said Fred. "We'll have to fix things here so it won't
look suspicious. We'll make it look as if this chap had just stepped
out for some fresh air."
This was done, and a few minutes later the whole party left the
submarine, Gif going ahead and the Rovers following the prisoner, each
with a pistol ready for use. In this fashion they passed over the
gangplank, and then made their way alongside of the underground pond
until they came to the spot where the cadets had first discovered the
Germans.
"I don't believe we ought to leave him here," declared Jack. "That gag
might slip and he might have a chance to make considerable noise, and
if he did that the others might take the alarm and sail away before we
could get help."
"We made a mistake!" cried Gif. "I thought we were going to injure
some of the machinery, so that they couldn't use the U-boat."
"You're right, Gif! I got so excited I forgot all about that,"
declared Jack.
"You can run back now and do it if you want to," said Fred. "I'll
watch the prisoner."
The young captain and Gif did as had been suggested. On the submarine
they looked over the intricate machinery with care, and presently
found some things which they could disarrange and which would probably
not be noticed immediately. They went to work with vigor, and came
away again in less than ten minutes.
"I guess she's fixed now," declared Jack to his cousin, when they had
rejoined Fred and the prisoner. "If they start up those engines, that
submarine will perform stunts they never dreamed of."
With the flashlight shining ahead and at times on the prisoner, the
Rovers and Gif compelled the German to move along the passageway until
they gained the opening near the gully.
"Look out there, will you?" cried Gif suddenly, pointing between the
bushes to the bay. "There is a big motor boat cruising up and down!
Maybe they can give us aid."
"It looks to me like a revenue boat," declared Jack, after a hurried
inspection. "Say, maybe they are patrolling the bay!"
"That's right!"
"I am going to signal to them and find out!" exclaimed Fred; and
without waiting for the others to reply, the young lieutenant dashed
over the rocks and through the brushwood in the direction of the bay
shore. As he did this he took out his handkerchief and waved it
wildly, at the same time calling at the top of his lungs.
The motor boat, a long, rakish-looking craft, was cruising quite close
to the shore, and presently some of those on board noticed Fred's call
for aid. The motor of the craft was shut off, and the boat drifted up
to the shore.
"What do you want?" demanded one of the men on board, sharply.
"We want help, and we want it right away!" declared Fred. And then he
added as he got a better view of those aboard the boat: "Are you
United States officers?"
"What do you want to know that for?" was the counter question.
"Well, if you are, we want your help, and want it right away."
"Why? Have you discovered anything unusual?" demanded one of the
officers on the boat, and his manner showed his intense interest.
"We certainly have! And more than that, we have made a prisoner--a
German."
"You don't mean it!" said one of the other men aboard the motor boat,
and then looked more sharply at Fred than ever. "We'll have to
investigate this," he added to his companions.
There were three officers and a crew of eight aboard the boat, which
was quickly brought long-side the rock on which Fred was standing. As
the officers leaped ashore, the young lieutenant saluted and was
saluted in return. Then Fred told who he was and again asked the men
if they were United States officers.
"If you've got a German prisoner, and you know he is really a German
sympathizer, you had better take us to him at once," said one of the
men, and, turning back his coat, he exhibited his badge.
Feeling that the craft was one really belonging to our government and
that the officers were Secret Service men, Fred told his story, at the
same time leading the way to where he had left Jack, Gif, and the
prisoner.
"Bailey was right, after all," said one of the Secret Service men to
his fellow officers. "He always declared that that wrecked submarine
was in hiding somewhere around these waters."
"Then you know about the submarine?" queried Fred quickly.
"If it's the craft we think it is," was the reply. "That U-boat had an
encounter with one of our submarine destroyers, and in trying to
escape we think she hit some of the rocks on the reef beyond here.
Some of the naval people were of the opinion that she had gone down,
but others thought she had escaped to some base, which, of course, was
unknown to our authorities. We have always had a suspicion that there
was some sort of a base around here. We were cruising to-day trying to
locate it."
It was decided that the Secret Service men should take charge of
matters, and that they would sail to the nearest town on the bay so
that they might obtain additional help with which to round up all the
Germans and those in league with them.
"This will prove a very important capture," said Mr. Blarcomb, who was
the head officer of the crowd. "And you, young men, can rest assured
that you will get full credit for what you have done."
"If you don't mind, I wish you would drop us off at our camp," said
Jack. "It will save us a whole lot of tramping."
"We'll do that willingly."
It did not take the motor boat long to cover the distance to the front
of the camp where the cadets were in the habit of bathing. A few were
now in the water, and they looked in wonder at the sudden appearance
of the Rovers and Gif.
"There is Captain Dale now!" cried Jack, when they had landed and the
motor boat had gone on its way. "My! won't he be surprised at the
story we have to tell?"
"Maybe he has already heard it, from Andy and Randy and Spouter,"
suggested Gif.
But the old West Pointer had heard nothing, for the others had not yet
come in from the forest. He listened in amazement to the story the
boys had to tell.
"I would like to be at that round-up myself," he declared. "I trust
that they capture every one of the rascals." And then he added with a
smile: "This is certainly a feather in your caps, lads."
It was only a little later when the twins and Spouter came in. They,
of course, were also excited.
"Got one of the Germans and got the Secret Service men on the trail!"
declared Fred proudly.
"Good enough!" cried Andy. "But say! we have got our little story to
tell, too;" and then he and the others related what had been
discovered at the cabin in the woods.
"This certainly is important," declared Captain Dale. "Who would ever
suppose that Mr. Brown and Mr. Martell were in league with these
Germans! They certainly ought to be captured."
"And I'd like to be there when they are caught," declared Randy.
"Well, perhaps you will be," answered Captain Dale significantly.