"Yes, I suppose it need be no secret from you. He is taking us, or trying to take us, to a certain cave on the south sh.o.r.e of the sea. It is one of the hidden petrol bases which are supplied by friendly Armenians. But, even if we get there safely, there is always the risk of discovery by the enemy, as well as difficulties of provisioning so many of us. And we may not even get there. Supposing that an enemy ship appears in chase, and the submarine has to submerge, what then?"
Ken gazed at his father blankly. Before he could speak again a sharp hail came from the look-out in the conning tower.
"Ship in sight, sir!"
CHAPTER XVII
THE BOARDING PARTY
Ken and his father were both on their feet in an instant. While they had been talking it had turned misty. It was only a haze, but it blurred the horizon so that at first they could not see the vessel.
But presently Ken pointed.
"There she is. Do you see, dad?"
Captain Carrington nodded.
"I see her, Ken, but my eyes are not what they were. I can"t tell what she is."
At this moment Lieutenant Strang stepped up to them.
"It"s just as I was afraid, sir," he said quietly. "There appears to be something after us. It"s so thick I can hardly make out what she is yet, but in any case it"s precious awkward."
"Very awkward indeed," admitted Captain Carrington. "Alone, you would be all right, for you could submerge of course, but if so you leave us prisoners to be picked up again. Still, of course, there is no choice. You must not risk your ship."
Strang bit his lip. He knew that Captain Carrington was right. But it went bitterly against the grain to abandon the people whom he had rescued with so much trouble. As for Ken, the idea of losing his father again just after he had found him sent his spirits down to zero.
After a moment"s thought, Strang spoke again. "I might leave the boat, sir, and tackle this fellow, whoever he is. It"s on the cards I might sink him and come back again and pick you up."
"That might be worth trying," answered Captain Carrington. And he spoke as calmly as if the upshot was of absolutely no consequence to him whatever.
Ken, who had been staring hard at the approaching craft, turned quickly to the commander.
"Couldn"t you capture her, sir?" he said eagerly.
Strang stared as if he thought that Ken had suddenly taken leave of his senses.
"Capture her?" he repeated.
"Yes, sir. Then you could put all the prisoners aboard her, and they could find their own way to the hiding place. And Horan and myself, too, perhaps."
Strang gave a low whistle.
""Pon my soul, it"s an idea. Especially as, being an enemy ship, she wouldn"t be so likely to be searched."
"It would be very nice for us if it could be managed," said Captain Carrington with a smile. "But I suppose it is quite out of the question, Mr Strang?"
"It all depends on what she is, sir," replied Strang, as he put up his binoculars and focused them on the indistinct patch on the misty horizon.
Presently he put them down.
"She"s nothing but a launch," he said quickly. "Armed, of course, but probably only a 6-pounder. I"m hanged if I don"t try it."
"Very good," said Captain Carrington, speaking as calmly as ever. "I will go back into the boat, and tell my friends. By the bye, how would it do to use us as bait for the trap? If you were merely to submerge, and lie close by with only your periscopes showing, it seems to me that you might manage to take them unawares."
"I"ve got a better plan than that, sir," broke in Ken quickly. "Put Horan and myself in the boat. Give us some pistols. We"ll sham shipwrecked. Most of us can hide in the bottom of the boat. The launch won"t have much of a crew. With a rush we might overpower them."
The boldness of Ken"s suggestion made both men gasp. Strang was the first to speak.
"It"s a big risk, but it might work. Are you willing, Captain Carrington?"
A grim smile parted the lips of Ken"s father.
"Willing! It would make me young again."
Strang"s decision was taken like a flash.
"It goes, then. And I"ll lend you a couple of my men as well. Williams and Johnston. Hefty chaps in a scrimmage, and both equal to engines of any kind. But we must be smart. This must be done before the Turks get any notion of what is up."
He dashed back to the conning tower, and orders flew like hail. The men were equally quick to obey. Williams and Johnston came tumbling up, and Roy hard at their heels.
"What"s up?" demanded Roy eagerly of Ken, and when Ken had quickly explained, the big New Zealander"s face fairly glowed with delight.
"Fine, oh fine!" he cried. "I began to think we were never going to get another chance. "It"s the greatest scheme you ever thought of, Ken."
Two more bluejackets rushed up, with armfuls of cutla.s.ses.
"Commander says these are the jokers for a scrimmage," one told Ken, as they hurriedly pa.s.sed them across to the people in the boat.
"He"s right," said Roy, "but we shall want a pistol or two as well."
"Plenty here, Horan," said Williams, the torpedo c.o.xswain, holding up a couple of the big regulation Navy revolvers. "It"s all right. We"ve got all we want. Come along in, you two soldiers."
Ken and Roy tumbled aboard the boat, other three of the ex-prisoners, who were too old or infirm to be any use as fighters, were hastily transferred to the submarine.
Inside of three minutes all was ready, the warp was cast off, and the steel hatch in the conning tower dropped with a clang. In a trice G2 began to sink, and within an incredibly short s.p.a.ce of time she had dipped out of sight beneath the sea, and the boat lay alone on the surface, rocking slightly to the send of the small gray waves.
For the first time Ken had leisure to glance round at his companions.
Including Roy, himself, Williams, and Johnston, the full number was twenty-three, and of them all there was not one who did not look keen and eager for the fray. All had suffered at the hands of the enemy, some had lost all they had in the world. Every man was anxious to get a little of his own back. By the way they gripped the cutla.s.ses that had been served out, by their grim faces, and eager eyes, Ken felt certain that there would be no hesitation when the critical moment arrived.
"What is the craft?" asked Roy, who was crowding close beside him.
"Nothing but a launch," Ken answered.
"She looks pretty big for a launch," said Roy, staring at the vessel which was now near enough to see the shape of her.