THE END OF U 247
"IT seems as if Old Man Morpeth's keen on taking all the Auldhaig
crush for a joyride," said Meredith, as he shook hands with
Cumberleigh and was introduced by the latter to the other R.A.F.
officers.
Both Wakefield and the R.N.V.R. Sub knew most of the staff at
Auldhaig Air Station by sight, while Meredith had met Cumberleigh on
several occasions, both officially and socially, as they were members
of the same club.
"The world is small," quoth Cumberleigh. "All the same, I hardly
expected to tumble across you half way across the North Sea. What are
you doing on this hooker?"
"Supernumeraries," replied Wakefield. "Same as you. Unless anything
unforeseen takes place, I fancy we're off to German waters on a
particular stunt."
"Hope there won't be too many underwater stunts," said Blenkinson.
"I've had enough submarine work during the last twenty-four hours to
last me a lifetime. Give me an old 'bus at five thousand feet any
day."
"There'll be no under-water performances this trip, I hope," remarked
Wakefield gravely. "If there is, it will be a case with us."
"Is that so?" asked Cumberleigh. "I thought this was a captured
U-boat."
"So did I once upon a time," said Wakefield, and he briefly explained
Q 171's true rôle.
The five officers were standing aft watching the transhipment of the
mutineers. Morpeth and Sub-lieutenant Ainslie were far too busy to
pay any attention to the released captives. The R.N.R. skipper was
alertly watching events, ready to cope with any sinister designs on
the part of Fritz, while Ainslie was superintending the task of
clapping the surrendered Huns under hatches.
With a good knowledge of German--it was mainly on that account that
he was appointed to Q 171--Ainslie soon obtained the mutineers'
carefully concocted account of what had happened to merit their tame
surrender; what was more, he literally "knocked the stuffing out of
them" by informing them that their precious yarn was all eye-wash,
and that Ober-leutnant von Preugfeld and Unter-leutnant von
Loringhoven had been picked up and were now on board as prisoners of
war. Yet with the Hun's typical effrontery Hans Furst coolly told the
examination officer that after the war he proposed to settle in
England, become naturalised, and make plenty of money.
"The English," he added "will be grateful to me when they learn that
I threw the German officers overboard."
While the cross-questioning of the mutineers was in progress Morpeth
was taking steps to destroy the prize.
"You might have a look round before we send her to the bottom," he
said to Wakefield, who jumped at the suggestion.
So Wakefield, Meredith and three of the Q-boat's crew manned the
collapsible dinghy belonging to the captured submarine and boarded
the prize.
A hasty examination showed that no attempt had been made to play
tricks with the sea-cocks, nor had Fritz, according to his usual
custom, placed bombs with time-fuses in the hold. It was another
example of the lack of a master. So intent had the Huns been to save
their own skins that they took not the faintest precaution to prevent
the confidential signal-book, log-book and other documents from
falling into the hands of their enemy.
"It's a pity to have to scuttle her," remarked Meredith regretfully,
as he surveyed the complicated array of mechanism. "It would be just
my mark to navigate her to Auldhaig under a prize crew."
"No doubt, Sub," rejoined Wakefield drily. "But unfortunately there
are objections. Morpeth's short-handed although he's choc-a-block
with useless passengers. We couldn't make the Hun mechanics take on
in the engine-room. On the way, even supposing you tackled the job,
there's a risk of falling in with a Boche U-boat, or a greater risk
of being torpedoed or bombed by our destroyers and aircraft. No doubt
Cumberleigh and the R.A.F. fellows would bear a hand, but they're
amateurs at the game. We should be if we were called upon to navigate
a coastal airship."
"And we should be out of Morpeth's big stunt," added Meredith.
"Having gone so far I should be sorry to miss it."
"Exactly," agreed the R.N.V.R. lieutenant. "So U 247 must go to Davy
Jones. I think we've seen everything of importance."
The U-boat was to be scuttled by opening the under-water valves.
Destruction by means of explosives was undesirable, as the report
might bring inquisitive craft upon the scene, and Q 171 was for the
nonce a sort of social pariah and liable to be fired upon by British
patrol boats, which acted upon the principle of shoot quick and shoot
straight at anything resembling a German submarine.
Ordering the boat's crew to stand by, Wakefield went below once more.
By the aid of an electric torch, for the internal lighting
arrangements had given out, he found the levers that operated the big
valves. So great was the inrush of water that Wakefield fancied he
would be trapped by the miniature Niagara. Without waiting to
manipulate the second sea-cock, he hastened precipitately on deck and
followed Meredith into the dinghy.
"Done the trick?" inquired Morpeth, as the two R.N.V.R. officers
regained the mystery ship. "She doesn't seem in a hurry."
Nor was she. It seemed quite a long time before the volume of water
admitted into the U-boat's hull made any visible change in her trim.
At length her freeboard diminished. She began to settle by the stern.
"I suppose you made certain that there were no other prisoners of war
on board?" inquired Captain Cumberleigh.
"Trust me for that," replied Wakefield. "Why did you ask?"
"Because I'm rather mystified about a fellow who called himself
Captain Fennelburt. He was with us when von Preugfeld collared us.
One of the mutineers pitched me a yarn to the effect that von
Preugfeld set him ashore. If so, what was the motive?"
"I'll see Morpeth about it," decided Wakefield.
"Ask von Preugfeld," suggested the skipper. "I can't do so myself
just at present. Make him own up, and don't stand any nonsense."
Cumberleigh, Wakefield and Blenkinson went below to interview the
prisoner. They acted on Morpeth's tip and stood on no ceremony. Time
was a consideration, as the U-boat was sinking and they wanted to see
the end.
Wakefield came straight to the point.
"I understand, Kapitan von Preugfeld," he said sternly, "that you had
on board another prisoner, a Captain Fennelburt of the R.A.F. He was
not found when we searched U 247. Now where is he?"
"You ask him," replied von Preugfeld, indicating von Loringhoven.
"I do not know," protested the unter-leutnant, "but he does."
Evidently von Loringhoven was getting pretty sick of being made a
convenience of by his egotistical skipper.
Wakefield's brows lowered. There was an ominous glint in his eye.
"I give you five seconds," he said darkly. "Otherwise, if you refuse
to tell me, back you go on board U 247. I might add that she is
sinking. Now: one... two... three... four---"
"I tell you!" exclaimed von Preugfeld. "All I tell you. Der offizier
he try to escape. He vos shot. It is der rules of der war."
"Unfortunately for the statement," interposed Captain Cumberleigh, "I
heard from one of your men that you landed him early this morning."
"In dat case," rejoined von Preugfeld, shrugging his shoulders, "why
you ask me? You take der word of a common sailor instead of a
Prussian offizier--a von Preugfeld? I tell you he lie."
Wakefield turned his back upon the bullying Prussian.
"It's evident that there was no other British officer on board," he
remarked to his companions. "We'll go into the matter later. Come
along, if we are to see the last of U 247."
The door was locked upon the prisoners, and the three officers
hurried on deck. Q 171 was forging ahead, moving in wide circles
around the sinking pirate craft.
By this time the U-boat had dipped her stern. Waves were lapping
along her deck as far as the after quick-firer. Her stem was
correspondingly raised until the bow tubes were visible above water.
Higher and higher rose the submarine's bows. Tons of water were flung
into her hull through the open after-hatch. Compressed air was
hissing loudly. Little rivulets of iridescent oil were forming on the
surface. Occasionally interior fittings, giving way under the
ever-increasing pressure, creaked and groaned to add to the
discordant noises of the sinking craft.
Then, with a shuddering movement, the U-boat slithered under the
water. For a brief instant her bows stood almost on end. A column of
water, forced by the terrific pressure through the fore-hatch,
spurted a good fifty feet, ejecting with it a quantity of debris and
oil.
"_Bon voyage!_" exclaimed Wakefield.
A turmoil of agitated water marked the spot where the submarine
disappeared. For a full minute the maelstrom surged and swirled,
then, overcome by the liberation of tons of heavy oil, the disturbed
water died down, leaving in its place an ever-increasing patch of
multi-hued colours. Forty fathoms down the submarine had made a
permanent acquaintance with the bed of the North Sea.
"Well, any luck?" inquired Morpeth, who, having left Ainslie in
charge, had rejoined his unofficial guests in the ward-room. "What
did you get out of von Preugfeld?"
"Precious little," admitted Wakefield. "He tried to hedge. We'll have
to confront him with some of his mutineering men."
"I'll find out if there's any reference to the mysterious captain in
this," said the R.N.R. skipper, holding up U 247's log-book. "Any of
you fellows read the lingo?"
"Sorry," replied Meredith.
"You needn't be, old son," rejoined Morpeth. "I can't an' don't want
to, although just now it would come in mighty handy. Some years back
the Foul Anchor Line turned me down when I wanted a job as Second
Officer on one of their crack boats because I couldn't speak German.
They were carrying a lot of German passengers and South Americans at
that time. Another fellow--Campbell was his name--got the billet
'cause he'd gained a first prize for German on a cadet training-ship.
First trip he piled the old hooker aground off the entrance to Rio
Harbour, 'and a dozen or more Huns got drowned."
"So you were glad you didn't get the appointment after all?" asked
Cumberleigh.
"Rather," agreed Morpeth, with a laugh. "Not that I'd have put the
ship aground. Guess I know that part of the South American coast too
well. But, looking back on it, young Campbell was a patriot, only he
didn't know it. We might have had another dozen Huns to fight. But to
get back to business: here's this log wants looking into, and it's
young Ainslie's trick. He's the Hun lingoist."
"I'll have a shot at it," volunteered Captain Cumberleigh. "I was in
Germany. ...Long before the war," he added apologetically, speaking
with the weight of experience of twenty-two years.
He opened the log-book at the last-written page.
"'Fraid it won't help us much," he announced. "Apparently it doesn't
go beyond 8 A.M. of the 15th--that is the morning of the day they
collared us. By Jove! Morpeth, you've caught a much-wanted specimen.
Von Preugfeld's the fellow who torpedoed the hospital ship
_Columbine_ and the _Camperdown Castle_."
"The Lord have mercy on his soul, then!" said Morpeth solemnly.