Chapter XXIX The Fight on the Submarine - The Rover Boys under Canvas by Edward Stratemeyer
It must be admitted that Jack, Fred, and Gif were much startled when they suddenly found themselves confronted by an armed German who looked as if he meant what he said when he commanded them to throw up their hands.
On first going aboard the submarine the three cadets had been very cautious, but as they had wandered around without seeing any one aboard the craft, they had come to the conclusion that it was deserted, and consequently they had become less careful both in their actions and their conversation.
Of course their hands went into the air. The German had two pistols, and he looked as if he would be willing to use the weapons upon the slightest provocation. He was a burly, red-faced man, and only about half dressed. Evidently he had been sleeping soundly when they had come aboard.
"You back up there into a corner," growled the German. He spoke English quite well, although his accent was Teutonic.
The young cadets did not know what else to do, and so obeyed the command. As they were in uniform, the German took them to be American soldiers, and this disturbed him greatly.
"Are there any more in your party or are you alone?" he demanded.
This question gave Jack a sudden idea.
"Alone?" he cried. "Not much! There are over a hundred of us," he answered, referring, of course, to the number of cadets at Colby Hall.
"Are you telling the truth?" growled the German, and his voice betrayed his nervousness.
"He sure is telling the truth! Look behind you and see," said Fred, and began to laugh in a suggestive way.
This laugh took the German off his guard, and he turned swiftly to see who might be behind him. It was the opportunity that the young captain and the young lieutenant had hoped would come, and, taking a perilous chance, they threw themselves on the back of the German, each at the same time catching hold of a hand that held a pistol. Then Gif rushed in; and between them the cadets succeeded in hurling the fellow, muscular though he was, to the floor.
"Give up!" cried Jack suddenly, and, bringing out his flashlight, he placed the cold glass of the end against the German's neck.
"_Kamerad! Kamerad!_" yelled the fellow promptly, thinking that it was a pistol which was pressing upon him, and on the instant he released his hold on the two pistols while he stretched out flat on his chest on the floor of the submarine.
Jack lost no time in picking up one of the pistols, while Fred picked up the other. The flashlight was turned over to Gif, who, meanwhile, had armed himself with a steel bar.
"Now the question is--what are we going to do with this fellow?"
remarked Jack, after the short encounter had come to an end. It must be confessed that he and the others were much worked up over the situation, for they had not dreamed of coming in such personal contact with one of the enemy.
"We've got to get out of here, and do it quick," returned Gif. "Those other Germans may come back at any minute."
"Yes, but we'll have to take this fellow along," said Fred. "No use of leaving him here to give an alarm."
"We'll gag him!" declared the young captain. And without loss of time the three cadets fixed up a gag such as they sometimes used when they were initiating a new member of one of the secret societies of the military academy. Then the German's hands were bound tightly behind him, and he was ordered to get up and march.
"Wait a minute," said Fred. "We'll have to fix things here so it won't look suspicious. We'll make it look as if this chap had just stepped out for some fresh air."
This was done, and a few minutes later the whole party left the submarine, Gif going ahead and the Rovers following the prisoner, each with a pistol ready for use. In this fashion they passed over the gangplank, and then made their way alongside of the underground pond until they came to the spot where the cadets had first discovered the Germans.
"I don't believe we ought to leave him here," declared Jack. "That gag might slip and he might have a chance to make considerable noise, and if he did that the others might take the alarm and sail away before we could get help."
"We made a mistake!" cried Gif. "I thought we were going to injure some of the machinery, so that they couldn't use the U-boat."
"You're right, Gif! I got so excited I forgot all about that,"
declared Jack.
"You can run back now and do it if you want to," said Fred. "I'll watch the prisoner."
The young captain and Gif did as had been suggested. On the submarine they looked over the intricate machinery with care, and presently found some things which they could disarrange and which would probably not be noticed immediately. They went to work with vigor, and came away again in less than ten minutes.
"I guess she's fixed now," declared Jack to his cousin, when they had rejoined Fred and the prisoner. "If they start up those engines, that submarine will perform stunts they never dreamed of."
With the flashlight shining ahead and at times on the prisoner, the Rovers and Gif compelled the German to move along the passageway until they gained the opening near the gully.
"Look out there, will you?" cried Gif suddenly, pointing between the bushes to the bay. "There is a big motor boat cruising up and down!
Maybe they can give us aid."
"It looks to me like a revenue boat," declared Jack, after a hurried inspection. "Say, maybe they are patrolling the bay!"
"That's right!"
"I am going to signal to them and find out!" exclaimed Fred; and without waiting for the others to reply, the young lieutenant dashed over the rocks and through the brushwood in the direction of the bay shore. As he did this he took out his handkerchief and waved it wildly, at the same time calling at the top of his lungs.
The motor boat, a long, rakish-looking craft, was cruising quite close to the shore, and presently some of those on board noticed Fred's call for aid. The motor of the craft was shut off, and the boat drifted up to the shore.
"What do you want?" demanded one of the men on board, sharply.
"We want help, and we want it right away!" declared Fred. And then he added as he got a better view of those aboard the boat: "Are you United States officers?"
"What do you want to know that for?" was the counter question.
"Well, if you are, we want your help, and want it right away."
"Why? Have you discovered anything unusual?" demanded one of the officers on the boat, and his manner showed his intense interest.
"We certainly have! And more than that, we have made a prisoner--a German."
"You don't mean it!" said one of the other men aboard the motor boat, and then looked more sharply at Fred than ever. "We'll have to investigate this," he added to his companions.
There were three officers and a crew of eight aboard the boat, which was quickly brought long-side the rock on which Fred was standing. As the officers leaped ashore, the young lieutenant saluted and was saluted in return. Then Fred told who he was and again asked the men if they were United States officers.
"If you've got a German prisoner, and you know he is really a German sympathizer, you had better take us to him at once," said one of the men, and, turning back his coat, he exhibited his badge.
Feeling that the craft was one really belonging to our government and that the officers were Secret Service men, Fred told his story, at the same time leading the way to where he had left Jack, Gif, and the prisoner.
"Bailey was right, after all," said one of the Secret Service men to his fellow officers. "He always declared that that wrecked submarine was in hiding somewhere around these waters."
"Then you know about the submarine?" queried Fred quickly.
"If it's the craft we think it is," was the reply. "That U-boat had an encounter with one of our submarine destroyers, and in trying to escape we think she hit some of the rocks on the reef beyond here.
Some of the naval people were of the opinion that she had gone down, but others thought she had escaped to some base, which, of course, was unknown to our authorities. We have always had a suspicion that there was some sort of a base around here. We were cruising to-day trying to locate it."
It was decided that the Secret Service men should take charge of matters, and that they would sail to the nearest town on the bay so that they might obtain additional help with which to round up all the Germans and those in league with them.
"This will prove a very important capture," said Mr. Blarcomb, who was the head officer of the crowd. "And you, young men, can rest assured that you will get full credit for what you have done."
"If you don't mind, I wish you would drop us off at our camp," said Jack. "It will save us a whole lot of tramping."
"We'll do that willingly."
It did not take the motor boat long to cover the distance to the front of the camp where the cadets were in the habit of bathing. A few were now in the water, and they looked in wonder at the sudden appearance of the Rovers and Gif.
"There is Captain Dale now!" cried Jack, when they had landed and the motor boat had gone on its way. "My! won't he be surprised at the story we have to tell?"
"Maybe he has already heard it, from Andy and Randy and Spouter,"
suggested Gif.
But the old West Pointer had heard nothing, for the others had not yet come in from the forest. He listened in amazement to the story the boys had to tell.
"I would like to be at that round-up myself," he declared. "I trust that they capture every one of the rascals." And then he added with a smile: "This is certainly a feather in your caps, lads."
It was only a little later when the twins and Spouter came in. They, of course, were also excited.
"Got one of the Germans and got the Secret Service men on the trail!"
declared Fred proudly.
"Good enough!" cried Andy. "But say! we have got our little story to tell, too;" and then he and the others related what had been discovered at the cabin in the woods.
"This certainly is important," declared Captain Dale. "Who would ever suppose that Mr. Brown and Mr. Martell were in league with these Germans! They certainly ought to be captured."
"And I'd like to be there when they are caught," declared Randy.
"Well, perhaps you will be," answered Captain Dale significantly.