All that would then remain to those aboard would be to take to the ocean.
True, they had life-preservers aboard, and with these, officers and men could keep afloat.
In the icy waters of a February night, however, with something like fifteen miles to swim to mainland through an ever-roughening sea, it was almost impossible that the strongest among them could hope to reach sh.o.r.e alive.
Yet, desperately anxious as he was to know the news, Jack Benson did not desert his post by the steering wheel. Some one must be there. Nor had Hal thought of leaving the engine room.
So the naval lieutenant remained with Benson, duplicating, in those awful moments, the boy"s cool courage.
It was Ewald who presently came running up the stairs to report.
"Mr. Somers orders me to report that there"s a little trickle of water coming in between two plates about twelve feet abaft of the bow, sir.
But Mr. Somers believes that, even without pumping, we could run forty miles without serious danger, sir."
Knowing his friend"s ability and good judgment as he did, Jack Benson stood ready to accept that report, without question. But Lieutenant Danvers inquired:
"Did you see the leak, Ewald?"
"Yes, sir."
"What do you think about it?"
"Why, sir, I agree with Mr. Somers."
"I believe I"ll go down and take a look at the leak," announced Danvers, slowly.
"Then, while you"re gone," said Benson, "I"ll keep the searchlight steadily on what I can see of the top of that mast-stump."
"Why not keep on in toward the sh.o.r.e?"
"Because, sir," and Jack"s jaws snapped, "if we"ve been insulted in this fashion by an old derelict, I don"t believe in letting the old derelict get off so easily, sir."
Lieutenant Danvers knitted his brow, thoughtfully, as he hurried down the stairs, then followed Ewald through a steel trapway into the cramped compartments under the cabin flooring.
In three or four minutes Mr. Danvers came up again.
"It"s all right," he said. "I can"t see that the leak threatens to become serious, unless we should happen to hit that mast-stump again."
"I believed it was all right," the young captain replied, quietly, "after having heard Mr. Somers"s report."
"You three boys certainly stick together and admire each other, don"t you?" laughed Danvers.
"We"ve every reason to, sir. We three have been trained together in this work. No one of the three knows anything that the others don"t,"
came Benson"s matter-of-fact reply.
"When I went below you made some remark about not letting the derelict off too easily, Benson. What did you mean?"
"Why, I believe we ought to get square with that old sunken hulk,"
retorted Captain Jack, wheeling around and eyeing the naval officer.
"Great Scott! You mean that we ought to blow up the derelict?"
"Isn"t it usually the Navy, sir, that gets such jobs to do?"
"Yes, yes, Benson. But the Navy Department always sends out a vessel fitted for such work."
"This is a submarine boat. We have one loaded torpedo left on board.
Don"t you think we answer the description of a vessel fitted for destroying a derelict?" smiled Captain Jack, coolly. "To say nothing of the itch, for revenge that we feel."
"It"ll be a ticklish business," muttered Danvers, thoughtfully.
"So is a lot of the Navy"s work, isn"t it?" persisted Captain Jack.
"See here, lad, do you really mean that you want to make a sure-enough job of blowing up the derelict?"
"That"s what I"m staying here for, sir," rejoined Jack, again swinging the searchlight. "And over there, three hundred yards yonder, I can still make out, once in a while, that bit of mast. What do you say, Lieutenant?"
"Why, if you boys have the grit to go ahead and tackle a job like that in the night, the Navy isn"t going to feel chilled and run away,"
laughed Danvers, shortly. "Yet, my boy, do you think you fully understand the dangers of the undertaking?"
"I think I do," nodded Captain Jack.
"It"s to be a duel between this submarine and the old derelict. You can"t just hang off like this over here, and shoot at that mast. That wouldn"t do any good."
"Yes, I know all that," said Jack, eagerly.
"Then what"s your plan, Benson?"
"Why, sir, we"ve got, first of all, to sail as close as we dare to that mast-stump. Then we"ve got to use a sounding line to find out in which direction the hull of the sunken derelict lies. We must also get an idea of the length of the hull. Then, having gotten our figures, we"ll have to glide back a little way, so as to give a right-angle broadside on at the hull of the derelict. Before firing the torpedo we"ll first have to go far enough below water so that we"ll know we"re in fair line with that sunken hull yonder, for we"ve got to make our one loaded torpedo do the trick."
"You"ve got the figures down all right," nodded Lieutenant Danvers, thoughtfully. "The risky part is in trying to run over that derelict"s sunken hull in order to locate it and make your soundings. Now, you run a big chance of running plumb on to some other stump of a mast.
The "Hastings" may easily get an injury, from the stump of another mast, that may tear a real hole in our plates and send us all to the bottom."
"There"s danger to be considered in any submarine game really worth the while," a.s.sented Captain Jack Benson, coolly. "Do you feel then, Mr. Danvers, that we should be satisfied to drive back to Dunhaven and content ourselves with wiring the Navy Department news of the derelict and of her present position?"
Lieutenant Danvers thoughtfully gazed at the young submarine commander"s face.
"No," he muttered, at last. "I think the best thing for a fellow like you, Jack Benson, will be to wade in and get your revenge! And make it as complete as you can!"
"All right, sir," nodded Jack. "Thank you. And now, we"ll see how complete a job we can make of it. Mr. Somers!"
"Aye, aye, sir," answered Eph, from below.
"Are you going to consult with your crew?" whispered Danvers.
"They"re not the kind of fellows who need consulting," muttered Captain Jack. "All they want is their orders. Mr. Somers, bring up the sounding line."
"Aye, aye, sir."