The new-comer lurched as if spent; but without any attempt to conceal his movements he made straight for the "Vorwartz." At the edge of the bank he hesitated, walked to and fro as if looking for a shallow spot or a means of clambering up the side of the vessel. Finding none he hurled his carbine against the submarine"s side, shivering the stock into fragments. Then uttering a demoniacal yell he broke into a ribald song in German.
The man was mad.
"Karl von Harburg?" whispered Hythe interrogatively.
The seaman nearest him shook his head. He knew the captain of the "Vorwartz" well by sight during his stay in Sumatra. This fellow was a stranger.
"Heave a rope!" hailed the German in his native tongue. "Heave a rope!
I want to get on board and fetch more gold. Yes, more gold, I say.
I"ll carry another load of it myself. Fritz took two shares; why shouldn"t I?"
Receiving no reply the maniac whipped out his revolver and emptied the contents of the chambers against the metal plating. The noise of the firing was heard by Captain Restronguet and the main body. They could not see the German"s approach by reason of the intervening fringe of long gra.s.s; but suspecting that Hythe had been attacked they raced down the hill to his aid.
Springing to his feet Hythe signed to them to continue cautiously, but the madman, although he must have heard the noise of the new arrivals, paid no attention. He was still cursing imaginary comrades for their laxity in not giving him a means of getting on board.
"What has happened?" asked Captain Restronguet breathlessly.
"One survivor only, I think," replied Hythe. "There he is. He"s absolutely off his head."
"Are you sure there are no more on board?" asked the captain.
"Not certain, but I don"t think there are. Do you wish me to make that fellow a prisoner or wait till he"s on board? He hasn"t reloaded his revolver and he"s thrown his carbine away."
"We"ll wait," said Captain Restronguet decidedly. "Perhaps there are others on board and they"ve quarrelled. That may be the reason why they are lying low and won"t let this fellow on board. Now look at him!"
The maniac put one foot in the water with the intention of wading close to the submarine"s side, but at the contact with the fluid he leapt back, held his foot with both hands and hopped about uttering discordant shouts as if the water pained him. Then, calming down a little, he seated himself on the sh.o.r.e and began to sob like a child.
"Now"s our chance," whispered Captain Restronguet. "We must risk a few rifle shots from on board. You three men--that will be enough. Now follow me and get him on his back before he"s aware of it."
Noiselessly the three men followed their captain. Forty yards of open ground separated them from their intended captive. Nearly half this distance was covered when the madman suddenly rose and looked over his shoulder. His wild glance fell upon his would-be a.s.sailants.
"Bowl him over," shouted Captain Restronguet, breaking into a run.
The German waited apathetically till the nearest of his foes was within ten yards. Then, uttering a wild unearthly laugh, he turned and dashed headlong into the river. Half a dozen strokes brought him to the stern of the submarine. Here he tried to haul himself up, clinging tenaciously to the slight support afforded by the upper edge of the propeller brackets. Baulked in this direction he slipped back into the water and swam to the other side of the "Vorwartz."
By this time the whole of the landing party arrived on the scene. Half a dozen powerful men tailed on to the stern warp till it was almost as taut as a bar of steel. Two others, one being O"Shaunessey, grasping the rope with both hands and throwing their legs round it began to make their way towards the submarine; but before they had swung themselves over half the distance the maniac appeared on deck.
Once more drawing his revolver, from which the moisture dripped copiously, he steadied it in the crook of his arm and pressed the trigger. The hammer clicked harmlessly on the empty chambers. With a snarl of rage the German hurled the useless weapon not at the two men hanging on to the rope, but at the group ash.o.r.e. It whizzed perilously close to Captain Restronguet"s head, bouncing on the sun-baked mud.
"Attract his attention," ordered Captain Restronguet. "Try to entice him towards the bows and give those fellows a chance to board."
Picking up lumps of hard mud the "Aphrodite"s" men opened a heavy yet comparatively harmless fusillade upon the solitary figure upon the deck of the "Vorwartz." Still keeping up his discordant yells the madman stooped and picked up an object at his feet. With wellnigh superhuman force he hurled it at his a.s.sailants. The missile fell at Hythe"s feet.
Something prompted him to stoop and examine it. It was an ingot of pure gold.
"By Jove!" he exclaimed. "I never had gold thrown at me before!"
His remark attracted the attention of the men nearest to him.
"Keep it up, old sport," shouted Carclew. "We don"t mind."
The next instant he had cause to regret his words, for a lump of the precious metal, hurtling through the air with tremendous force, hit him fairly in that part of his anatomy commonly known as "the wind." For the next ten minutes Carclew lost all interest in the proceedings.
Meanwhile O"Shaunessey, un.o.bserved by the madman, succeeded in clambering over the stern of the "Vorwartz." Here he waited till his comrade rejoined him, and together they stealthily crept towards the German.
The fellow was in the act of hurtling another missile when O"Shaunessey sprang on him from behind, flung his powerful arms round the madman"s head and pressed his right knee into the small of the man"s back.
Simultaneously the Irishman"s comrade grasped the astonished German just below the knees, and with a tremendous crash the captured man fell upon the metal deck. Even then his captors had no easy task, for the maniac, powerful under ordinary circ.u.mstances, now possessed the strength of ten. His right hand gripped O"Shaunessey"s calf till the Irishman bellowed with pain. For a few moments it looked as if the madman would be more than a match for his two antagonists till O"Shaunessey"s companion, loth to run any unnecessary risk, planted a heavy blow on the point of the madman"s chin. The fellow"s resistance ceased. He lay on his back groaning dismally, while the Irishman deftly bound him hand and foot with a couple of silk handkerchiefs.
"All clear now, sorr," shouted O"Shaunessey. "Sure, you can come aboard aisy and comfortable. We"ll heave a line."
Looking about the Irishman discovered a wire ladder and a couple of long boat-hook staves. Lowering the former he swarmed down and succeeded in pa.s.sing the end of one of the boat-hooks ash.o.r.e, keeping the other end on the bottom rung of the ladder. The second one formed a handrail, and along this precarious bridge, which sagged to such an extent that those making use of it were ankle deep in water, Captain Restronguet, Hythe, and four of the "Aphrodite"s" crew made their way.
"At last, sir," exclaimed Hythe.
"It is yet too early for congratulations, Mr. Hythe," replied the captain. "We have made an easy capture, but until I am face to face with my enemy, Karl von Harburg, my mission is not at an end.
Nevertheless, we have much to be thankful for. Polglaze, bring that boat-hook aft."
The man did as he was ordered. Drawing from his pocket a small neatly-rolled bundle of silk Captain Restronguet unfolded it. It was his white and green ensign with the initials "J. R." upon it. For want of halliards the flag had to be lashed to the stave, which was thereupon set up on the stern of the "Vorwartz"--a visible token that the rival submarine was now in the possession of the captain of the "Aphrodite."
CHAPTER x.x.xI.
THE UNSUCCESSFUL COMPEt.i.tORS.
Hardly had the echoes of the three ringing cheers that greeted the hoisting of the ensign died away than the distant throbbing of an airship"s motors was heard. Just appearing over the knoll was the "Pride of Rhodesia."
"Hope they won"t start dropping bombs on us," exclaimed Polglaze.
"No fear of that," said Captain Restronguet rea.s.suringly. "They"ve seen our ensign. They"re dipping theirs, by smoke!"
Slowly the Blue Ensign at the stern of the air-ship was lowered and as slowly rehoisted. Unable to "dip" in the orthodox way the green and white flag was lowered staff and all.
Then majestically the huge yellow enveloped craft eased up till just holding her own against the light breeze, sank gently towards the earth, alighting on the sun-baked ground within twenty yards of the captured submarine.
"The best man has won, sir," exclaimed Captain Jones, raising his white cap. "I heartily congratulate you."
"More by good luck than anything else," returned Captain Restronguet modestly. "If I hadn"t sent a sick man ash.o.r.e we might never have spotted her stowed away so snugly behind the hill. I suppose you"ve seen nothing of the crew?"
"Her crew?" repeated the Captain of the "Pride of Rhodesia." "Why, haven"t you bagged the whole crowd of rascals?"
"Only one," replied Captain Restronguet. "Much to my sorrow and regret."
"Never say die," was the cheerful response. "Now you"ve captured the "Vorwartz" what are you going to do with her?"
"I haven"t given the matter a thought yet. She"s hard and fast aground.
Even if we floated her, I don"t know how we could manage to get her down to the sea or what to do with her when we did."