TRAPPED
Gain the _Monitor_ spoke the _Bergerhof_ and received in turn a summons
to come alongside and take on fresh stores of fuel.
"If we do we will disclose our identity and it will be all off," said
"Little Mack" in a quandary.
Then Jack had an inspiration.
"Tell them we are having some trouble with our diving rudders and will
be along shortly," he offered.
"Little Mack" seized upon the suggestion and acted promptly. In code
the mother submarine answered that she was coming to aid. "Let her
come; we'll give her a hot reception," said McClure grimly.
As the _Bergerhof_ neared them McClure submerged a little and jockeyed
his vessel into position for a sure shot.
This aroused the suspicions of the German and she asked whether the
steering apparatus of the U-los had again gone wrong.
"Here is our answer," exclaimed McClure, and catching the big submersible
full on the sight of the periscope glass, he released a torpedo.
Their suspicions now fully confirmed the Germans sought vainly to get
their vessel under way; but the movement came too late, as the torpedo
from the _Monitor_ cleft the waters like an arrow and buried its
nose against the hull of the gigantic mother ship just abaft the
conning tower. With a mighty roar and a flash that illumined the
night the speeding projectile crashed through the hull of the
_Bergerhof_ and rent the vessel like so much paper.
"Seems like a pity to put them out of business, don't it?" said
McClure with a tone of wistful regret as he surveyed the picture.
Jack was viewing the whole spectacle through the periscope, his chief
at the observation port in the conning tower.
"We sure did get them," commented Jack. There wasn't the least
possibility of the mother ship offering resistance, since it was now
a matter of a few minutes at the longest until she would be taking
her last dive. So the conning tower of the _Monitor_ was opened and
the officers climbed on deck to watch the death struggle of the
_Bergerhof_. The _Monitor's_ torpedo had done its work well, for it
was quite evident, as the American craft drew near the scene of the
explosion, that the German vessel had been blown out of the water.
"Probably a half dozen men were out on deck when we hit them," said
McClure. "Suppose we get right up close and see whether we can fish
a few of them out of the water."
He rang the _Monitor_ ahead directly for the spot where the German ship
had disappeared under the waves, and as it drew closer slowed down the
engines.
"There's one poor chap directly off the port bow," observed Jack as he
pointed to a bobbing figure in the water. The _Monitor_ was stopped
and in a few minutes the unlucky German was hauled on deck. He proved
to be a petty officer, suffering several slight wounds, and he grasped
eagerly the rope extended to him by several of the American sailors.
In like fashion six other Teutons were hauled out of the water, among
them the captain of the doomed ship.
"We thought you were friends and not enemies," said the German executive
as he looked first from McClure to Jack and then ran his eye along the
deck of the _Monitor_, with surprise written in every feature.
"Sorry, but we had to sink you," was Commander McClure's rejoinder.
The prisoners were hurried below deck and made comfortable. They were
a sorry looking lot after their narrow escape from death. McClure
debated with Jack for a time just what to do with the prisoners, but
decided finally to keep them until he could deliver them to a larger
unit of the U.S. fleet. In the meantime they were herded into the
spacious men's quarters just forward of the control chamber and a
strong guard posted over them in charge of Bill Witt.
"If they start any funny business in here, they'll find themselves
worse off than if they had gone down with 'mother' to the bottom of
the deep blue sea," volunteered Bill as he assumed charge of his wards.
Anxious now to inform the Allies' fleet of the intended U-boat raid
planned for the following evening McClure decided upon a flying trip
down the Belgian coast during the night and then a dash across the
North Sea to intercept speedy American destroyers and convey to them
the valuable information that it might be relayed to the flagship and
the warning given in due time.
"We'll stick to the coast for the next six hours," said the _Monitor's_
captain to his executive officer, "and may be able to lay out another
U-boat hurrying to the tryst with Mother _Bergerhof_."
Cruising on the surface the _Monitor_ settled down for the night's run
with Jack in command while his superior officer went below for a few
hours' rest. It was a calm moonlight night with a smooth running sea
and a breeze out of the south. Jack threw open the conning tower and
climbed into the deck steering station. From his vantage point he
had a commanding view of the sea for many miles in every direction and
the young ensign reveled in the glories of the night.
Suddenly, at a distance of not more than two miles off the starboard
beam, Jack spied a vessel driving leisurely toward the east with a
trail of smoke floating along in her train. Taking up his glasses
he was able to make her out plainly in the moonlight---a destroyer!
Without calling his captain Jack decided to follow her for a while
and accordingly altered the course of the _Monitor_ to east by southeast
until she was cutting in at right angles toward the speedy warship.
After a chase lasting the better part of half an hour Jack found that
the _Monitor_ was rapidly approaching the mainland off to port, with
the destroyer running into what appeared to be a convenient harbor on
the Belgian coast. He decided to report to McClure before proceeding
further, and forthwith sent Ted to waken the ship's commander. In a
few minutes McClure climbed into the conning tower.
"What's up now?" he asked as he swept the horizon.
"Destroyer right ahead, sir," reported Jack as he indicated the
position of the vessel. McClure picked it up with his glasses, and
by taking the _Monitor's_ position was able very shortly to determine
that the vessel was off the entrance to Ostend.
"We might as well run up a bit closer and take a shot at her anyway,"
he announced shortly.
Crowding on full speed, the American vessel edged in closer and was
then partially submerged. The German vessel had not noticed the
submarine as yet; at least, she gave no indication of being cognizant
of the proximity of the American vessel. At a distance of three
thousand yards McClure decided to loose a torpedo.
"We'll take one shot and then dive," he said. "The coast is studded
with guns everywhere here and we are too close to them to loiter
around long."
In another moment, after sighting carefully on the fleeing destroyer,
McClure gave the signal to fire and Jack sent a torpedo whirling from
the bow of the _Monitor_.
"And now down we go," said McClure as he signaled to take in ballast.
Not waiting to note the effect of their fire, the officers of the
_Monitor_ sent their ship careening into the depths and went down to
a depth of fifty feet with a greatly decreased speed.
"Guess we had better turn now and make for the open sea," said McClure
as he grasped the rudder key to swing the _Monitor_ around.
But at that moment came a sharp rasping sound on the forward hull of
the American vessel and then a mighty ripping sound aft followed by a
grinding in the region of the propeller blades and an almost sudden
stoppage of the _Monitor_. McClure and Jack looked at each other,
dismay written in their faces.
"Trapped!" ejaculated the little captain. "We are caught in a submarine
net!"