TRYING OUT THE BIG, NEW PLAN
"YOU see," Dave nodded to his brother officers, "the theory we had worked
out about the method of supplying mines to the submarine layers was the
right one. I think that we shall be able to show some results to the
admiral."
Dan was then instructed to remain to keep watch over the shoals, while
the "Grigsby" soon afterwards started for port, escorting the two prizes.
Before daylight the captured under-sea boats were duly turned over to the
British authorities. Darrin then sought the admiral, and, despite the
lateness of the hour, he was soon admitted.
"What do you need for your enterprise?" inquired the admiral after
listening attentively to the plan Dave had unfolded to him.
"Nothing but a dirigible, commanded by the right man," Dave explained.
"That ought not to be difficult," declared the British officer. "You
shall have what you want. Now, suppose we go over the chart, to make sure
that I understand just what you propose to do."
On the map Darrin traced the course that he felt sure the German
underseas craft pursued when bringing cargoes of mines to the other
submarines that were laying mines in British waters.
"That would be the natural course for such craft to take," agreed Admiral
Wheatleigh. "I trust that you are right in your surmises. If you are, we
should have some excellent results within the next few days."
"I shall know, sir, within forty-eight hours, and I think it likely that
the enemy will also hear something about it within the next few days. At
least, sir, the German admiralty should be able to guess."
Dave took his leave, hastening back to the "Grigsby," which, an hour
later, weighed anchor and stood out to sea. By that time Dave was sound
asleep, for he had been through a great deal and was sorely in need of
rest before he reached the scene of his intended activities.
Some hours later he was called, and was soon on the bridge.
"You are at the point at which you wished to be called," said Fernald
when Dave reached the bridge.
"And you will do well to seek your own rest now, Mr. Fernald," Darrin
answered. "You can be called, if needed."
Half an hour later Darrin made out, in the sky astern, a tiny speck that
rapidly came closer, and proved to be the dirigible sent at his request.
As the dirigible came nearer signals were rapidly exchanged. The course
for the aircraft was made plain. As for the "Grigsby," her speed was
slowed down to mere headway and she loafed over the waters.
Two hours passed during which the "blimp" aloft sailed rapidly to and fro
in the sky, zig-zagging over the course in a way that covered several
square miles in an hour.
"She's found something, sir!" cried Ensign Andrews.
"She has sighted a craft, bound over the course we had suspected," said
Darrin, as signals broke out rapidly from the car under the big gas bag.
"We'll let the submarine get by us before we start in chase."
Another half hour passed, for, though the dirigible moved swiftly, the
underseas craft she was watching was moving only at submerged speed.
Then the chase led on past the "Grigsby." Purposely Darrin allowed it to
go by him by about a mile ere he joined in the pursuit. Starting at half
speed ahead he soon changed it to full speed.
And now the dirigible had slowed down, until she was travelling, as her
signals stated, at just the speed of the submerged craft directly under
her.
"We'll go in by the stern and try to make a quick job of it," Darrin
proposed, as he gave Andrews final instructions, and turned to see that
the signalman with his flag stood well aft on the superstructure.
As the destroyer raced in almost under the dirigible Darrin raised his
right hand. The signalman with the flag did the same.
Just as the "Grigsby's" bridge passed in under the tail of the aircraft
Dave Darrin read the signal for which he had waited. The airmen were
telling him that the bridge of his craft was almost over the bow of the
hidden enemy beneath.
Down came Dave's raised hand. Seeing it fall, the signalman let his flag
drop.
In that same instant the depth bomb was released for its course over the
"Grigsby's" stern.
Almost in the same second there sounded a terrific if muffled report
under the surface. The water rose in three distinct columns, lifting the
stern of the "Grigsby" and almost burying her bow under.
It was as though a great geyser and an earthquake had met. Columns like
waterspouts hurled themselves across and over the reeling destroyer. Even
when the "Grigsby's" nose came out and up once more the destroyer rocked
in the near tidal wave that the swift series of explosions had produced.
"Pardon me, sir," begged Ensign Andrews, when he had regained control of
himself. "I feel constrained to remark, sir, that you appear to know how
to get all the thrills out of life."
"We must have landed right over a mine cargo once more," Dave answered
smiling. "There were several explosions, but they came nearly together.
One of these days we'll start something like that that will send us up
half a mile into the air. But it's great sport, Andrews, especially when
you pause to think what it all means."
"Great sport for us, but too sudden for the Huns," rejoined the watch
officer. "They cannot have had the satisfaction, even, of realizing that
anything had hit them."
Satisfied that there would be no more underseas explosions, Darrin gave
the order to come about.
That the underseas craft had been struck was indicated clearly enough by
the patches of oil on the water. The force of the explosion told the
Yankee tars that the craft must have been blown into bits.
"Best thing I ever saw done!" signalled the British officer in command of
the "blimp."
"Find us another, and we'll try to show you something just as good,"
Darrin caused to be signalled back.
Fernald, who had been called, having reported, was sent with the chief
engineer to make a hull inspection below decks. Though some of the hull
plates had been dented inward enough to attract attention, no leak could
be found. The "Grigsby" was as seaworthy as ever, though after that
rocking shock this seemed a marvel.
Off in the distance the "blimp" soon became a mere speck to the watchful
eyes of those on the destroyer.
Dave directed that the aircraft be followed at cruising speed so long as
she remained in sight. When the dirigible was at last lost to view the
destroyer lay to, her lookouts using their glasses.
"Think the aircraft is coming back, sir," reported a lookout from the
military mast.
From where he stood on the bridge Darrin could make out nothing for
several minutes, though in the interval the lookout aloft reported that
he could make out the "blimp" with surety, and that she appeared to be
flying a signal, though he could not see what it was.
Then from the bridge the "blimp" became visible. A little later, too, the
flag signal could be seen and read.
"Following another submarine," was what the signal said.
Going to starboard of the course Darrin advanced at ordinary speed to
meet the "blimp," which, as in the former case, was flying just barely
astern of the hidden monster, so that the forward British airman lookout
could discern the shape of the craft that was being pursued.
Dave waited until the dirigible had passed. He then gave the order, "Full
speed ahead," and came about behind the "blimp."
Leaping forward the "Grigsby" gave chase, the "blimp" at the same time
moving up directly over the intended prey.
At the drop of the flag above, Darrin let go his right hand, the
signalman transmitted the order, and the bomb rolled overboard.
As Dave's hand fell the watch officer advanced the lever of the
engine-room telegraph. An extra jump was put into the speed.
Again a column of water rose astern, but this time there was only the
normal explosion of the depth bomb.
"Good hit," said the dirigible, by radio, and the message was called up
to the bridge. "Saw her stagger. She's done for."
The "blimp" veered off once more, going back over her late course. As the
"Grigsby" went about Darrin made out the tell-tale spread of oil on the
waves.
"This is the real form of hunting," he exclaimed.
"Too bad, sir, that none of us thought of it before," remarked Ensign
Andrews.
"We had to wait and learn," Dave explained. "That's the way that all
progress in this war has been registered. We are fighting an ingenious
enemy. Destroying the submarine mine-carriers, as we are doing today,
won't end the planting of German mines. As soon as the enemy finds out
how we are checkmating him he'll invent another scheme, which we'll have
to discover before we can beat it."
Half an hour later the British aircraft located a third submarine.
"A big one, too," she signalled. "Following the same course."
"Mr. 'Blimp' might try a bomb himself," suggested Ensign Andrews. "I
believe he carries a few."
"Not as powerful ones as we carry," Darrin answered. "Besides, he has to
be at a greater altitude, when hunting submarines, than it's handy to
drop a bomb from. There is too much margin of chance that the enemy craft
will graze by when the bomb is dropped from the air. In our case, if we
drop when directly over the Hun, there can hardly be a miss, and it's the
dirigible's business to tell us when we are directly over the enemy."
In the meantime, on board the destroyer, all was made ready, and Dave
followed the same tactics as before. This time, too, there was a normal
explosion, though a solid hit was made and the submarine destroyed. Apart
from the "blimp's" report there could be no doubt as to the destruction.
The spread of oil on the surface of the sea told the story.
"If you and we hurry, we may bag another before dark," Dave sent by
wireless, as the aircraft started back again.
"We'll do our best, believe us!" came back the word.
In the late afternoon a slight haze came up, which gradually deepened.
Darrin followed for a few miles, keeping the "blimp" in sight. She was
some six miles away when a radio message came from her in code in these
words:
"Can you see steamship about four knots north-west of us?"
Dave challenged the lookout on the military mast, but that seaman
reported the weather a bit too thick to enable him to make out the
steamship. Darrin accordingly wirelessed back this information.
"Looks like a tramp steamer," came the next message, "but she acted
suspiciously when she sighted us. Her skipper appears perturbed, which he
would hardly be if his business is honest. Weather is thickening so we
may lose him in the haze. Better close in."
"Will do so," Dave replied.
Then followed explicit directions as to the course the destroyer must
follow.
The next code message from the airship was:
"Skipper of steamship so bothered that he appears to be rigging
anti-aircraft gun. Am about to signal him to stop for search."
Despite the haze over the sea the "blimp's" movements could still be made
out from the deck of the destroyer. Mast lookouts and those on bridge and
deck followed the "blimp's" movements with keen interest.
"He maneuvers as if he were closing in on the steamship," declared Ensign
Andrews.
"If the steamer's skipper uses anti-aircraft guns the dirigible's
commander will be justified in dropping bombs," Dave returned. "It's a
stupid piece of business for any lightly armed steamer to attempt to
resist a 'blimp.' But of course the steamer's skipper does not know that
there is a warship so close."
"The rascal's firing on us," reported the "blimp."
"If you'll keep back we'll close in and talk to the stranger," Darrin
suggested, by wireless.
"We're hit," almost instantly came the report from the airship.
"Badly?" Dave asked by radio.
"Investigating. Report soon."
"That ship must be up to something extremely desperate to dare to fire on
a British 'blimp'!" exclaimed Dave Darrin. "But we're getting close, and
soon ought to know what we have to tackle!"