IN CHAINS
The conspirators--they were really that, though it was a conspiracy to
save their own lives--the conspirators, then, started half-guiltily as
they beheld the form of the insane commander. Had he overheard their
plot?
Jerry gave a quick glance at his allies--the machinists. He seemed to
be saying:
“If he has heard us we must act now. We must overpower him at once if
he tries to attack us.”
Ted Rowland nodded as if he understood, and for a few seconds they all
seemed to be waiting.
It was an awkward moment. Then Dr. Klauss spoke.
“How are the motors running?” he asked, and his voice sounded perfectly
natural.
“All--all right, sir,” answered Ted, hesitating slightly. It was
evident that Dr. Klauss had not overheard, or, if he had, he was going
to ignore the matter--for the time being at least--and for his own
purposes.
“I’m glad of that,” he went on. “I want to try and run at top speed
soon, and I am going to give my ship a most severe test. I spoke to you
before about this,” he said, looking at the other two machinists, who
nodded. Jerry understood. It meant the taking of the _Sonderbaar_ to a
dangerous depth.
“I see you still hold your interest in my machines,” said the German
commander to Jerry.
“Yes, I--I came in to see how the engines were running. I only wish,”
went on Jerry, with a whimsical smile, “that they were running us
toward our homes--instead of away from them.”
“That will do!” cried the commander, harshly. “You have heard my
decision in this matter. Never speak of it again! I did not ask you
to come aboard my vessel, but since you are here you must take the
consequences. This ends the subject forever!”
“Oh, no it doesn’t,” said Jerry to himself, and with a meaning look at
Ted and his companions. “This is only the beginning, Dr. Klauss. We are
going to see our homes again in spite of you.”
“Work the engines up to top speed gradually,” ordered the commander to
the members of the crew. “See that the bearings do not get hot. And
you, Bill Burke, will look after the ballast tanks. Make sure there are
no leaks, and that the valves are tight. They may be a bit strained
when we go farther down than we have ever been before.”
“I should say they would!” burst out Ted Rowland. “Look here, Dr.
Klauss, I wish you would give up this plan. Of course you know your
own ship better than we do--and know what she will stand. But we’re
machinists, too, and we know that the terrible pressure you’ll be sure
to meet with at even a mile in depth, to say nothing of two, or three,
will do serious damage. We may all lose our lives. We don’t like it,
and we wish you’d give it up!”
“Enough of that!” cried the German, sternly. “You are under my orders.
When you shipped with me you agreed to obey. I order you to take this
craft to a great depth, that I may test it, and you will do so. You
have no choice. I am in command.”
“But the danger!” cried Tom Flynn.
“Bah! There is no danger!” exclaimed the insane commander. “You will
be as safe at the bottom of the sea as here. Now remember--this ends
all objections! You will do as I say! I am going to the pilot house,
to run my boat from there. And I want my every order and signal obeyed
promptly. That will be all.”
He turned abruptly on his heel, and went out. The men looked after him
with anger on their faces, while Jerry showed not a little fear.
“Well, that settles it!” exclaimed Ted, in a low voice. “We both gave
him a chance to back down, and let us out,” he said to the tall lad.
“He refused. Now we’ll take matters into our own hands, and he’ll have
to stand the consequences. We’re all agreed on that?” and he looked
questioningly at his companions.
“Sure--certainly,” they answered.
“Then you can tell your friends,” went on Ted to Jerry. “We’ll make the
captain a prisoner, and we’ll be justified in law--if we ever get to
where there are laws again.”
“What about his two German friends?” asked Jerry.
“Don’t worry about them. If we have to we can secure them too, but all
we’ll have to do will be to lock them in their room, with pencils and
papers, and they’ll start figuring on how long they’ll be likely to
remain there, or how much the sun weighs, or how long it would take the
submarine to get there. That will dispose of them. Meanwhile we’ll turn
this ship about and sail for home.”
“And when--when shall we make the--attack?” asked Jerry.
“As soon as he gives an order to send this boat any deeper in the
ocean,” answered Ted promptly. “That will be the signal. She is now
running as deep as is safe,” and he glanced at the gage on the wall of
the engine room. “The minute he signals to fill the ballast tanks more,
and send her down, we’ll attack him in the pilot house. Better go tell
your friends what our plan is,” he concluded to Jerry.
“I was afraid he had heard us,” spoke the tall lad. “We had a narrow
escape.”
“That’s what we did,” agreed Ted.
The news was received by Ned and Bob with satisfaction.
“I’m glad we’re going to do something besides sit around this submarine
waiting,” commented Ned.
“And I’d like to try my hand at cooking again,” confessed Bob, with a
sigh. “They won’t let me in the galley here.”
“Well, that all may be changed in a few hours,” said Jerry hopefully.
“Oh, I’m so glad!” cried Grace, whose face showed traces of tears.
“Then we will see our friends again, Papa.”
“Yes, my girl! It has been a severe strain on you, but you’ve borne up
well. It was a lucky day when the boys came aboard.”
Jerry rapidly told of his experience with the crew, and the decision
arrived at. On Mr. Sheldon’s advice the boys got together a quantity of
stout rope, which was placed in readiness to bind Dr. Klauss after he
should have been subdued.
“We’ll lock him in his own cabin,” went on Bob’s uncle, “and we’ll
have to arrange to stand guard over him. Maniacs are very tricky, and
he may escape. About his two friends--I think, with the members of
the crew, that they will give no trouble. Now, who is going to do the
actual attacking, Jerry?”
“Oh, we all may have to take a hand,” was the answer. “But I think Miss
Grace had better keep to her own cabin.”
“So do I,” spoke her father gravely.
“And I’m going to stuff cotton in my ears so I can’t hear it,” said the
girl, smiling slightly. “It’s a terrible thing to do, but it is more to
feel that we may always be prisoners on this fearful ship.”
There was another consultation with the crew. Meanwhile Dr. Klauss kept
to the pilot house and his two foreign friends had not left the cabin
where they seemed to be always working over some intricate problem.
It was decided that Ned and Bob, with Mr. Sheldon, should remain near
the pilot house. Jerry would go to the engine room, and, when the
signal came to send the boat deeper, he and the three men would rush
forward, and attack Dr. Klauss. They agreed to use no more force than
was necessary to safely bind him.
“Then all we have to do is to wait,” said Jerry, as he sat down near
one of the humming dynamos.
The submarine was running along at about her usual depth. It was only a
question of time when her fanatical commander would signal to have her
sent to the bottom.
Suddenly there came a buzzing sound from one of the electric signals.
Then, in the glass-fronted box below it, appeared a certain number.
“That means to go down to the limit!” cried Ted. “Come on, friends!
It’s now or never!”
There was a moment of hesitation and then Jerry and the three men
started. Mr. Sheldon, Bob and Ned heard them coming, and held
themselves in readiness.
At the end of the lighted corridor they could all see the big German in
the pilot house. He was manipulating various levers and turning wheels.
“Come on!” said Jerry in a low voice.
As noiselessly as possible they advanced on the crazed commander. Just
as they reached the door he heard them and turned.
He started, and something in the attitude and looks of the men and boys
must have told Dr. Klauss what was their intention. He sprang up, and
his hand sought a certain lever.
“Don’t let him reach that!” yelled Ted. Jerry fairly threw himself
on the infuriated man, and Ned followed. Then Ted and his companions
closed in.
There was a short, sharp fight, and several of the attackers were
knocked down, but they got up again, and renewed the struggle. Dr.
Klauss was very strong, and his madness added to it, but four men
and three boys were more than a match for him, especially in such
contracted quarters.
In a few seconds the maniac, panting and disheveled, as indeed they all
were, was held by many hands.
“The ropes!” called Jerry, and Mr. Sheldon passed them in.
“They’ll do temporarily,” said Ted Rowland, “but we’ll have to use
chains. That’s the only thing that will hold him. He’ll break these
ropes. There are some chains in the engine room.”
“What--what does this mean?” gasped the enraged commander. “Unbind me
at once! You shall pay dearly for this outrage! Help!” he called, and
then, adding something in a foreign tongue he struggled with all his
might to break his bonds.
The ropes strained and creaked, and Ted at once sent for the chains.
These were placed about the unfortunate doctor, and, just as they were
made secure, and he had been lifted up to be carried to his cabin,
the two old Germans came running from their rooms. They were greatly
excited.