Ships of any size always carry, as a part of the cruising supplies, a stock of paints and brushes. The submarine craft was so provided.
Jack caused to be brought from one of the lockers a can of prepared white paint. This was thinned with oil and tested for the business in hand. Then the best brush for the purpose was picked out. To this was fitted a long handle. Two short sticks had to be spliced to make a handle of sufficient length.
"How are you on lettering, Captain?" guffawed Mr. Farnum, while preparations were thus being made.
"Nothing extra," Jack admitted. "But I guess I can at least make legible letters."
All was in readiness long before need came. At about quarter past eleven o"clock that night the "Pollard" noiselessly slipped from her moorings. At that time none of the searchlights of the fleet at anchor happened to be turned toward the submarine boat.
Ventilators were taken in, the manhole cover was closed, lights were extinguished, and, the next instant, the "Pollard" began to sink.
Only one light burned aboard, and that came from a small lantern in the engine room, where Hal Hastings crouched over the electric motor, keeping strict track of the revolutions. While Jack Benson steered strictly to compa.s.s, Hal counted the revolutions until the number had been reeled off to carry the submarine the estimated distance under water. Then Hal shut off speed, while Eph Somers pa.s.sed word to the young captain.
"Let her come up slowly, until I give the word," called down Captain Jack. "Don"t rush with the raising."
So compressed air was turned into the diving tanks, slowly expelling the water therefrom. Very slowly the "Pollard" rose. Jack, watching intently, knew the instant that the conning tower"s top was above waves.
"Stop," he called down. Just ahead, about sixty feet, lay the seaward side of the battleship "Luzon"s" great gray hull. With his hand on the electric speed control Captain Jack moved the submarine in until she lay alongside the big battleship.
With the greatest stealth the manhole cover was raised by Hal and Eph.
Captain Jack, in the meantime, was rapidly shedding his clothing, until he stood forth in a bathing suit only. Clad in this garment he slipped out over the top of the conning tower. The platform deck was under water, but Benson touched it with his feet.
"No hail from the deck above," he whispered to Hal. "Now, pa.s.s me the paint and brush like lightning."
The brush was pa.s.sed out, the paint can being rested on the edge of the manhole, where Hal steadied it. Taking up a good sopping of paint on the brush, Captain Benson rapidly sketched, on the gray side of the battleship a letter "P" some six feet long.
Then, with rapid strokes, he swiftly finished the entire word:
"Pollard."
As the "Luzon" lay on the outer edge of the anch.o.r.ed fleet, and the submarine lay alongside on the seaward side, there was no danger of any betraying searchlight being turned on the perpetrators of this huge joke.
"It"s all done," whispered Jack, chuckling softly, "and that wonderful watch officer above hasn"t hailed us or pa.s.sed the word for the marine guard!"
"That man McCrea will claim it wasn"t done during his watch," whispered Eph. "Paint on the exact present time. It"s just 11.33."
So Captain Jack, again chuckling, and with a fresh brushful of paint, wrote the present time on the battleship"s gray side.
All in a twinkling, afterward, the submarine, her manhole closed, dropped down beneath the waves. She was soon back at her anchorage, lying on the surface of the water as though this handy little craft had not just been engaged in perpetrating the biggest naval joke of the year!
CHAPTER XXI
THE MAN WHO DROPPED THE GLa.s.s
Early the next morning there was, as might be imagined, a big stir of excitement in the fleet.
First of all, one of the fleet patrol launches discovered the legend lettered in white, on a gray background, on the Lizon"s side.
As soon as the matter was reported aboard, the executive officer, after ordering a side gangway lowered, and going down close to the water"s edge for a look, sent for the different watch officers of the night.
Each was emphatic in the belief that the thing did not happen during his watch. Lieutenant McCrea was one of the most positive.
"But, Mr. McCrea," urged the "Luzon"s" executive officer, "the time, "11.33 P.M.," has been lettered on the ship"s side with great distinctness."
Still, that lieutenant was positive that the outrage hadn"t been perpetrated during his deck watch. He had kept much too vigilant a watch for that.
While the questioning of the watch officers was going on the "Luzon"s"
captain appeared. He quizzed Mr. McCrea unmercifully, and that officer of the early night watch began to look and feel most uncomfortable.
"There"s but one thing to be done, first of all," stated the "Luzon"s"
commander, Captain Bigelow. "Send a boat over to the "Pollard" to ask the people there if _they_ have any explanation to offer."
When the "Luzon"s" launch came alongside, Mr. Farnum, expecting the visit, a.s.sured the ensign in charge that he would go to the battle ship at once to explain matters. Mr. Farnum did go. Captain Bigelow listened with an intensely grave face. Lieutenant McCrea seemed to be in the depths of mortification, and his face was very red.
"There is but one thing to be done, now, Mr. Farnum," declared Captain Bigelow, severely. "We shall have to appear before Admiral Bentley, on his flagship, as soon as he will receive us. You must repeat your explanation to him."
This Mr. Farnum was quite willing to do. Before the boatbuilder finished with his explanation to the fleet"s commander there was a very decided twinkle in Admiral Bentley"s sharp old eyes.
"I accept your explanation, Mr. Farnum, that it was all a joke," smiled the admiral.
"Of course," Jacob Farnum made haste to add, "having perpetrated such a hoax, I shall charge myself with all the expense of painting out the objectionable lettering."
"But I am not sure that that will be necessary," Admiral Bentley laughed.
"The truth is, Mr. Farnum, your hoax on Mr. McCrea has taught us a most excellent and valuable lesson about the sort of other work that a submarine might do against a battleship at anchor. The lesson is worth far more than the cost of the paint. Indeed, I shall not have the lettering on the "Luzon"s" side painted out until other officers of the fleet have been able to examine such a striking proof of the value of submarines. Yet I am extremely sorry for the feelings of Mr. McCrea this morning."
In truth, Lieutenant McCrea was in for a most unmerciful tormenting by his brother officers. If there was one thing on which the lieutenant prided himself, it was upon the strictness of his deck watch. So the jest, jibes and quips of his brother officers stung him deeply.
"Was the hoax your idea, Mr. Farnum?" asked Admiral Bentley.
"No, sir; I am sorry to say that I am not often as brilliant as that."
"Then whose joke was it?"
"It was the scheme of Captain Jack Benson, the "Pollard"s" present commander."
"I have heard of your boyish captain," smiled Admiral Bentley. "He must be a very resourceful young man."
"You"re right in saying that," replied Farnum, with warmth. "Benson is altogether about the brightest boy I"ve ever met. For that matter, all three of the boys are unusually keen."
Admiral Bentley consulted a memorandum book that lay on his desk, before he went on:
"Mr. Farnum, if you"ve nothing in the way, I shall be extremely glad to have Mr. Pollard and yourself at luncheon at one o"clock this afternoon.
But I shall feel much disappointed if you do not also bring with you your youthful captain, Benson."
Farnum promptly accepted, with great delight. This all looked as though the "Pollard" would figure handsomely in the admiral"s forthcoming reports to Washington.