THE TREASURE-SHIP
Sudden and forceful had been the underwater collision in which the M.
N. 1 had participated. Either the lookout, aided though he was by the
focused rays of the great searchlight, had failed to notice some
obstruction in time to signal to avoid it, or there was an error
somewhere else. At any rate the submarine had rammed something--what it
was remained to be discovered.
"Bless my shotgun," cried Mr. Damon, "perhaps it was one of those big
whales, Ned!"
"It didn't feel like a whale," answered the young financial man.
"And it wasn't!" declared Tom, who was hastening to the engine room.
"It was too solid for that."
Following the collision there had been considerable confusion aboard
the vessel. But discipline prevailed, and now it was necessary to
determine the extent of the damage. This, Tom and his officers and crew
proceeded to do.
There were automatic devices in the various control cabins, as well as
in the main engine room, which told instantly if a leak had been sprung
in any part of the craft. In that serious difficulty automatic pumps,
controlled by an electrical device, at once began forcing out the
water. Other apparatus rushed a supply of compressed air to the flooded
compartment in order to hold out the water if possible. For further
security the submarine was divided into different compartments, as are
most ships in these days. The puncturing or flooding of one did not
necessarily mean the foundering of the craft, or, in the case of a
submarine, prevent her rising.
But Tom had sensed that the collision was almost a head-on one, and in
that case it was likely that the plates might have started in several
sections at once. This he wanted to discover, and take means of safety
accordingly.
"How do you make it, Mr. Nelson?" cried the young inventor to the
captain in the engine room.
"Only a slight leak in compartment B 2," he answered, as Tom's eyes
rapidly scanned the tell-tale gauges. "The pumps and air are taking
care of that."
"Good!" cried Tom. "It doesn't seem possible that there isn't more than
that, though. We struck a terrible blow."
"Yes, but a glancing one, I think, sir."
"Send for the lookout," ordered Tom. "I can't understand why he didn't
see whatever we've hit in time to avoid it."
The lookout came in, very much frightened, it must be admitted. Only
by a narrow margin had all escaped death.
"It was impossible to see it, Mr. Swift," he said. "We had a clear
course, not a thing in sight. The bottom was white sand, and I could
almost count the fishes. All at once there was a big swirl of water
that threw our nose around, and before I could signal to slow down or
reverse we were right into her."
"Into what?" asked Tom.
"Some sort of wreck, I took it to be. I shoved the wheel hard over as
quickly as I could, and we struck only a glancing blow."
"That's good," murmured Tom. "I thought that must have been the
explanation. But what's that about a sudden swirl of water?"
"It seemed to me like a change in the current," the lookout answered.
"It threw us right over against the wreck."
"I can very easily imagine something like that happening," admitted
Tom. "Well, as long as we're not badly damaged I think we'll go outside
and take a look. If we hit a wreck--"
"Bless my looking glass!" cried Mr. Damon, "it may be the Pandora, Tom."
"That's too good to be true!" cried Ned. "Anyhow, let's get out and
take a look."
Tom first made sure that the slight leak was not likely to increase,
and then arrangements were made for himself, Ned, Koku, and some of the
others to go outside in the diving suits. Mr. Damon wanted to be of the
party, but Tom was afraid to permit him in that depth of water. Mr.
Damon, in spite of his jollity, was not as young as he had been.
Shortly after the collision, which had missed being a disaster by a
narrow margin, Tom and his companions were outside the submarine,
walking on the white, sandy bottom of the sea. Around them was a myriad
of fishes, some of large size, but seemingly harmless, as they scudded
rapidly away after a glance at the strange creatures who appeared to
have come to dispute with them for possession of Father Neptune's
element.
Moving more slowly than usual, because of the greater pressure of water
at that depth, Tom and the others made their way around the nose of the
submarine. And then, in the glow of the big searchlight, they saw the
dim outlines of a steamer, partly imbedded in the sand. Her stern was
toward the undersea craft that had rammed her, and the name was not so
obliterated but what the young inventor could read it.
"The Pandora!" exclaimed Tom, speaking into his helmet telephone
transmitter, the others all hearing him. "We've found the treasure-ship
at last!"
And so they had. An accident had brought them to the end of their
quest, though it is probable they would have found the Pandora anyhow,
since they were making careful circles in her vicinity.
"Yes, that's the Pandora," said Ned. "And now the thing to do is to
find out if she really has any treasure on board."
"That's what I'm going to do," declared Tom. "But first I want to
investigate this queer current. We can't feel it here, but we may if we
get out beyond the wreck. We don't want to be swept off our feet."
"Yes, we had better be careful," said one of the officers.
Accordingly they proceeded with caution along the length of the sunken
Pandora. And as they neared her bow they all began to feel some
powerful force in the current.
"This is far enough!" said Tom. "Don't get out beyond the protection of
the hull. I see what it is. The steamer has drifted here from where she
was originally sunk. And here two currents meet, forming a very strong
one. It was that which threw us off our course. As long as we remain
behind the wreck we'll be safe. But beyond her we may be in danger.
She's firmly held in the sand, or, at best, is drifting only slightly.
She'll be a sort of undersea breakwater for us. And now to see if we
can get on board!"
This proved comparatively easy. Several lengths of chain and one iron
ladder were over the stern, evidently having been used when the crew
abandoned the ship in the storm that destroyed her. By means of these
Tom and his companions gained the main deck near the stern.
The Pandora was a typical tramp steamer. She was high in the bows and
stern and low amidships, and it was evident that the quarters of the
officers and passengers, if any of the latter were carried, were in the
stern. Tom was glad to find the vessel thus comparatively easy of
access.
She lay on an almost even keel, and all he and his companions had to do
was to walk along the deck and enter the cabins. As they did not have
to look out for life lines or air hose they could enter, and even go
below decks, in comparative safety.
"Well, here's for it," said Tom to the others. "Let's go in.
"Where would the treasure be, if she had any?" asked Ned.
"Captain's cabin or the purser's strong room, I imagine," Tom answered.
"Hardley didn't actually see it, but he said those two places were
constantly guarded. I'm inclined to think the purser would have charge
of the gold. But we'll try both places."
It was easy to learn which had been the commander's cabin. It had the
name "Captain" on a brass plate over the door. Tom and Ned entered. The
place was in confusion, and confusion not all caused by the ocean
currents. A small safe in the room stood with rusted door open, and the
contents of the strong box were gone. Drawers and lockers, too, were
opened and empty.
"I guess the captain took as much with him as he could when he got into
his boat," commented Tom.
"And the gold, too," added Ned, pointing to the empty safe.
"That wouldn't have held two million dollars in gold," Tom retorted. "I
believe the purser's cabin is the place to look."
Making sure they were not missing anything in the captain's room, they
came out, to find Koku and the others waiting for them on deck.
"Nothing there," Tom reported. "Did any of you locate the purser's
strong room?" One of the men pointed to an open door to the left.
"That's it!" exclaimed Tom. "Yes, and there's a safe here big enough to
hold gold for all the revolutions in South America," he added. "I guess
we're on the right track at last."
It needed but a look to show them that they had at last reached the
place of the treasure. The great safe stood open, and piled inside were
a number of small boxes, such as are generally used to ship gold in.
Ned, from his bank experience, recognized them at once.
"There's the gold!" he exclaimed. "We've found the treasure!"
"They tried to take some of it with them," said one of the submarine
officers, pointing to some opened boxes which were floating near the
cabin ceiling. They were caught on some projections which had prevented
them from being washed out.
"Maybe they looted the whole safe," suggested Tom. "We'd better have a
look."
He tried to pull out one of the many boxes set in tiers in the safe,
but it was beyond his strength.
"Me do!" murmured Koku.
It was easy for the giant to pry out one of the boxes with his iron
bar, and with another blow from his bar he opened the cover.
"Gold!" cried Ned, as he saw a gleam of yellow showing in the glow from
his torch. "There's the gold!"
There was a table in the purser's cabin, made fast to the floor so it
had not floated away. At a sign from Tom, the giant turned the box
bottom side up on this table.
And then a murmur of wonder came from all who saw the result. For
aside from the top layer of gold pieces, the box was filled with iron
disks cut to the size of twenty-dollar gold pieces. In an instant it
was borne to all what this meant.
"A fake!" exclaimed Tom Swift. "If all the boxes are like this there
isn't enough gold on the treasure ship to pay the expenses of this
trip! Somebody has been fooled! Open another box, Koku!"