Chapter XXVII On Board the Submarine - The Rover Boys under Canvas by Edward Stratemeyer
The Rover boys and their chums were so astonished at the discovery they had made that for a moment they could do little else than stare at the strange object resting in the water ahead of them.
"Get out of sight, every one of you!" whispered Jack, who was the first to recover his self-possession. "Don't let those men see you!"
All backed away as silently as possible until they were once more in the shelter of the rocks of the bend around which they had come.
"Say, do you think those fellows are Germans?" whispered Randy excitedly.
"I certainly do, Randy," answered the young captain.
"Of course they are Germans!" put in Gif. "If they were Americans why would they be concealing themselves in such an out-of-the-way place as this?"
"It's a German submarine, as sure as you're alive!" remarked Spouter.
"Fellows, we have made a wonderful discovery!"
"And this accounts for all the strange noises we heard, and the fellows we saw going through the woods with bundles on their backs,"
added Randy.
"Yes, and I guess it straightens out that story Jed Kessler told about the two Germans in the wagon with stuff that rattled like hardware,"
said Jack.
"It's as plain as day," cried Fred. "Those two fellows must be connected with this gang here who are working on the submarine. And more than likely they were the same two Jed Kessler saw hanging around the ammunition plant just before the explosion."
"If that's a German submarine, it must have come from the other side of the Atlantic!" exclaimed Andy in a low, excited voice. And then he added, his eyes snapping: "What do you suppose happened to it? Do you think she ran afoul of some of our big warships or our submarine chasers?"
"Either that, or in cruising up and down the coast here she may have run afoul of some of the rocks and maybe knocked a hole in her bottom or side," answered Jack. "And I guess it's true that all the pounding and strange noises we have heard came either from this underground place or from some overhead spot close by."
"What gets me is--how did that submarine get into this underground place?" questioned Gif.
"There must be a much larger outlet than the one by which we entered,"
answered Jack. "More than likely those fellows don't know anything about the way by which we got in. They must have a large entrance by way of the water from the bay, and they must also have an entrance from the forest--that place where the man disappeared."
"I guess you're right," said Fred. "Gee, this certainly is an important discovery! I guess the best thing we can do is to hurry back to camp as fast as possible and notify Captain Dale. He will probably want to let the Secret Service men and the authorities at Rackville know at once, so they can round up these fellows before they have a chance to get away."
"I'd like to stay here awhile and watch these chaps," said Randy.
"Maybe we may learn something more that is worth while."
The matter was talked over by the cadets for fully ten minutes. At the place to which they had withdrawn they could talk freely, because the noises near the submarine continued, so there was little danger of their being overheard. While they talked they peeped out from time to time at the workmen, and saw that they were laboring over several sheets of steel and odd pieces of machinery, using a forge, a lathe, and a small drop hammer for that purpose. They had a gangplank leading over the waterway to the upper portion of the submarine, and from an open hatchway of the U-boat ran a number of coils of insulated wire, evidently carrying power to the electric lights and also to the machinery.
"They must be getting all their power from the engines of the submarine," said Jack. "They've certainly got themselves pretty well fixed down here."
"But how in the world did they manage to find this place?" questioned Spouter.
"That remains to be found out, Spouter. Probably the German authorities had some spies around here who found the place for them, or otherwise they paid some of the natives for the information."
"You know my dad spoke about German U-boat bases along our coast, and also bases for secret wireless telegraphy plants," put in Fred. "There is no telling what those rascals are up to."
It was decided that Andy and Randy, accompanied by Spouter, should make their way back to the opening by which they had gained entrance to the underground waterway, and then return to Camp Barlight as quickly as possible and acquaint Captain Dale with what had been discovered. In the meanwhile, Jack, Fred, and Gif would remain behind on guard in case the Germans should attempt to make a sudden move.
"We don't know how far along they are with their repairs," declared the young captain. "It would be just our luck to have them sail away right under our noses."
"Oh, Jack! couldn't you stop them in some way from doing that?"
questioned Andy quickly.
"I should hope so, Andy. That is, if they really did try to get away.
Of course, they may not be anywhere near ready to leave--although they have been here for some time according to the noises we have heard.
I'd like to find out something about the other end of the passageway."
"Maybe you can find out by going out with us and around to the other end of the bay," suggested Spouter.
"I was thinking of that. But for the present I would rather stay right here and watch these fellows."
It was not long after this when the twins and Spouter departed, stating that they would report to Captain Dale as speedily as possible. Then Jack and his cousin and Gif settled down to watch the Germans.
For Germans they were, beyond a doubt. They were all heavy-set, burly fellows, and once or twice when the machinery was stopped the cadets heard one man, who was evidently in charge, give a number of commands in the German tongue.
For nearly an hour longer the pounding and clanking continued. Most of the work was done on the rocky shore of the waterway, but some took place inside the submarine and also on the forward deck of the craft.
The submersible was of good size, being over two hundred feet in length.
"I'd like to get a whack at that U-boat," declared Gif. "I bet I'd make it so she wouldn't do any more cruising in a hurry."
"Exactly what I was thinking, Gif," said Jack. "If we could only injure the propellers, or something like that, there wouldn't be any danger of their sailing away. You see, they may have it all fixed to leave at a minute's notice in case of an alarm."
"If they did that they'd have to leave some of their machinery behind," put in Fred. "But I suppose they'd be willing to do even that rather than risk capture."
When the cadets thought that their ears could no longer bear the awful noise to which they had been subjected, the sounds of the machinery suddenly ceased. They heard a strange humming from the interior of the submarine, but even this presently came to an end, and then there was a silence within the cavern which was absolutely oppressive.
"I guess some kind of a move is at hand," whispered Jack. "Let's lay low and see what they do next."
Several men, including two who were evidently officers and in charge of the work, came out of the submarine. The workmen were now washing up at the underground waterway, and presently all cast aside their working clothes and donned ordinary street garments.
"Looks as if they were going to leave," whispered Fred excitedly.
"Maybe they are going out into the open for some fresh air. I can't blame them for that," he added, for throughout the cavern there was a strong smell of used gasoline.
Five minutes passed, and then one by one the Germans walked away from the submarine. They did not come in the direction of the cadets, but passed around another bend of the rocks, and so out of sight.
"That must be the way used by that fellow we saw in the forest,"
declared Jack.
All but three of the electric lights had been put out, so that the interior of the cavern was now quite gloomy. The only sound that broke the stillness was the soft lap, lap of some distant waves, evidently where they broke on the shore of the bay close to the larger entrance of the cavern.
"I'd like to bet that the entrance is under water," said Fred. "If it was at the surface some one would have discovered this place a long time ago." And in this surmise the youngest Rover was correct. The passageway, which was amply large, was over ten feet below the surface of the bay even at low tide.
"Do you suppose they've all left the submarine?" whispered Gif presently. With the intense silence prevailing, they felt that they must be very cautious in making any noise.
"That's hard to say," answered Jack, with a shrug of his shoulders.
"It looks so to me," put in Fred. "I don't believe any of those fellows would care to stay down here unless it was necessary. They have stopped all the engines and things like that. I guess those electric lights are burning simply from a storage battery."
The three cadets waited for another ten minutes, and then, as no one appeared, and as the submarine seemed to be deserted, they stole forward cautiously, all anxious to get a closer look at the U-boat.
"If we could only throw a chain around the propellers, or something like that, maybe it would keep them from getting away if they tried to run for it," said the young captain.
"We'll look around and see what we can do, anyway," answered his cousin.
"There are plenty of chains around," put in Gif. "Those are what made the awful clanking sounds we heard."
Step by step the three cadets came up until they were at the spot where the Germans had set up their repair plant. Some of the things they had been working upon were still lying about, but other parts had been taken aboard the submarine.
"I guess they have all gone," said Jack, after a look around. "I'm going aboard that craft and take a peep at her."
The others were also anxious to do this, and all three were soon across the gangplank which led to the open hatch of the U-boat. They gazed down this hatch with some awe, and discovered that several electric lights had been left turned on below. A steel ladder ran down into the interior of the submersible.
"What do you say--shall we go below?" questioned Jack.
"I'm willing if you are," answered his cousin.
"And so am I," added Gif. "I don't believe there is any one around."
"Well, we'll take a chance," answered the young captain. "If there is any alarm, we'll have to run for it."
"Yes, and we may have to fight for it," added Fred.
Jack went down the ladder quickly, followed by the others. They now found themselves in what might be termed the main room of the submarine. Beyond were several other compartments, including one where was located much of the machinery which ran the undersea boat.
"It's a good deal like being downstairs on a small warship," declared Fred. "See, there are staterooms and messrooms and everything else!"
"Well, I suppose they have to give the crew some comforts, they take such long, disagreeable trips," remarked Jack.
The three cadets wandered around in the interior of the submarine for over a quarter of an hour. They saw where a number of repairs were being made to the side of the U-boat and also to some of the machinery, and they also saw where some stores had been taken on board, boxes and barrels of various kinds.
"I guess they are stocking up for another cruise," remarked Gif.
"It must be quite a job to get all that stuff to this out-of-the-way place," said Jack.
"Yes, and to do it so secretly, too," added Fred.
"I think I see a way of making this boat stay here for a while, at least," remarked Jack. "It will be an easy matter to put some of that delicate machinery forward out of commission."
"Come on and do it!" cried his cousin quickly.
The three cadets were inspecting the machinery and wondering how they could damage it effectively with the least possible trouble, when there came a sudden interruption.
"What are you doing here?" came in a guttural German voice. "Hands up, or I will shoot you!" And, turning quickly, the three cadets found themselves confronted by a burly German, holding in each hand a pistol.