THE RESCUED ITALIANS.
As soon as the fore-hatch cover had been unshipped Captain Restronguet,
accompanied by Devoran and Kenwyn, hastened on deck. Hythe, hearing the
captain's exclamation, hurried after him.
The sky was now perfectly clear, the motion of the sea had almost
subsided. But instead of the stinging, ozone-laden breeze a faint odour
resembling that of rotten eggs seemed to pervade the air.
"H'm," ejaculated Captain Restronguet. "In spite of my faith in the
high qualities of restronium the metal has played me false!"
"How so, sir?" asked the chief officer.
"It is not proof against the action of sulphur. Even now the air reeks
of sulphur, and it was a sea highly charged with sulphur that the
'Aphrodite' passed through when she was in the immediate vicinity of the
submarine volcano. Thus the silver in the alloy has been affected, and
in place of a light-absorbing metal we have a dead-black surface."
"It is a serious look-out, sir," observed the sub.
"Serious. Serious isn't the word for it. We have lost a great factor
in our means of offence and defence. We are no longer practically
invisible."
"Can the defect be remedied?"
"Only by subjecting the plating to a fresh treatment, and that can only
be done at our base in Sumatra. But be that as it may I mean to
continue my search for the 'Vorwartz'. Possibly the margin of
superiority lies with her, but, without boasting, I venture to assert
that John Restronguet will prove a match for Karl von Harburg. I hope
the wireless is intact, Kenwyn?"
"It is, sir," replied the second officer. "We have just tapped a
message from the P. & O. liner, 'Coghlania,' seventy miles south of
Brindisi."
"Anything of importance?"
"No, sir; merely on a matter of ordinary routine."
"Very good, Mr. Kenwyn. By the by, you might let me know the state of
your accumulators. Have we sufficient power to take us to the AEgean?"
"I'll ascertain, sir," replied the second officer.
Before noon the man and boy rescued from the fishing-boat had recovered
sufficiently to sit up. Their story was a thrilling one. Hythe's
knowledge of Italian enabled him to follow the patois without much
difficulty. They had, in company with seven other craft, put out of
Porto Empedocle, on the south coast of Sicily. It was a fine night with
a light off-shore breeze, the weather being fair. Thus tempted they
ventured farther from land than they were accustomed to. Shortly after
midnight a strange phenomenon was observed. The stars were shining
through a blood-red haze, while a strong sulphurous odour was noticed.
The superstitious fishermen, frightened more by omens than by bad
weather, prepared to return homewards, but the wind died completely
away. At two in the morning a strong nor'easterly breeze sprang up,
which soon developed into a cyclonic gale. Hastily reducing their
canvas the fishing fleet drove at the mercy of wind and wave, till after
ten minutes of great peril they found themselves once more becalmed in
an agitated sea. Once more sail was hoisted, in anticipation of a
favouring breeze.
Suddenly the water seemed to be rent in twain. A deep trough appeared
less than a hundred yards from the sternmost boat, and horror-stricken
the terrified Italians found that their frail vessels were being sucked
into the abyss. Then the cavity in the sea closed and instead a column
of water, stones, mud, steam, and smoke was thrown up with tremendous
force. The starlight gave place to inky blackness, and the next thing
the _padrone_ of the "Favarganna"--that being the name of the craft
belonging to the rescued man--realized that the doomed vessel was on her
beam ends. She righted, though half filled with water. The old man had
barely time to lash his grandson and himself to the rudder head, ere a
huge wave swept the boat from stem to stern and down in the depths she
plunged.
Nor was old Beppo's awe any the less when he heard from Hythe of the
manner of his almost miraculous escape. Devoutly crossing himself the
Italian burst into a torrent of thanks to his preservers, and finished
up by asking where they thought of landing him?
"I had thought of that," said Captain Restronguet when the sub
interpreted the _padrone's_ request. "Since there is now no real
necessity for concealment, I think we might hail the first vessel we
come across that is proceeding to Messina--if Messina still stands after
the eruption."
An opportunity presented itself late in the afternoon. The "Aphrodite"
was about two hundred miles S.S.E. of Cape Passaro, and running on the
surface, when a tramp steamer hove in sight steering N.W. "We'll stop
that fellow, Devoran," exclaimed the captain. "What does she look
like?"
"I cannot make out, sir, she flies no ensign," replied the chief
officer, after a lengthy survey through his telescope.
Still unperceived by the oncoming vessel the "Aphrodite" stood out in
order to intercept her. At a request from Captain Restronguet two of the
seamen shipped a light mast abaft the fore-conning-tower, and on this
was hoisted the International Code signal--flags indicating "I wish to
communicate--heave to."
As soon as the signal was observed the tramp's helm was ported as if she
meditated flight, but ordering full speed ahead Captain Restronguet soon
made it evident that the "Aphrodite" could go two knots to the steamer's
one. The tramp's engines were set at half-speed astern and
simultaneously the affirmative pendant fluttered from her stumpy
foremast, while the Greek mercantile flag was hoisted on her
ensign-staff.
[Illustration: "CAPTAIN RESTRONGUET SOON MADE IT EVIDENT THAT THE
APHRODITE. COULD GO TWO KNOTS TO THE STEAMER'S ONE."]
"The 'Eleusis' of the Piraeus," announced Captain Restronguet, who was
able to decipher with ease the modern Greek characters on her stern.
Gracefully the "Aphrodite" was brought to a stand-still within fifty
yards of the Greek tramp, over whose red-leaded bulwarks appeared the
heads of about twenty nondescripts who formed her crew.
"'Eleusis' ahoy!" hailed Captain Restronguet in stentorian tones.
"What ship's dat?" asked the Grecian master, who spoke English by reason
of several years' service in the British Mercantile Marine.
"Submarine 'Aphrodite,'" replied her captain.
Evidently the fame of Captain Restronguet had already reached the ears
of the master of the "Eleusis," for he gave a dramatic gesture of
surprise.
"What want, eh? Me peaceful."
"So are we," rejoined Captain Restronguet. "We have just picked up a man
and a boy from an Italian fishing-boat. Where are you bound?"
"Messina, Napoli an' Civita Vecchia, sar."
"Will you take these two men as far as Messina?"
The Greek hesitated. His natural cupidity, now that the submarine had
shown no hostile intentions, returned.
"Can dey pay passage-monnaire?"
"Passage-money, you white-livered swab!" roared Captain Restronguet.
"Is that the way you would treat poor shipwrecked mariners? Send a boat
instantly, and take these people to Messina. If I fail to hear of their
safe arrival from the Consul of that port I will take good care to
obtain satisfaction from you on your homeward voyage. Do you
understand?"
"Yas, captain," replied the fellow, thoroughly cowed. "Me send boat."
"If that Greek scoundrel had not been so jolly mean I would have paid
him well for his assistance," remarked Captain Restronguet to the sub.
"As it is, not a penny will he get from me. Excuse me a few minutes, Mr.
Hythe?"
So saying the captain went below; but hardly had his head and shoulders
disappeared down the hatchway when he reappeared.
"Would you mind coming with me, Mr. Hythe?" he asked. "I am about to
give that poor fisherman a small present to set him up after his severe
loss. I prefer to perform little acts of this nature in private, but
since I am unable to speak a word of their lingo I realize I must enlist
your services. But, please, no mention of this to anyone on board."
Upon entering the cabin in which old Beppo and his grandson were,
Captain Restronguet produced a leather pouch and took from it thirty
English sovereigns. These he gave to the _padrone_ and bestowed another
gold coin upon the lad, whereupon the rescued Italians' thanks were so
profuse and pantomimic that their benefactor asked the sub to tell them
peremptorily to "shut up."
"And let them know that the British Consul at Messina will arrange for
them to have the gold changed into the national currency," he added.
"Here is a note explaining that this man came by the money honestly. I
think His Britannic Majesty's Consul will recognize that the signature
is genuine. Also tell Beppo that he is on no account to pay the Greek
skipper anything for his passage beyond a fair price for all meals
supplied."
So saying Captain Restronguet strode out of the cabin leaving the sub to
explain matters to the bewildered _padrone_, to whom the gold was a sum
greater than he could hope to amass in ten years' hard toil.
"Boat alongside, sir," announced Polglaze.
Followed by Beppo and his grandson, who, radiant with pleasure, had now
almost forgotten the perils they had undergone, Hythe went on deck.
Here were gathered almost every one of the officers and crew of the
submarine, while in a gig made fast on the "Aphrodite's" starboard
quarter were four disreputable-looking Greek seamen.
The "Aphrodite's" men gave the departing Italians a rousing cheer, then
as soon as the boat returned to the "Eleusis," Captain Restronguet gave
orders for general quarters.
Ere the Greek vessel's propeller began to revolve the submarine
disappeared beneath the surface, only to reappear on the port side of
the tramp. Then, hoisting and dipping Captain Restronguet's green and
white ensign, a compliment that the skipper of the "Eleusis" grudgingly
returned, the "Aphrodite" resumed her voyage on her quest of the
desperado, Karl von Harburg.