These tails are not only armed with a tip of horn-like hardness, they are also poisonous, and their penetrating power is great. Fishermen have sometimes caught small sting rays, which are a sort of devil fish.
Lashing about in the bottom of a boat a sting ray can send its tail tip through the sole of a heavy boot and inflict a painful wound which may cause serious results.
The beast Koku had wounded was trying to sting the giant, and the latter, aware of his peril, was striking out with the axe.
"Look out, Tom!" called Ned through his telephone, as he saw one of the two unwounded devil fish swirl down toward the young inventor. Tom looked up, saw the big, horrible shape above him, and jabbed it with the sharp, steel bar. He inflicted a wound which added further to the crimson tinge in the sea, and that fish now attacked Tom Swift.
In another instant all three divers were fighting the terrible creatures, that, knowing by instinct they were in danger, were using the weapon with which nature had provided them. They lashed about with their sharp-pointed tails, and more than one blow fell on the suits of the divers.
Had there been the least penetration, of course almost instant death would have followed. For the sea, at that depth and pressure, entering the suits would have ended life suddenly. But Tom had seen to it that the suits were well made and strong, with a lining of steel. And however great a thickness of leather the devil fish could send his sting through, it could not overcome steel.
There was danger, though, that the slender tip might slip through the steel bars across the windows in the helmets and shatter the gla.s.s. And that would be as great a danger as if the suits themselves were penetrated.
"We"ve got to fight "em!" gasped Tom through his instrument, and, seeing his chance, he gave another jab to the devil fish attacking him.
Koku, too, was standing up well under the attack of the monster he had first wounded. Ned, watching his chance, got in several blows, first at one and then at the other of the huge creatures. The third devil fish, which had not been wounded, had disappeared. Finally Koku, with a desperate blow, succeeded in severing the tail from the beast attacking him, and that battle was over.
As if realizing that it had lost its power to harm, the devil fish at once swam off, grievously wounded. Then Koku turned his attention to Tom"s enemy. Ned, too, lent his aid, and they succeeded in wounding the creature in several places, so that it sank to the bottom of the sea and lay there gasping.
Slowly the red waters cleared and the three divers, exhausted by the fight, could view the remaining creature--the one wounded to death. It was the largest of the three, and truly it was a monster. But it was past the power to harm, and in a few minutes an under sea current carried it slowly away. Later it would float, doubtless, or be devoured by sharks or other ocean pirates before reaching the surface.
"Thank goodness that"s over!" said Ned to Tom. "I don"t want to see any more of them."
"There may be more about," Tom said. "We"d better keep watch. Ned, you lay off and Koku and I will work on the propellers. Then you can take your turn."
This plan was followed. Koku, not being tired, did not need to stop working, and he was the first to free his shaft partially of the entangling weeds. Tom rapped a signal, the blades were slowly revolved and then came free. A little later the second was in like condition.
"Now we can move!" said Tom, as they started back toward the diving chamber. "I hope we don"t run into another patch of that serpent gra.s.s."
"Nor see any more devil fish," added Ned.
"Same here!" echoed the young inventor.
Luck seemed to be with the gold-seekers after that, for as the submarine was sent ahead, no more of the long, entangling gra.s.s was encountered.
The search for the sunken Pandora was now begun in earnest, since they were positive that they were at the right spot.
No immediate sign of her was found. But Tom and his friends hardly expected to be as lucky as that. They were willing to make a search.
For, as Tom had said, a current might have shifted the position of the wreck.
They followed the plan of moving about in ever-widening circles. Only in this way could they successfully cover the ground. It was the third day after the encounter with the devil fish that Tom, Ned and Mr. Damon were in the forward observation cabin. The eccentric man suddenly pointed to something visible from the starboard window.
"There"s a wreck, Tom!" he cried. "Maybe it"s the Pandora!"
Tom and the others hurried to Mr. Damon"s side and peered out into the sea, illuminated by the great searchlight.
"That isn"t the Pandora!" said the young inventor.
"But it"s a wreck, isn"t it?" asked Ned.
"Yes, it"s a sunken vessel, all right," Tom a.s.sented. "But it"s a reminder of the Great War. Look! She has been blown up by a torpedo!"
CHAPTER XXII
STUDYING CURRENTS
There was no question about Tom"s statement. They had approached close to the side of a small, sunken and wrecked steamer, and in her side was torn a great hole. In the light from the submarine it could be seen that the plates bent inward, indicating that the explosion was from outside.
"What are you going to do, Tom?" asked Ned, as he saw his chum move the engine room telegraph signal to the stop position.
"Going to investigate," was the answer. "We might as well take the time. We may learn something of value."
"Do you think there is any treasure in her?" asked Mr. Damon.
"There might be," answered Tom. "We"ll put on the diving suits and go outside."
"I hope there aren"t any devil fish," remarked Ned.
"Same here," Tom agreed. "But I don"t believe we"ll meet with any. Will you take a chance, Ned?"
"I surely will! I"d like to find out what sort of ship that is--or rather, was, for there isn"t much left of her."
He spoke truly, for indeed the torpedo had created fearful havoc. The full extent of it was not observed until Tom, Ned, Koku and two of the crew had put on diving suits and approached the hulk. She lay on her side on the sandy bottom, heeled over somewhat, and when the investigators had walked around her, as they were able to do, they saw a second, and even larger hole in the opposite side.
"Two submarines must have attacked her," said Ned, speaking through his telephone to Tom.
"Either that, or else one sent a torpedo into her, dived, came up on the other side and sent another."
"Well, let"s see if she has any treasure aboard," Ned proposed.
"Wouldn"t it be queer if we should discover two treasure ships?"
"More queer than likely," Tom answered. "We"ve got to be careful going inside her."
"Why?" asked Ned. "Do you think we"ll set off a hidden mine?"
"No, but part of the wreckage might be loosened if we climbed over it, and we might fall and be pinned down. I"ve read of divers being caught that way. We must be careful."
"Do you suppose a German sub did this?" Ned asked.
"I think very likely," Tom answered. "Maybe we can tell if we can discover the nationality of this craft."
They made their way to a position just outside the gaping hole in the starboard side of the craft. Evidently; it was, or had been, a tramp steamer, and the torpedo hole on her starboard side was about amidships. She must have filled and sunk quickly with two such great holes torn in her.
Standing near the wound in the steel skin, Tom and his companions tried to see what was inside. Their portable torches did not give light enough to make out clearly the character of the cargo carried, and it was too risky to venture into the ma.s.s of wreckage that must be the result of the explosion of the torpedo.
"Let"s try the other side," suggested Tom, and they moved around the stern of the craft. When they reached the place where the name was visible Tom raised his electric torch and, in the glow of it, they all read the painted inscription, Blakesly, New York.