For some seconds it seemed as if he, Othman, and all would be ripped away from the boat by the tremendous suction. Great eddies boiled and swirled in every direction, and a thick sc.u.m of oil and coal dust rose and covered the surface of the sea.
"Hold on!" he heard Roy shout again, and somehow he did, though his right arm felt as though it were being torn from its socket.
At last the commotion ceased, the eddies disappeared, and the strain slackened.
"Thank goodness, that"s the last of her," said Roy, with a sigh of relief.
"Jove, but I couldn"t have stuck it much longer. That rope round my waist has nearly cut me in two. How are you making it, old man?"
"I"m all right," Ken answered, but his voice was so weak it scared Roy.
"Here, hand over his Nibs," he said, as he moved round and took Othman from Ken. "Now," he said, "just hang on a few minutes longer, and they"ll pull us in."
He raised one arm as a signal, the rope tightened gently, and the dinghy and the three holding to it were towed quickly back to the submarine.
Roy handed up Othman and scrambled out himself but they had to lift Ken out of the water. Once on deck, however, he insisted on scrambling to his feet.
"Not damaged?" inquired Lieutenant Strang with a touch of anxiety in his voice.
"Not a bit, sir," Ken answered.
"I congratulate you, Carrington. It was an uncommon good and plucky bit of work, and I shall see that it is reported to your own commanding officer."
Ken went below, tingling with a pleasure which made him forget his aching joints and muscles.
CHAPTER XVI
TACKLING THE TROOPER
"Yes, come in."
Lieutenant Strang, busy plotting out something on a chart, looked up as the sentry parted the curtains of his cabin.
"Can Corporal Carrington see you, sir?" asked the man.
"Certainly. Send him in."
Ken, looking more like himself in his khaki, which was now thoroughly dried, entered and saluted.
"Well, Carrington, what is it?" The commander"s tone was quick, almost curt, yet there was a smile on his keen face as his eyes fell on Ken"s upright figure.
"I"ve been talking to Othman Pacha, sir," began Ken.
"Othman Pacha--who the deuce is he?"
"The Turk we rescued, sir. He"s a friend of mine. I mentioned his name to you this morning. It was he who got me away into Greece when my father was arrested."
"Of course. I remember now. But this is a most extraordinary coincidence--to find him on that tramp."
"Not so much so as you might think, sir. You see he is known to be no friend to Enver Bey and the Young Turks. He was in danger of arrest, so he took the first opportunity of clearing out. He was going over to Adramyti on the Asiatic side, so as to get out of it all."
"I see. Well, did he tell you anything useful?"
"He did, sir. You have heard that Enver Bey has informed our Chief Command that he intends to send French and British subjects to Gallipoli, so that they will be the first sufferers when we bombard the place."
"Yes, I"ve heard that," Strang answered, staring keenly at Ken.
"Well, sir, the Pacha says that the first lot is to leave Constantinople to-morrow. They are going with a batch of troops in a transport called the "Bergaz.""
"And," he added--"my father will be with them."
The commander of G2 pursed his lips in a soundless whistle.
"By Jove," he said slowly, "this is worth hearing. This is most interesting."
He gave a low chuckle. "Rather a smack in the eye for friend Enver if we can bring it off. Tell me, Carrington, did the Pacha say whether this trooper would have an escort?"
"I asked him that, sir, but he did not know. And he said this--That he would not have told us at all except for the fact that he thinks it brutal of Enver to send civilians into the firing line, and that he hopes, in case you find it necessary to sink the trooper, that you will allow the men to escape with their lives."
Strang nodded thoughtfully.
"Hm, yes, I suppose I shall have to do that. After all, they won"t be much use without rifles or kit, and the chances are that most of "em will desert as soon as they reach the sh.o.r.e.
"But we mustn"t count our chickens before they"re hatched, eh, Carrington?
We"ve got to find that transport before we can deal with her."
He asked a few more questions, then dismissed Ken.
"You can tell the Pacha I shall respect his wishes," he said, as Ken left his cabin.
All that night G2 cruised on the surface, going only at half speed so as to economise petrol, and at the same time re-charge her dynamos. As for Ken, tired out with his exertions, he lay upon the throbbing steel floor, wrapped in a blanket, and slept as peacefully as he had ever slept in his life.
It was broad day when he woke, feeling more refreshed than for days past, and quite ready for the plain though plentiful breakfast that was served out.
A glance which Williams allowed him through the periscope showed an expanse of bright blue sea sparkling under a clear sky and a light breeze, but with no sail in sight, and shortly afterwards G2 was submerged until nothing but her periscope remained above the surface.
By this time the rumour of the expected trooper was all through the little ship, and there was an air of subdued excitement on every face.
"Where are we now?" asked Ken of Williams.
"Somewhere between Marmora Island and Rodosto. Whatever comes out o" the Bosphorus for the Dardanelles is bound to run past us, and then--" A wink said more than words.
The hours dragged by, and Roy began to growl again at the tediousness of life beneath the ocean wave. Dinner time pa.s.sed and still there was no sign of the trooper.
"Looks to me as if news had got abroad that we"re a waiting for "em,"
growled Williams at last. "Them chaps as got to land last night must ha"