TIDAL WAVES AND WHALES.
It was a perilous situation, of this there could be no doubt.
The tidal wave had cast the Holland XI. high and dry on the Hawaiian
shore, where she lay as helpless as a whale on a grassy plain.
In the offing loomed up three foreign warships, a Chinese, a Japanese
and a Russian.
The enemy had already sighted the new Holland, and were drawing closer
to the curious-looking craft.
The submarine boat had landed on the shore right side up, and Captain
Oscar Pelham and Lieutenant Andy Greggs had just come to the little
deck to view the situation.
"We are knocked out this trip," groaned Andy. "As soon as they learn
who we are they'll throw a shell this way and that will finish us."
"Let us see if we can't train one of our guns on them," suggested the
young captain.
The word was passed and it was found that one gun could be trained on
the Russian warship, which was coming up from the southward.
The gun was loaded with a highite bomb and at the proper moment was
touched off.
Boom!
Loud and clear the sound echoed over the Pacific Ocean and the shell
exploded close to the deck of the Russian warship, causing death and
destruction upon every hand.
The effect of the awful shot was soon apparent, for those left on the
warship lost no time in turning the vessel about and sailing out of
range.
The shot, however, was noticed by those on the Japanese and the Chinese
cruisers, and soon they came in and let fly at the Holland XI.
One solid shot plowed up the sand in front of the submarine craft,
while several others struck the rocks behind, causing a shower of
stones to cover the craft as with flying hail.
"By Jove! But this is dangerous!" muttered Oscar. He turned to his men.
"What do you wish to do, remain here or leave the Holland XI. and take
to yonder wood?"
"We'll do what you do," answered old George Dross.
"I will never desert the Holland XI.!" answered the young captain,
calmly.
"Neither will I!" added Andy.
"We'll all stay!" came in a shout. "Hurrah for Uncle Sam! We'll get the
best of 'em yet!"
"Give them another shell," went on Oscar. "Even if it doesn't hit them
it may make them keep their distance."
The shell was soon sent forth, but the enemy was out of range and the
bomb did no further damage than to land in the body of a shark sporting
in the offing.
Then the three foreign ships got together and concocted a scheme to
bombard the new Holland from three different points at the same time.
Soon shot and shell were raining all around the submarine craft.
One shell struck so close it smashed out one of the side windows,
sending a shower of glass and sand into the little cabin.
"This is hot!" cried Andy, and of a sudden came a yell from a man at
the stern window, which was pointed out to sea.
"The water! The water!" yelled the lookout. "It is rising again."
His words were followed by another rumble, similar to that which they
had before experienced, and looking toward the ocean all saw another
tidal wave sweeping toward the shore.
"Close up the deck!" ordered Oscar, hurriedly. "And, Marken, get some
sort of cover for that broken window."
Then the young captain turned to the old engineer.
"We must take advantage of that wave when it strikes us," he said. "We
are lying stern to the ocean. If we get afloat, start her backward with
all power."
"Aye, aye!" answered George Dross.
Soon the sea could be heard rushing up the sand and then they found the
new Holland rocking from side to side. But the water only came up to
her windows and the submarine craft did nothing but slip a dozen feet
closer to the Pacific.
"Left!" muttered Andy, in disgust. "That wave was not strong enough."
"Another is coming!" cried Oscar. "By Jove, look!"
Far out to sea they saw the ocean becoming white with foam, while a
very mountain of water loomed up. It had struck the Chinese cruiser and
that ship had keeled over and lay a wreck in the boiling sea.
Then the mighty torrent rushed up the beach, bringing with it driftwood
and fish innumerable. It reached the new Holland, raised her up and
whirled her around and around like a top.
"No use to use our power!" yelled Oscar, that George Dross might hear
him. "We are being carried further inland!"
The young captain was right, and now came a thump and a bump, as the
craft struck rocks and palm trees and then slid along a cliff. Oscar
thought they might be carried directly to the center of the island,
when of a sudden the tide turned and rolled back to the vast ocean. And
they went with it!
But those inside of the Holland XI. knew little now of where they were.
Having gotten into deep water, the force of the tidal wave turned the
craft completely over, and all those inside had all they could do to
keep themselves from being smashed to death on walls or ceiling.
But in less than three minutes the agitation was over and the new
Holland righted herself. The water had come in at the broken window and
this had to be pumped out with all rapidity. Had not one of the men
placed a temporary plate over the window when first ordered to do so,
the new Holland would surely have been swamped.
Inside of half an hour the tidal disturbances were at an end and the
ocean rolled as peacefully as before. Feeling they could now rise in
safety, the young captain gave the necessary orders and they went up.
The first sight which met their gaze filled them with wonder. All three
of the foreign warships had been caught by the tidal wave and carried
on the rocks, and there they lay, battered and broken almost beyond
recognition.
Sailors and soldiers lay in the wreckage or floating helpless on the
tide.
A few had gone ashore, but these the Hawaiians had either shot down or
made prisoners.
"Our work here is done," said Oscar. "Let us go back to Honolulu and
see what damage has been done there."
His orders were obeyed and at Honolulu they found much of the shipping
a wreck, yet but few lives had been lost.
The loss of the foreign ships was hailed with great delight and Oscar
and his crew were entertained in fine style for the remainder of that
day and also the next.
In the meantime the Holland XI. was repaired, making her once more as
good as new.
Everybody wondered what had become of the balance of the foreign fleet
which had set sail for San Francisco from Asiatic waters.
"They must be somewhere in these waters," said Andy.
"Perhaps they have pushed on to the United States," answered Captain
Oscar.
The young commander of the submarine craft was right.
Thirty-two of the foreign warships had pushed on, and word to this
effect was brought to Honolulu the next day by a steamship which had
run away from them by sheer good luck.
"That ends our stay here," said Oscar.
And within the hour the new Holland left the Hawaiian Islands behind,
the people of Honolulu cheering lustily as the craft left the harbor.
The air was all that could be desired and the run toward the Golden
Gate was made for days without anything of special interest happening.
Sometimes they put out a small drag net in which they caught many fish,
which, properly cooked, were no mean addition to their table.
"If the weather holds out, we'll be in sight of California in two
days," observed Oscar, one evening.
"And I'll be glad of it," returned Andy. "I'll tell you what, there is
nothing like the old States, after all!"
"Right you are, Andy!"
The night was a hot one, and to get air, the new Holland came to the
surface and the trap-door of the deck was left wide open.
Oscar went to bed early and had been asleep less than an hour when a
strange rocking motion of the submarine awoke him.
"Hullo, something is wrong!" he cried, and slipped into his clothing.
The rocking motion continued and he heard cries from several of his
crew.
"We have sailed into a school of whales!" announced Andy, coming to him.
"A school of whales!"
"Exactly. They are around us as thick as bees around a pot of honey.
Just look!"
Oscar ran to one of the windows and gazed out.
His chum was right. Whales were on every hand, so thick that the
submarine boat could scarcely move among them.
"This is the oddest yet!" was Oscar's comment. "We had better close the
trap-door and go down, before a whale gets into the screw and disables
it."
He had just given the order to close the trap when there came a great
shock from above, followed by a dripping of water.
One of the more sportive whales had thrown himself into the air,
intending to come down on the Holland XI. and crush it.
[Illustration: THE WHALE INTENDED TO CRUSH THE BOAT.]
The whale had struck the trap-door opening head first, and now his head
was as tight as if in a bear trap, sticking six feet and more down the
narrow companionway, leaving his mighty tail to flop above, high in the
air!