DEATH OF THE SPY.
"What will you do with the spy, Lord Hastings?" asked Frank.
"Shoot him," was the brief reply.
Frank was silent for some moments.
"It's terrible to think of it," he said at last. "Still, I suppose it
must be done."
"It must," returned Lord Hastings.
"Will there be need of a trial first, sir?"
"A trial, of course, is only a formality. Nevertheless, he must have
one."
"When, sir?"
"The court martial will sit in half an hour."
"And will be composed of how many, sir?"
"Six. Mr. Templeton, yourself, Johnson, Smith, one of the sailors and
myself. It will sit here in my cabin."
"Very good, sir. I shall be here."
Half an hour later the prisoner faced his judges. Lord Hastings
addressed him.
"Prisoner," he said, "what have you to say in extenuation of your
actions?"
"Nothing," was the brief response.
"Have you anything to plead why sentence of death should not be
pronounced on you?" continued Lord Hastings.
"I have nothing whatever to say," was the firm response.
The six judges consulted together for some moments. Then Lord Hastings
turned again to the prisoner.
"As president of this court martial," he said slowly, "I sentence you to
be shot at six o'clock."
He drew a watch from his pocket and glanced at it.
"It is now five," he said. "You have one hour in which to prepare
yourself to meet your maker."
The prisoner bowed his head in assent. Then, at a signal, he arose and
was conducted from the room.
Six o'clock came all too swiftly for Frank and Jack, who could but look
with horror upon this cold blooded way of disposing of a man, simply
because he was a spy.
The D-16, feeling her way carefully, had come to the surface, and now
the prisoner was conducted to the bridge. He took his stand at one end
and waving aside a proffered bandage, faced his executioners
unflinchingly.
A firing squad of six men took their positions opposite him. Much to his
chagrin, Jack had been put in command of the squad, and it was his duty
to give the word that would snuff out the life of a fellow being.
But Jack was not the lad to refuse to obey orders, and now he stood
behind the squad.
"Ready," he said calmly.
"Take aim!"
But before he could give the word to fire, the prisoner, who up to this
moment had been standing with folded arms, suddenly flung himself into
the sea.
"Fire!" cried Jack, and the sailors poured a volley after him. Then all
rushed to the rail and watched for him to reappear.
A few minutes later a head appeared a short distance away. It became at
once apparent that the spy had not been touched.
Immediately Jack rushed to the side of the vessel and also flung himself
into the sea. The erstwhile prisoner saw his action and struck out
vigorously toward the south, where, in the gathering darkness, he could
make out dimly a strip of land.
But Jack was a powerful swimmer and gained rapidly on the spy.
Perceiving that he could not out-swim his pursuer, the spy slackened his
stroke, and just as Jack came up to him, dived. As he went down, he
caught Jack by the legs and pulled him under also.
Taken at a disadvantage Jack struggled in vain to free himself. He was
at a further disadvantage also, for the spy, before going under, had
caught a long breath; whereas Jack had gone under sputtering and
gasping.
But help came to Jack from a source he did not expect. When he had
jumped into the sea in pursuit of the spy, Frank had done likewise, for
he divined that Jack might have trouble recapturing the prisoner. While
he was not such a powerful swimmer as Jack, he was nevertheless close at
hand when the spy pulled his chum under.
Frank acted without an instant's hesitation. Drawing his revolver and
grasping it by the barrel, he also dived. Down and down he went, and
then close beside him he became aware of the struggling figures.
The water was very dark, but the lad could dimly distinguish the form of
his friend from that of the spy. Going close, he raised his revolver and
brought it down on the spy's head with all his force. At the same time
he stretched forth his other hand, and seized the spy by the shoulder.
Freed of the hold on his legs, Jack immediately shot to the surface,
where he filled his lungs with fresh invigorating air. A moment later
Frank, still grasping the spy by the shoulder, appeared by his side.
"Lend a hand," he called, "and we'll get him back aboard."
Jack, now greatly refreshed, did as his chum ordered and the two lads,
supporting the body of the spy between them, swam back to the submarine,
where willing hands helped them over the side.
Lord Hastings immediately took charge of the spy.
"Stretch him out there till he recovers consciousness, and then proceed
with the execution," he ordered.
The body of the spy was stretched out on the deck, and two sailors bent
over him. Then one started back, and took off his cap.
"The execution will not take place," he said.
"What do you mean?" said Lord Hastings. "Is he----"
"Yes," interrupted the sailor, "he is dead."
"By George!" muttered Frank, "that blow over the head."
"No," said the sailor, "it is the water that did for him."
"I'm glad of that," said Frank simply.
"Prepare the body for burial immediately," ordered Lord Hastings. "We'll
remain on the surface until after he has been buried, then we'll
submerge and continue our course."
The work of preparing the spy's body for burial was only a question of
minutes, and when it had been turned over to the mercies of the sea,
Lord Hastings gave the command:
"Submerge immediately, Mr. Templeton."
All descended from the bridge, the little vessel was made snug and
comfortable, and disappeared from the surface of the sea.
"Shape your course due east, Mr. Templeton, and steam at 7 knots,"
ordered Lord Hastings. "Mr. Chadwick, you will take your post and watch
for mines."
"Very good, sir," replied both lads, and departed on their respective
duties.
In the darkened room in the bow of the vessel, with the powerful
searchlight lighting up the murky water ahead, Frank kept careful vigil.
Hour after hour he sat there in silence, hardly moving from his first
position.
The D-16 forged ahead but slowly, for there was no need of undue haste
and Lord Hastings was not minded to take unnecessary chances.
Frank glanced at his watch.
"Midnight," he muttered to himself. "Only one more hour and then I can
turn in for the night."
Still the minutes passed without incident. Finally, at a few minutes to
one, Frank, after a second glance at his watch, arose and stretched
himself.
"Guess nothing will turn up in my watch," he told himself.
But the lad was mistaken.
For one moment he had taken his eyes from the water ahead, and now,
glancing forth once more, he beheld a sight that moved him to instant
action. His eyes fell upon a large object directly ahead, a scant
hundred yards.
Quickly the lad jumped to the bell that signalled the engine room. And
almost as quickly the speed of the vessel was checked. But the nose of
the submarine was now but inches from the dark looking object ahead.
Lord Hastings' face appeared in the room.
"What's the matter?" he demanded.
"Looks like a mine, sir," replied Frank quietly.
Lord Hastings advanced until he could get a good look at the object. He
peered at it long and carefully, then turned to the lad.
"You are right," he said. "It is a mine. Had you perceived it an instant
later we undoubtedly would be in the land of the missing by this time."
Frank flushed at this, for he realized perfectly that had he been paying
strict attention to his duties, the submarine would not have come this
close to danger of destruction. But he said nothing.
The mine extended well up toward the surface of the water, but the
bottom of it was in plain sight.
"I suppose the best thing to do is to dive under it," said Lord
Hastings.
"My idea, too, sir," agreed Frank.
Lord Hastings turned on his heel and left the compartment, and a moment
later the vessel began to sink lower and lower into the sea. Frank still
stood on watch, and when he was certain that the D-16 would pass beneath
the mine without danger of striking it, he gave the signal and the
vessel headed forward once more.
Lord Hastings entered the compartment again.
"The chances are there are more of them," he said, "so we shall have to
be very careful. I'll have Mr. Templeton take the next watch, for we
cannot keep too sharp a lookout."
Frank nodded his head in assent. Lord Hastings left.
Five minutes later Jack appeared at Frank's side and the latter turned
to go. Suddenly he whirled about and spoke to his chum.
"You must be more careful than I was," he said quietly. "I was almost
the means of sending us all to the bottom for good."
"What do you mean?" asked Jack in surprise.
Frank explained.
"Well," said his chum consolingly, "a miss is as good as a mile, you
know."
"Nevertheless," replied Frank, "the second might not be a miss. Keep
your eyes open."
"I'll keep them open, never fear," said Jack. "Now, you go to bed."
"All right," said Frank, and left his friend alone.