CUTTING THE WIRES
It seemed as though the time would never pass, and he tried to divert his
mind by looking out of the glass windows or portholes, set in near the
bow of the submarine. The boat was equipped with a powerful searchlight,
which threw its brilliant rays far ahead, and lit up the ocean for a
considerable distance all around. Even in his agitated state of mind,
he found time to wonder at the dense and active life of the sea. Fishes,
large and small and of every conceivable shape and coloring, swam close
up to the porthole and seemed to be trying to look in. Some, attracted
by the beams of light, followed the course of the submarine, never
seeming to tire or fall back.
Every once in a while, some larger fish, engaged on a foraging
expedition, would cross the path of light, and there would be a general
scattering of the smaller fry, as they darted hither and thither in a
frenzied search for safety. Some, indeed, the majority, were beautifully
striped and spotted, and most of them Bert had never seen before. As he
watched this teeming life, he grew more and more interested, and almost
forgot his present surroundings. He was recalled to them by a light tap
on the shoulder, and, turning around, he saw the officer, Lieutenant
Warren, who had thrown him the life preserver.
"Quite an interesting study, isn't it, Mr. Wilson?" he asked, with a
pleasant smile.
"I should say it was," exclaimed Bert, enthusiastically. "I never
dreamed of being able to see a sight like this. It's almost worth having
lived a lifetime just to have had this experience."
The other smiled at his earnestness.
"Yes," he said, "we all felt the same way you do, when we took our first
few trips. There used to be hot arguments as to whose turn it was at the
port hole, and we had to arrange regular times between us. The novelty
soon wore off, though, and now, as you see, there isn't much
competition."
"Well, it's new to me, yet, and I certainly find it very interesting,"
replied Bert. "These fishes seem to be every color of the rainbow, and
the way they keep darting in and out reminds me of a kaleidoscope on a
large scale.
"It does, rather," the lieutenant assented, "and, believe me, we see lots
of things besides fishes, too. Why, I've come across all kinds of
wrecked ships, from rowboats to big four-mast-ers. In tropic waters,
we've seen many a ship that I'm sure was an old Spanish galleon, and I'll
wager there's many a fortune in gold and silver pieces that we've had to
pass over in the performance of duty. There are uncounted riches lying
at the bottom of this old ocean, my boy."
"I don't doubt it in the least," answered Bert, and then Mr. Warren went
on to tell him various yarns of strange adventures he had undergone and
marvelous things that he had seen. Bert listened, fascinated, for the
officer was a man who had not only been all over the world, but knew how
to tell a story. The time passed more quickly than he had dared to hope,
and just before dawn, he was told that they were almost at the entrance
of the Canal.
The little submarine flew into the great new waterway, and hesitated no
more than the brave hearts guiding its course. Its powerful searchlight
illuminated the Canal from side to side, and they were able to get an
idea of the immensity of the completed enterprise. Mile after mile, the
smooth concrete wall slipped away back of them, thick, ponderous,
designed to last as long as civilization lasted, and perhaps longer. As
Bert gazed, his heart thrilled with a great pride at what his country had
accomplished, and this feeling was succeeded by a fierce hatred of those
who were plotting to set the great work at naught.
But now, the submarine had almost reached the mined gate of the Lock, and
its speed was gradually reduced three-fourths. It nosed cautiously
along, until the searchlight revealed a vast structure directly ahead.
Instantly the motors were reversed, and by the time the boat's speed had
been checked, it was not more than thirty feet from the gate.
In the meantime one of the crew had been encased in a diver's suit and
now made ready to leave. He was conducted into an air-tight room near
the bottom of the submarine, and, after the door had been securely
fastened, water was admitted. When the room was full, the diver opened a
door in the hull and stepped out of the boat, which had previously been
lowered until it rested on the Canal bottom.
From the porthole in the submarine's bow he could be seen slowly making
his way, following the luminous path made by the searchlight. In a short
time he reached the gate of the lock, and began to follow its course
toward the bank. He was soon out of the range of vision of those at the
porthole, but, in a few minutes, returned; and it could be seen, by the
way in which he still scanned the walls, that he had not yet found the
wires leading to the explosives.
He had traversed perhaps half the distance from the center to the other
bank, when he was seen to stop suddenly and carefully examine something
near the lock.
"I'll bet he's found the wires," exclaimed Bert, excitedly.
"Very likely he has," replied Mr. Warren. "I was beginning to be afraid
that the plotters had buried the wires so cunningly that it would be
almost impossible to get at them."
But here, all doubts on the subject were set at rest, as they saw the
sailor draw a pair of wire cutters from his belt and ply them on
something near the wall. Immediately afterward he straightened up and
waved his hand, as a signal that everything was all right.
"By Jove," cried the lieutenant, drawing a long breath, "I guess now
we've spoiled those fellows' plans for good. But, believe me, that was
rather ticklish work. I expected almost every minute to be wafted
heavenward by a charge of dynamite. None of us would have had the
slightest chance in the world, if that explosion had taken place."
"I rather think you're right," agreed Bert. "But why doesn't the man
come back? He seems to be continuing his search along the Lock gate."
"Oh, that's because the captain gave him orders before he went out to
examine the wall from end to end for traces of a second set of wires.
But I guess that the Japs had such confidence in their handiwork that
they had no doubt of the success of their one set. I must confess that I
haven't much doubt regarding them, either, if we hadn't happened along to
spoil the whole show for them."
"Yes, the whole country owes Mr. Wilson a debt of gratitude it can never
repay," broke in Captain Clendenin, who had come up and overheard the
lieutenant's last remark. "It would have been a heavy blow, and one that
would have required the expenditure of thousands of lives to recover
from. The value of your services cannot be rated too highly, sir."
"I'm grateful for your high opinion of me, I'm sure," replied Bert, much
confused by such high praise, "but it was as much by luck as anything
else that I first got wind of the plan, and after that, of course, there
was only one thing for me to do."
"That's all very well," responded the captain, "but nevertheless not many
men I know would have done it, and I abide by my statement. It is no
light thing for a young man to attempt, singlehanded, to thwart the plans
of a great and powerful nation."
The diver had by this time completed a very thorough inspection of every
inch of the gate, and in a short time returned to the submarine. He
entered the water-filled room from which he had stepped forth, and, after
he had closed the door in the vessel's hull, pulled a signal rope, and in
a very few minutes the powerful pumps had emptied the room of water.
Then the man was admitted to the body of the boat and relieved of his
cumbersome suit.
This done, he immediately reported to the captain, and gave him a
detailed account of what he had found.
"There were two sets of wires, sir," he said, "so that if one had not
worked, the other would. I looked very carefully along the walls for
other wires, but didn't find any."
The captain dismissed him, with a word of approbation, and then gave
orders for the submarine to get under way. This was done, but Captain
Clendenin had no intention of rising directly to the surface. The water
chambers were pumped out very slowly, and, as the boat gradually rose, it
was steered slowly back and forth across the face of the gates, and men
were stationed at the portholes to look for any indication of other
wires. They found none, but were able to see where the dynamite charges
had been placed. Evidently the walls had been charged with enough of
high explosives not only to derange the machinery but possibly to blow it
into fragments.
The men in the submarine shuddered as they thought of the awful
catastrophe that would have occurred, and thanked the Providence that had
enabled them to avert it. Bert became a veritable hero to all on board.
Of course, by this time, the crew had gained a pretty good idea of how
matters stood, and had as strong an admiration for him as had the
officers. They were all picked men, chosen for their intelligence and
bravery, and were therefore well fitted to appreciate these qualities
when found in others. And Bert's exploit was after their own heart.
He had free run of the ship, and had learned the uses of most of the
ingenious devices that were scattered everywhere about the boat.
Accordingly, as he now stepped into the control room, he saw at a glance
that they were nearing the surface of the water, being at this moment
only twenty feet beneath it.
The gauge indicated less and less depth, and suddenly a burst of sunshine
entering the porthole told Bert that they were at the surface. The
hatchway was thrown open and he ascended to the deck. The pure, sweet
air was very grateful after the somewhat confined atmosphere of the
submarine, and Bert drew in great breaths of it. Pretty soon Lieutenant
Warren joined him on the little platform and shared with him the beauty
of the morning.
"It certainly gets pretty close in here at times," he remarked. "Once we
got stuck on the bottom and had all sorts of a time getting off. Our
reserve supply of air was used up and we all thought we'd suffocate,
sure. But we managed to get loose from the wreck we were mixed up with,
just in time, and I don't believe that I ever enjoyed the sight of the
blue sky as I did then. It was a narrow squeak, and no mistake."
"I should say it was," answered Bert, and then, after a pause, he asked:
"But where are we bound for, now, Lieutenant? What's the next move in
the game?"
"Why, we'll get news of this plot to the Canal authorities and the War
Department, as soon as possible, and then it will be up to them to act as
they see fit. You've done your part and we've done ours, and they in
their wisdom can decide the future policy of the nation."
"But what do you think that will be?" queried Bert. "They'll declare
war, now, won't they?"
"That's a hard question to answer," mused the other, "but it's my private
opinion that the whole matter will be hushed up. You may be sure that
those engaged in this affair have covered their tracks very skillfully,
and it would be practically impossible to prove that they were accredited
agents of the Japanese Government. And in a case of that kind, the
world requires more than mere suspicion, you know."
"Yes, I guess you're right," said Bert, thoughtfully. "Come to think of
it, I'm the only one who overheard the plotters, and my evidence probably
wouldn't be sufficient to prove a connection between them and the
Japanese Government. I hadn't thought of that before."
"Well, I rather think that is the way it will work out," said the
lieutenant. "However, you never can tell which way the cat will jump at
Washington, and this may be the first move in a great war. We won't have
many days to wait to find out, anyway."
The submarine made all haste to the nearest cable station at Colon, and
from there ciphers in the navy code were sent to the authorities,
narrating all the events connected with the plot.
Bert was put ashore, as soon as the submarine reached harbor, and parted
from her officers with warm expressions of mutual esteem. The morning
was well advanced, as he hurried toward his hotel. There was a hum of
preparation apparent, the streets were crowded with throngs hastening to
secure a point of vantage for the coming spectacle, and flags and bunting
floated everywhere. And just then, as he turned a corner, Dick and Tom,
with a wild yell pounced upon him. The anxiety and fear written on their
haggard faces were replaced by a look of inexpressible delight. They
grabbed his hands and pounded him on the back and otherwise acted as
though suddenly deranged.
"You old rascal," shouted Tom. "Where on earth have you been?"
"Glory, hallelujah," cried Dick. "We've searched high and low and have
nearly gone crazy."
Their queries rained on him without stint, but not till they had reached
the hotel and he had bathed and dressed did he pour out the details of
the astounding plot. The boys were thunderstruck at the peril, missed
only by a hair's breadth, and their pride in Bert's achievement and joy
at his return were beyond all words.
They were sitting on the upper veranda, as they talked, and the huge
American flag that flew over the hotel, floated past them, just brushing
them, as though in a caress.
"Old Glory," murmured Bert.
"The flag still waves," added Tom.
"Yes," exulted Dick, "and not at half-mast, either."