The Rival Submarines Part 7

"Do you smoke? Yes? Well, try one of these cigars. I can guarantee them as pure Sumatran."

The sub controlled his amazement with an effort. He had never before heard of smoking in a submarine.

Mechanically he took the proffered cigar, lit it, and waited for the captain to resume the conversation. For his part he was anxious to know what the latter's intentions were regarding his unexpected guest, but something compelled him to await a favourable opportunity.

Captain Restronguet eyed his captive for some moments in silence, then:--

"I am sorry to have to refer to your regrettable failure to take possession of the 'Aphrodite'--that being the name of this craft--but at present the opportunity has not arrived for me to relinquish my command.

Perhaps some day----"

The captain paused meditatively. Hythe could see his thick bushy eyebrows narrow till they formed one continuous line.

"Under the circ.u.mstances I am compelled to retain you on board for an indefinite time. I trust that you will make yourself as comfortable as you can, and that the wonders of this craft--for wonders they are, although I myself say it--will be sufficiently interesting to prevent ennui."

"But why was I seized by your men, might I ask?"

"You were seized because there was no desirable option. You--I think I am right--you took the initiative by tackling one of my men. They knew perfectly well that three divers were sent down from one of the Government vessels; they had their work to do, and were, of course, loth to be hindered by anyone. Since I gave them particular orders not to do anyone personal injuries, and to maintain a strict neutrality unless molested, they could do nothing else but make you a prisoner. I might also mention that I particularly wished to have a British naval officer with me, for reasons which I hope to explain at some future date.

Chance has thrown you across my path, and here you must for the present remain. Your treatment rests with yourself, but please do not regard this as a menace; it is merely a plain statement of facts."

"But you are fairly trapped. You cannot get away!" exclaimed Hythe.

"I think not. At any rate, I will soon find out."

Crossing the cabin Captain Restronguet took up the receiver and mouthpiece of a portable telephone.

"How is the work progressing, Mr. Devoran?" he asked. "All clear? ...

Good.... What's that? .... Oh, very well... two hundred revolutions if you wish .... Splendid! ... If you want me I'll be with you ... Thanks!"

The captain replaced the receiver and turned to his guest.

"Perhaps you would like to look through the observation scuttle?" he asked, and touching a switch he extinguished lights and left the cabin in total darkness. Almost immediately after a panel in the flat ceiling of the cabin slid back, rapidly, smoothly, and noiselessly, revealing a rectangular plate of thick gla.s.s through which the pale green light streamed, flooding the apartment with subdued hues.

"No need to strain your neck, Mr. Hythe," he exclaimed, as the sub gazed wonderingly at the semi-transparent patch above his head. "Look in front of you; the result from an optical point of view will be just the same, and far more comfortable from an anatomical standpoint."

The young officer did as his host requested. Simultaneously with the sliding back of the panel a mirror hinged at one side had risen from the floor till it attained the angle of forty-five degrees, while another similarly inclined, but face downwards, stood on a table in front of him, and slightly above the level of his head. Thus, by looking into the mirror on the table, Hythe could without inconvenience see everything that could be observed through the observation pane.

He sat there absolutely fascinated. The "Aphrodite" had escaped the coils that had, at the cost of so much labour and time, been thrown about her. She was moving, yet not the faintest vibration or sound came from the propelling machinery. Above were numerous dark objects seemingly in suspension in the pale green vault of water; they were the keels of various vessels, large and small, that had foregathered in Cawsand Bay to witness the capture of the mysterious submarine.

CHAPTER VII.

IN THE CONNING-TOWER.

For several minutes Arnold Hythe sat motionless, watching the rapidly-changing objects that flitted across the inclined mirror.

Captain Restronguet made no attempt to distract his attention, but standing with folded arms he watched with feelings of satisfaction the effects of the spectacle upon the young officer's face.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed the sub at length.

"You think so, Mr. Hythe? Let me a.s.sure you that this view is nothing to what I can show you. Suppose we take a stroll for'ard?"

The captain opened the door of his cabin.

"You will excuse me preceding you," he remarked apologetically. "We will proceed to the fore conning-tower. Oh, yes, the 'Aphrodite' has two. That accounts for the reports of the master of the 'Barberton Castle,' that he sighted two submarines lying side by side. As a matter of fact he saw the two conning-towers of the 'Aphrodite' against the light, and influenced by the fact that he had hitherto seen submarines with single conning-towers he was misled. Had he really seen two submarines"--and here Captain Restronguet's features darkened ominously--"he would have witnessed a catastrophe to one of them. But of that I will say more later. Suppose we look into this compartment on our way for'ard."

Hythe's guide rolled back a sliding-hatch that communicated with the men's quarters--a fairly s.p.a.cious room on the starboard side amidships.

To the sub's surprise he saw O'Shaunessey.

"Holy St. Pathrick!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the seaman, almost forgetting in his excitement to salute. "Faith! sorr, how came you in this shebeen? Sure, I thought 'twas meself only as these rascally foreign spalpeens 'ad taken."

"They collared me too, O'Shaunessey," answered Hythe.

"Bad cess to them!" continued the gigantic Irishman, shaking his fist in the direction of half a dozen almost as powerfully built men who were imperturbably regarding their captive. "They tackled me with some insthrument, an' I couldn't raise me hand in self defence. They must have known that I could never stand being tickled, the ign'rant foreigners."

"Why foreigners, O'Shaunessey?" asked the sub, while Captain Restronguet gave a low chuckle.

"Ain't they foreigners, bedad? I prached to 'em like the blessed St.

Pathrick held forth to the sarpints, an' all they did was to shake their heads."

"There is no necessity to keep up this pretence any longer, men,"

exclaimed Captain Restronguet. "This sailor must be treated as one of yourselves for the time being. You might rea.s.sure him, Mr. Hythe, for in spite of our electric treatment he seems inclined to be troublesome, and a good deal of damage might be done if we have to use strong measures."

"Look here, O'Shaunessey," said the sub, "we must make the best of our present position. This gentleman, Captain Restronguet, will doubtless put us ash.o.r.e in good time," and with a swift look that the sailor rightly interpreted that he must keep his weather eye lifting, Hythe followed the captain out of the compartment.

"This is the for'ard double bulkhead," explained Captain Restronguet, as the pair came to the doors that Hythe had previously noticed. "The 'Aphrodite' is built in three separate sections, any of which can, in a case of emergency, be detached from the remaining portion and still remain watertight. The midship sections at the two princ.i.p.al bulkheads are identical. Thus if the centre compartment should happen to be holed the fore and after sections can be detached, brought together, and secured. We would then still be a submarine of two-thirds the length of the present one. In the foremost section are the offensive appliances, subsidiary motors, and certain stores. The midship portion forms the living s.p.a.ce for the crew, main store rooms, etc.; the after section contains the officers' cabins, and underneath them the main propelling machinery. In each section is a diving-chamber capable of being flooded in order to allow the crew to leave the vessel when occasions arise.

The exit in the midship section is on Number Two Platform; in the others it is on Number Three."

"Sounds like a railway station," thought Hythe; then--

"What do you mean by platforms?" he asked.

"You might prefer to call them decks, Mr. Hythe. Number One is literally on deck, and extends practically the whole length and breadth of the vessel. Her sections are, as you doubtless have observed, almost square, the ridges of the deck and the bilges being very slightly rounded off. This gives plenty of s.p.a.ce for the crew when running on the surface, and also enables the 'Aphrodite' to rest on the bottom of the sea without any perceptible list, unless, of course, the bed shelves at all. Number Two Platform--but perhaps you are not interested?"

"Rather!" exclaimed the young officer eagerly.

"Well, then, Number Two Platform runs fore and aft at nine feet below the overhead girders, so there is no necessity to have to stoop when in any of the compartments or alley-ways. Number Three Platform rests on the cross girders that are bolted to the keelson, and being airtight form a hollow bottom. As a matter of fact these double bottom compartments are nearly always filled with water, which can be ejected by powerful, quick-delivery force pumps when necessary. Here is the door in the base of the for'ard conning-tower."

Unfastening the door by a cam-action lever Captain Restronguet agilely negotiated the narrow way and sprang up a steel ladder. Hythe followed and found himself standing on a metal grating in the company of the captain and a quarter-master. The latter took no notice of his superiors beyond moving a little to one side; his whole attention was fixed upon the task of steering the submerged craft.

The interior of the conning-tower was literally lined with electrical appliances, each switch distinctly marked according to the work it had to perform, but for the moment the sub paid scant heed to them. His eyes travelled in the direction of one of three large oval scuttles filled with plate gla.s.s.

The submersion indicator pointed to thirty-four feet, a depth that allowed the "Aphrodite" to pa.s.s under the keel of the deepest draughted battleship afloat, with five feet to spare. The compa.s.s pointed due east.

"We are just pottering about, as it were, between the Draystone and the Mewstone," announced Captain Restronguet. "The depth here averages ten fathoms, which gives us a margin of five feet under our keel. There is a battleship coming out of harbour, she is now in Smeaton Pa.s.s, and we are waiting for her to draw clear. On a falling tide we must take no risks."

"What do you mean?" asked Hythe.