Dave Darrin and the German Submarines Read online

  CHAPTER II

  THE MEETING WITH A PIRATE

  Thirty-six hours' work at the dry dock, with changing shifts, put the"Logan" in shape to start seaward again.

  Under another black sky, moving into thick weather, the "Logan" swungoff at slow speed, with little noise from engines or propellers.

  "I feel as if something were going to happen to-night," said Dalzell,coming to the bridge at midnight after a two-hour nap. A little shudderran over his body.

  "I hope something does," agreed Darrin, warmly. "But remember--no Jonahforebodings!"

  "I--I think it will be something good!" hesitated Dalzell.

  "Good or bad, have me called at six bells," Dave instructed his secondin command. "Before that, of course, if anything turns up."

  He went slowly down and entered the chart-room, closing the curtainsafter him. Taking off his sheepskin coat and hanging it up, Dave droppedinto a chair, pulling a pair of blankets over him. Inside of thirtyseconds he was sound asleep, dreaming, perhaps, of the night before atthe hotel, when he had enjoyed the luxury of removing his clothing andsleeping between sheets.

  At three o'clock to the minute a messenger entered and roused him. HowDarrin hated to get up! He was horribly sleepy, yet he was on his feetin a twinkling, removing the service blouse that he had worn whilesleeping, and dashing cold water in his face. A hurried toiletcompleted, he drew on and buttoned his blouse, next donned his sheepskincoat and cap, and went out into the dark of the early morning.

  "All secure, sir!" reported Dalzell, from the bridge, meaning thatreports had come in from all departments of the craft that all was well.

  "You had better turn in, Mr. Dalzell," Dave called, before he began topace the deck.

  "I'm not sleepy, sir," lied Dalzell, like the brave young gentleman thathe was in all critical times. Dan knew that from now until sun-up wasthe tune that called for utmost vigilance.

  Darrin busied himself, as he did frequently every day, by going aboutthe ship, on deck and below deck, on a tour of inspection. This occupiedhim for nearly an hour. Then he climbed to the bridge.

  "Better turn in and get a nap, Danny-boy," he urged, in an undertone.

  "Say!" uttered Danny Grin. "You must know something big is coming off,and you don't want me to have a hand in it!"

  Dave picked up his night glass and began to use it in an effort to helpout his subordinate, who stood near him. From time to time Dan also useda glass. A freshening breeze blew in their faces as the boat loungedindolently along on its way. It was drowsy work, yet every officer andman needed to be constantly on the alert.

  Despite his denials that he was sleepy, Danny Grin braced himselfagainst a stanchion of the bridge frame and closed his eyes briefly,just before dawn. He wouldn't have done it had he been the rankingofficer on the bridge, but he felt ghastly tired, and Darrin and EnsignTupper were there and very much awake.

  With a start Dan presently came to himself, realizing that he had lostconsciousness for a few seconds.

  "Oh, it's all right," Dan murmured to himself. "Neither Davy nor Tupwill know that I'm slipping in half a minute of doze."

  His eyes closing again, despite the roll of the craft, he was soon soundenough asleep to dream fitfully.

  And so he stood when the first streaks of dawn appeared astern. It wasstill dark off over the waters, but the slow-moving destroyer stoodvaguely outlined against the eastern streaks in the sky.

  Ensign Tupper was observing the compass under the screened binnaclelight, and Darrin, glass to his eyes, was peering off to northward whenthe steady, quick tones of a man of the bow watch reached the bridge:

  "'Ware torpedo, coming two points off port bow!"

  That seaman's eyesight was excellent, for the torpedo was still farenough away so that Dave had time to order a sharp swerve to port, andto send a quick signal to the engine room. As the craft turned shefairly jumped forward. The "Logan" was now facing the torpedo's course,and seemed a bare shade out of its path, but the watchers held theirbreath during those fractions of a second.

  Then it went by, clearing the destroyer amidships by barely two feet.Nothing but the swiftness of Darrin's orders and the marvelously quickresponses from helmsman and engineer had saved the destroyer from beinghit.

  On Dave's lips hovered the order to dash forward over the course bywhich the torpedo had come, which is the usual procedure of destroyercommanders when attacking a submarine.

  Instead, as the idea flashed into his head, he ordered the ship stopped.

  Danny Grin had come out of his "forty winks" at the hail of the bowwatch. Now Dave spoke to him hurriedly. Dalzell fairly leaped down fromthe bridge, hurrying amidships.

  "All hands stand by to abandon ship!" rang the voice of Ensign Tupper,taking his order from Darrin. The alarm to abandon ship was sounded allthrough the ship.

  There was a gasp of consternation, but Dalzell had already met andspoken to three of the junior officers, and these quickly carried theneeded word.

  The light was yet too faint, and would be for a few minutes, to findsuch a tantalizingly tiny object as a submarine's periscope at adistance even of a few hundred yards. Lieutenant-Commander Darrin,therefore, had hit upon a simple trick that he hoped would proveeffective. All depended upon the speed with which his ruse could becarried out. Cold perspiration stood out over Darrin as he realized thechances he was taking.

  "Bow watch, there! Keep sharp lookout for torpedoes! Half a second mightsave us!"

  Tupper stood with hand on the engine-room telegraph. He already hadwarned the engineer officer in charge to stand by for quick work.

  Dalzell and the officers to whom Darrin had spoken saw to it that nearlyall of the men turned out and rushed to the boats. Even the engineerdepartment off watch came tumbling up in their distinctive clothing.

  To an onlooker it would have appeared like a real stampede for theboats. Tackle creaked, making a louder noise than usual, but seeming to"stick" as an effort was made to lower loaded boats. The men in boatsand at davits were grinning, for their officers had explained the trick.

  Dawn's light streaks had become somewhat more distinct as Dave peeredahead. Mr. Beatty and three men crouched low behind one of the forwardguns.

  The submarine commander must have rubbed his eyes, for, while he hadobserved no signs of a hit, he saw the American craft drifting on thewater and the crew frantically trying to abandon ship.

  Then the thing for which Darrin had hoped and prayed happened. The enemycraft's conning tower appeared above water four hundred yards away.

  "The best shot you ever made in your life, Mr. Beatty!" called Dave inan anxious voice.

  The officer behind the gun had been ready all the time. At the firstappearance of the conning tower he had drawn the finest sight possible.

  The three-inch gun spoke. It seemed ages ere the shell reached itsdestination.

  Then what a cheer ascended as the crew came piling on board from theboats. The conning tower of the submarine had been fairly struck andwrecked.

  "Half speed ahead!" commanded Dave's steady voice, while Dan gave thehelmsman his orders. As Tupper sent the signal below the "Logan"gathered headway.

  But Darrin had not finished, for on the heels of his first order camethe second:

  "Open on her with every gun!"

  After the wrecking of his conning tower the German commander began tobring his craft to the surface. Perhaps it was his intention tosurrender.

  "Full speed ahead!" roared Darrin, and Ensign Tupper rang in the signal.

  The hull of the submarine was hardly more than awash when five or sixshots from the "Logan" struck it at about the same time.

  Veering around to the southward the "Logan" prepared to circle the dyingenemy. The German craft filled and sank, and Darrin presently gazedoverboard at the oil-topped waters through which he was passing.

  "A wonderful job! I wonder that you had the nerve to risk it," mutteredDalzell.

  "I don't know whether it was a wonderful job, or a
big fool risk," Davealmost chattered. "It would have been a fool trick if I had lost theship by it. I don't believe that I shall ever try it again."

  "If you hadn't done just what you did, a second torpedo would have beensent at you," murmured Dalzell. "You saved the 'Logan' and 'got' theenemy, if you want to know."

  Grinning, for the responsibility had not been theirs, and the ruse had"worked," the men of the watch returned to their usual stations, whilethose off duty returned to their "watch below." Darrin, however, wasshaking an hour later. He had dropped the usual method of defense foronce and had tried a trick by which he might have lost his craft. Ascommander he knew that he had discretionary powers, but at the same timehe realized that he had taken a desperate chance.

  "Oh, stop that, now!" urged Danny Grin. "If you had steamed straight atthe submarine you would have taken even bigger chances of losing the'Logan.' Even had she given up the fight and dived, there wasn't lightenough for you to follow by any trail of bubbles the enemy might haveleft. The answer, David, little giant, is that the submarine is now atthe bottom, and every Hun aboard is now a dead man. In this war thecommander who wins victories is the only one who counts."

  Through that day Dave and Dan slept, alternately, only an hour or two ata time. All they sighted were three cargo steamers, two headed towardLiverpool and one returning to "an American port."

  At nine o'clock in the evening Darrin, after another hour's nap, softlyparted the curtains of the chart-room door and peered out. He saw ayoung sailor standing just back of the open doorway of the radio room.Slight as it was there was a something in the sailor's attitude oflistening that Darrin did not quite like. He stepped out on the deck.

  Sighting him, the sailor saluted.

  "Jordan!" called Dave, even before his hand reached his visor cap inacknowledgment of the salute.

  "Yes, sir!" answered the seaman, coming to attention.

  "You belong to this watch?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Your station is with the stern watch?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Then what are you doing forward?"

  "I left my station, by permission, to go below, sir."

  "Have you been below?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Then why are you loitering here?"

  Seaman Jordan hesitated, shifted on his feet, glanced down, thenhurriedly replied:

  "I--I don't know, sir. I just stopped here a moment. There's a reliefman in my place, sir."

  "Return to your station, Jordan!"

  "Aye, aye, sir," replied the sailor, saluting, wheeling and walkingaway.

  "And I'll keep my eye on you," mused Darrin, as he watched the departingsailor. "I may be wrong, but when I first sighted him there was a lookon that lad's face that I didn't like."

  Even before he reached his station Seaman Jordan was quaking inwardlymore apprehensively than is usual with a sailor caught in a slightdelinquency.