"I wonder what weather the old "U-13" is making of it about now?" said Frank, as the boys grouped themselves about the little table.
"She"s in smoother water than this, I"ll venture to say," put in Jimmie, clutching the edge of the table in an effort to support himself.
"If they are not in better water than this," remarked Harry, "they"re getting shaken up some! I"d like to be under water right now!"
"Why, Harry," spoke up Ned, "you shouldn"t say that!"
"I mean in a tight little submarine!" explained Harry.
"I wish we had the Sea Lion over here!" cried Jimmie. "We could have more fun than we had when we tried to rescue the papers out of that ship in the Gulf of Tong King with Moore and his nosey son b.u.t.ting in!"
"That was sure some fine boat!" declared Ned. "Just as easy to ride in as a rocking chair. And it was always smooth and--"
The boy"s speech was cut short by a violent roll of the vessel. All the lads were thrown in a heap to the cabin floor. Directly the schooner righted herself, but began pitching with a violent motion. From the sounds the boys knew that the captain had hove to, bringing the vessel into the wind. Apparently he intended riding out the storm.
Waves were breaking over the bows, falling with tremendous blows upon the forward deck. The scuppers were not able to release the flood.
Suddenly a terrific crash sounded directly beneath the cabin floor. The stern seemed to lift bodily into the air. A shudder ran through the fabric. Again the boys fell to the deck.
CHAPTER X
SHIPWRECK AND RESCUE
Above the noises of the tempest and the straining timbers sounded cries from the deck that told of confusion amongst the crew. Von Kluck"s hoa.r.s.e voice was bawling out orders mixed with great sea oaths. He was driving the men to some duty.
The tramping of feet above the boys sounded for a moment, then ceased.
Judging from the sounds they thought the men had gathered in the waist of the vessel. Puzzled, they looked at each other in fear.
"What"s up?" inquired Jimmie, attempting to rise to his feet.
Ned steadied himself at the table as he tried to peer out of the little skylight overhead. He could see nothing.
"We just about struck something!" declared Jimmie.
"Maybe we hit another vessel," ventured Harry.
"Or a rock, perhaps," continued Jack. "We surely struck something solid.
I hope we don"t hit it again like that first crack!"
"Look here, boys!" cried Ned in alarm. "The motion of this ship is much less than it was a minute ago! Notice it?"
"It surely is!" agreed Jack. "Is the wind going down?"
"We are getting into some sort of shelter," guessed Harry. "Probably von Kluck has navigated the schooner behind a breakwater."
"Boys, the ship is sinking!" shouted Ned. "See the water coming into this cabin! We"ve struck a floating mine!"
In alarm the boys sprang to their feet. As Ned had said, the motion was lessening rapidly. They found little difficulty now in keeping their footing without support. With one accord they made a break for the companionway, crowding out in a body.
The sight that met their gaze brought consternation to every heart. The schooner lay head to the wind. The mainsail had been set with a double reef, to help keep the vessel in that position. The seas seemed alarmingly higher than when they had been last on deck.
This was due, of course, to the difference in perspective, owing to the fact that they were fast settling into the water.
Above the stern clung traces of heavy, black smoke. A disagreeable odor pervaded the atmosphere in spite of the strong wind.
"There goes von Kluck and the crew!" shouted Harry, pointing to leeward.
"They"re scared to death. That mine settled them!"
A short distance away the boys could see the larger of the two boats that had been carried by the schooner. In it were the members of the crew, accompanied by the captain and the mate.
Tossed about by the angry waters the little sh.e.l.l seemed about to be engulfed at any moment. However, skillful hands were at the oars. Rising and falling, now on top of a wave, now out of sight, the boat soon put considerable distance between the two parties.
"Well, Great Frozen Hot Boxes!" exclaimed Jimmie in disgust. "What do you know about that? They"ve gone and left us!"
"And the ship is settling fast!" cried Ned, in alarm. "We"d better get busy if we don"t want to go down with it!"
"What can we do?" asked Harry. "The boat"s gone!"
"Suppose we try to patch up the leak," suggested Jimmie. "Maybe we could keep the old tub afloat until the storm dies down!"
"No chance!" decided Ned. "Von Kluck and his crew would have done that if they could. We"d better get busy!"
"What"s the matter with using the small boat at the stern?"
"That"s a good idea unless it is broken too badly. Let"s have a look at it anyway," replied Ned, hastening toward the stern.
A brief examination of the small boat indicated that it would be more seaworthy than the hull upon which they were standing. No time was lost in preparations for launching the craft.
"When folks get shipwrecked," suggested Jimmie, "don"t they take water and food with them if they have it?"
"They surely do, little man!" cried Ned. "Hustle about and see what you can get. Try to find something in which to carry fresh water."
Jimmie dashed back into the cabin to raid the pantry. There he found the water gaining rapidly. It was almost knee deep.
Splashing his way about with the aid of the swinging lamp the boy found several loaves of the hard, black bread with which the vessel was provisioned. These he wrapped in an oilskin coat from the captain"s room.
He tucked the parcel under one arm. With his free hand he seized a huge piece of the captain"s beloved cheese.
Hastening quickly to the deck he deposited his burden in the boat.
Another trip to the cabin failed to locate any vessel in which fresh water could be carried. The boy then dashed forward to the galley.
There he found a huge kettle used by the cook for boiling beef. This Jimmie filled with water from the barrel on deck. The cover of the kettle was provided with a clever device for fastening it in place. This Jimmie secured, then staggered toward the stern with his burden.
Working with desperate speed the four boys had succeeded in launching the small boat. It now hung bobbing about to a short length of painter under the schooner"s stern. It was not far below the taffrail.
Ned and Harry made a hurried trip to the cabin to secure the kits, returning just as Jimmie succeeded in placing his kettle of water aboard.