"But you may listen to reason!" said Jimmie, drawing his automatic. "I don"t like to hold you up, but you"re going to get out of town right now and we"re going with you!"
"Put dot gun oop!" cried the captain, starting from his seat.
"I will on one condition!" declared the boy. "If you get under way at once without any more monkey business I"ll keep it in my pocket. If you don"t I"ll use it! We are neutral and we"re going to remain neutral if we have to fight to do so!"
"Vh.e.l.l, I guess dere"s no real goot reason vhy vhe shouldn"t go, anyhow!"
decided the captain. "Mackinter don"d got no license to shtop us. Aber he don"d like id, he couldt lump id!"
"Now you"re talking sense!" declared Jimmie. "But, remember! No tricks, or we"ll feel like starting something ourselves!"
"All right!" consented von Kluck, secretly anxious to help the boys.
"Chust come along und make me leaf port. Dot let"s me ouid!"
Upon von Kluck"s appearing at the companionway the crew immediately a.s.sumed an air of attention. Some were grouped about the capstan, where they were watching the sky and speculating on the character of the approaching storm. Others were occupied at various duties about the vessel. Every man seemed to stand in fear of the captain.
Bawling out a hoa.r.s.e order, von Kluck at once a.s.sumed command of the deck. Lines were thrown down from the belaying pins. A group of men tailed onto the halyards, hoisting the foresail, staysail and jib.
The Lena k.n.o.bloch was a schooner-rigged vessel with two masts. The boys noted with a considerable degree of satisfaction that she was built along clipper lines, vastly different from the round-bowed type of vessel commonly seen in those waters.
Under jib, staysail and foresail the vessel swung around as the dock lines were let go. Gathering speed with the force of a favorable wind the little vessel plunged ahead. Von Kluck was evidently planning on leaving the harbor without the use of a tug--a somewhat difficult, if not dangerous, experiment.
Urged by the vociferous driving of the mate men were already hauling on the halyards of the mainsail. With the added press of sail the Lena k.n.o.bloch heeled over until her lee rail was nearly awash.
A strong wind was coming out of the northwest, favoring the maneuver of von Kluck, but kicking up considerable commotion on the harbor. Waves were running so high as to make navigation of small craft exceedingly difficult if not dangerous.
Carrying full staysail, jib, foresail and mainsail the schooner plunged into the waves, sending cascades of water over her forecastle with every leap. She was loaded deeply and the boys could see that she would prove to be what the sailors term a "wet ship."
Every moment the speed was increasing. The mate had trimmed the sheets to the exact point for greatest efficiency.
Suddenly all hands were startled by a hail from a point on the starboard bow. They saw a small motor boat riding dizzily upon the crest of a wave one moment to be dropped out of sight in the trough the next.
"Ahoy, the k.n.o.bloch!" came a cry.
"Ahoy, the launch!" bawled out the mate in a voice of thunder. "What do you want? Stand off or we"ll run you down!"
"We want those pa.s.sengers of yours!" was the reply.
"All right, come on and get "em!" yelled the mate above the noise of singing wind in the rigging. "We can"t stop now!"
"If you don"t heave to I"ll fire!" was the answer.
"Good night!" cried Jimmie from a position near the lee rail, where he could look out beneath the main boom. "That"s Mackinder!"
A revolver shot sounded amidst the tumult of rushing waters and singing rigging. The echo was quickly bitten off by the rising wind. The shot sounded dully above the humming and roaring.
Before Ned could detain him Jimmie fired. Faintly the boys heard a crash aboard the motor boat. The green starboard sidelight of the launch disappeared. Urged on by the tremendous press of wind in her sails the Lena k.n.o.bloch was fast dropping the launch astern.
No other shots were fired at the schooner. Scrambling from his position at the starboard rail Jimmie made his way aft to a point beside the helmsman. Here he peered eagerly into the darkness astern.
"I can"t see them at all!" he announced, turning presently to his companions, who were grouped about the little skylight.
"Perhaps we"ve shaken them off for keeps!" ventured Jack. "Did you see who that was with Mackinder?"
"I thought," said Harry, "that it was his pal, Norton!"
"Well, they"re safely out of reach now!" declared Ned. "I"m glad of it, too! If we can hold on at this gait we"ll soon reach a port in England, where we can transship the Grey Eagle and get home."
"I only hope the real "U-13" doesn"t come along and demand that package from us!" laughed Harry. "They might take a notion to send us to the bottom if we don"t deliver it on demand!"
"Let us hope they"re busy on the west coast of England by this time!"
suggested Jack. "I don"t want any more "U-13" in mine!"
"Vhat"s dot about der "U-13"?" inquired von Kluck, coming up to the little group. "Is id der "U-13" dot you"re skipping?"
In a few words Ned related the important details of their experience with the "U-13" package and with Mackinder.
"And so," the boy concluded, "we were just hoping that the real "U-13"
wouldn"t show up and claim the package that we haven"t got!"
"No danger!" rea.s.sured von Kluck. "Dis vindt keeps dose fellers under va.s.ser deep! Dey like rough vedder not at all!"
"Hurrah!" joyfully cried Jimmie. "Blow, winds; blow hard!" the lad continued, stretching his hands to windward in an appealing att.i.tude.
"Blow hard enough to keep the submarines submarooned!"
A laugh went round as the boys listened to Jimmie"s coined word. They were all heartily in sympathy with the expressed wish that the wind would blow hard enough to keep the submarines from the surface.
"But, den," continued von Kluck, with a frown that wrinkled his heavy brows, "dot"s not all. Dere"s mines floatin" round der Nord Sea dot dem verdom Deutsches blanted. Maybe vhe hit one of dem und if vhe do--"
Here the captain shrugged his shoulders, spreading his hands palm upward and extending them with a final toss aloft to indicate the hopelessness of a situation such as he intimated might befall them.
"Can"t we dodge a mine?" queried Jimmie.
"Sure, if vhe can see id!" declared von Kluck.
"That"s the trouble," explained Ned. "These mines float deep and before a ship can know of its danger--Bang!"
"Well, Ned," announced Jimmie with a grin, as he wrinkled his freckled nose, "I"ll tell you what I"ll do. I"ll bet you my old hat that if we do hit a mine and get blown up I go higher than you do!"
"All right," agreed Ned, laughing in spite of the seriousness of the situation. "We"ll ask von Kluck to be the judge."
"Von Kluck don"t seem to be very much worried over the prospect of hitting a mine!" declared Jimmie. "I guess we"re all right!"
"Und now," announced the captain, "come to der cabin und eat!"
The boys needed no second invitation. They were soon seated about the little table, where they found great slabs of cheese set out on a plate.
Loaves of hard, black bread were placed upon the table by the steward, who withdrew to presently reappear bearing a great pot of steaming coffee. Von Kluck refreshed himself with a gla.s.s of his beloved "schnapps," then fell to heartily upon the bread and cheese, motioning to the boys to do likewise.
With considerable relish the lads made a good lunch off the bread and cheese and coffee. Hard and dark, but possessing considerable nutriment, the bread was not at all unpleasant to the taste. It had been plentifully seasoned with small seeds, which lent an appetizing flavor.