CHAPTER XXV—A NEW CONVOY
At dawn, while a light fog still overspread the sea, the crash of distant guns was brought to the ears of the watch on duty. From what direction the reports came it was impossible for the Colodia’s officers to determine.
It was still too dark for the lookouts to make out anything at a distance, even had the morning been perfectly clear. But all hands were aroused, the word running from deck to deck that the destroyer was within sound of a naval action of some kind.
It was not a signal gun they heard, for several shots were fired simultaneously. Then there was silence again. The Colodia sped on her course, the hope being expressed by all that “blind luck,” if nothing else, might lead her to the scene.
Just before the sun rose above the sea line the lookouts began to shout their discoveries. Out of the fog, but at a great distance, they saw the upper spars and canvas of a great sailing ship. The Colodia’s direction was changed to run closer to this vessel.
“It’s a chance we have found her,” murmured Whistler to George Belding. “She is square rigged, and she is some ship in size, believe me!”
For, moment by moment, the fog was thinning and the outlines of the spars and sails became clearer. From the deck of the destroyer these became visible.
The excitement of the Seacove boys and George Belding was quite overpowering. That their friends aboard the Redbird were in the hands of mutineers they were assured; and now the guns, which began to speak again, forewarned of added peril!
As the sun came out they saw that the upper canvas of the ship they had sighted was being furled. Sail after sail disappeared. It was as though she was being stripped of her canvas.
“She’s under the guns of that raider, I’ll bet a cent!” declared Al Torrance. “So she has had to stop her headway. Those guns were for the purpose of making the ship—whoever she is—lie to.”
“But if it is the Redbird, the Germans already have command of her,” cried Belding.
“We don’t know who she is yet,” said Whistler.
“Oi, oi!” gasped Ikey Rosenmeyer, “I’m so excited yet I can’t keep still. Isn’t it great, Frenchy?”
“Sure, it’s the greatest experience we’ve had,” admitted the Irish lad. “For we don’t know whether we are approaching friend or foe.”
Nor was the destroyer’s approach visible to those aboard the sailing ship for some time. Her color and the gray fog that lingered on the surface of the sea aided in this.
There were no more guns for a time, but it was quite evident that the sailing vessel had lost much headway. It was then that the lookouts in the tops of the Colodia first glimpsed the ship that had fired the guns. She was a steamer coming rapidly up on the course of the sailing vessel.
Two more guns were fired, but the shells seemed not to have burst near the victim of the outrage. They were meant merely as a threat. The sailing craft which was nearer to the destroyer was observed to be signaling with flags. The signals were in a code that the signalmen of the Colodia did not know, and they so reported to Commander Lang.
“The Huns aboard the Redbird are signaling to the Huns on the Sea Pigeon,” was the confident declaration of prophetic Al Torrance.
“If it is so, you can just believe that they are telling the raider of our approach. They must see the Colodia coming now,” Whistler observed.
Suddenly, with the sun’s round face appearing above the sea line, the last wisps of fog were whipped away. The tropical heat burned up the moisture in a flash.
“Boats at the davits of the ship now being manned, sir!” came the hail from one of the destroyer’s lookouts.
“They are abandoning ship!” was the word passed along the decks.
“If it is the Redbird!” murmured Belding to Phil Morgan, “what do you suppose will happen to my father and mother and the girls?”
Whistler had no answer ready. He kept his lips shut grimly and stared straight ahead.
The distance of the destroyer from the steamer believed to be the German raider, was too great as yet for a shot to be tried. They were near enough to the sailing ship to see two boats launched before it was considered well to use the guns.
Then the Colodia sent her first shells close to the boats that were being rowed toward the steam craft.
“There are only men in those lifeboats,” declared Ensign MacMasters, who had been examining the distant specks through powerful glasses. “It looks as though the mutineers had abandoned ship and passengers and were attempting to join their fellow countrymen aboard the Sea Pigeon.”
Immediately the commander ordered shells to be dropped between the small boats and the steamer, and the long distance guns began to crack at the raider over the heads of the escaping mutineers.
With her smoke trailing behind her and the guns barking in rapid succession, the Colodia raced toward the scene. She kept well away from the sailing craft, but she drove on in a way to cut off the two rowboats from the raider.
That it was the Sea Pigeon, nobody aboard the destroyer now doubted.
“We’re going to kill two birds with one stone, boys!” declared Ensign MacMasters cheerfully to the Navy Boys. “I’ll bet that sailing ship is the one your friends are aboard.”
His cheerfulness did not wholly overcome George Belding’s depression. George was now worrying as to what had been done to the passengers of the Redbird before the mutineers left the sailing ship!
That she was his father’s vessel he was confident. Her rig was familiar to him.
As the destroyer drew nearer, too, her crew saw certain figures on the deck of the sailing vessel that seemed to be wildly signaling the naval craft. Just then the Colodia could not stop to investigate. Her work was to settle first with the Germans.
The raider had finally started away from the vicinity, leaving the crews of the two boats to shift for themselves. It was her only chance for escape, for the destroyer could outsteam the Sea Pigeon, fast as she was.
A fortunate shot knocked away the jury smokestack which had been put in place of the one the destroyer had previously smashed. Interior damage was done by this shell, too. This was immediately apprehended by the raider’s movements.
“Hold fire!” commanded the executive officer of the Colodia. Signals were sent up ordering the German to surrender. Almost at once a white ensign was displayed, and at the sight of it the destroyer’s crew went mad with excitement.
Better than merely sinking the Sea Pigeon—they had captured her! Their work of five weeks at sea, away from their base, had ended gloriously. The raider doubtless had a valuable cargo, and the fact that she would be put out of commission was a heavy blow to the German arms.
Swiftly the destroyer approached and, at a certain distance, sent a boat off to the Sea Pigeon to bring her captain and a part of her force aboard the American ship. But Commander Lang, understanding fully the anxiety of Phil Morgan and George Belding, ordered another motor boat launched and allowed them to be members of her crew. She was sent directly to the sailing ship which now lay about two miles away.
Passing the two lifeboats, Ensign MacMasters, who was in command of the launch, questioned briefly their frightened crews. At first they denied that they were mutineers. They declared the raider had commanded them to abandon their ship and row aboard the Sea Pigeon.
But when they were asked the name of the sailing ship, and other pertinent queries, the sailors broke down. All but their leader.
Suddenly George Belding uttered an exclamation of surprise.
“Phil! Phil Morgan!” he shouted, forgetting in his excitement to address their commanding officer. “Don’t you know that fellow steering the second boat?”
“I see him,” returned Whistler. “I—I do know him! Mr. MacMasters! That is the spy from the Zeppelin we told you about!”
“Emil Eberhardt, I do believe,” murmured Belding. “It’s no wonder things went wrong aboard the Redbird when that scoundrel was able to cross the ocean and join her crew.”
No further information could be obtained from the mutineers at that time. They were quite helpless, and could only row on to the destroyer and give themselves up as commanded.
Meanwhile the motor launch ran alongside the big, square-rigged ship. Three girls at the rail shrieked their delight at sight of Whistler and George Belding. The latter’s father and mother likewise appeared as the boys, following Mr. MacMasters, went up the ladder which had been left hanging over the side when the mutineers abandoned the ship.
The Germans had carried away Mr. Belding’s money—and it was a great sum—in the lifeboats; but they dared not throw it overboard and so, later, it was recovered. Otherwise the mutineers had done little damage, nor had they treated the Americans on the ship badly.
After the greetings were over the story of how the radio messages were sent was told in full. The radio man aboard the Redbird was a German sympathizer. He usually slept through the afternoon watch, however, and it was then the girls had been able to get regularly at the instrument. The rest of the crew thought Lilian was only playing with the radio. She told them she could receive a little, but she sent in so clumsy a way that the Germans paid little attention to her.
“And, of course, I never was a Morse expert,” the girl said, laughing. “You used to make fun of me, George, when we had the radio plant at home; but I guess I could be an operator, if I put my mind to it, as well as you.”
“You’re all right, Lil,” declared her brother. Then with a grin, he added: “I know Phil thinks you are. He can’t keep his eyes off you.”
There was a great deal to say, of course; but there was more to do. The boys were left aboard while Mr. MacMasters returned to the Colodia with Captain Lawdor of the Redbird, who had been locked into his cabin by the mutineers. He wished to confer with Commander Lang regarding the make-up of a crew to work his ship into some port. She could not go all the way to Bahia with only the handful of men who had remained faithful.
This was overcome very easily, however. The captured raider was repaired and was sent north with a prize crew. Then the commander of the destroyer sent help aboard the Redbird and agreed to convoy the sailing ship into a safe zone.
Farther south the Brazilian warships were patroling the coast of South America, and they would accompany the big sailing vessel into Bahia. For, of course, Mr. Belding had no intention of changing his plans, having already come so far from New York.
The girls were too courageous to lose spirit. Phoebe, who had been so ill when last her brother had seen her, was getting plump again. She had marvelously improved during the brief weeks of her sojourn at sea.
Altogether, both Philip Morgan and George Belding had become quite happy and content when the Colodia finally signaled the Redbird good-bye and turned her prow north once more. She had been ordered to follow the captured raider into Hampton Roads, there to refit.
Nevertheless, as America’s activities in the war—especially her naval activities—were increasing rather than diminishing, the Navy Boys did not expect to be idle, even if the Colodia was laid up for a while.
“No rest for the wicked,” quoted Al Torrance, wagging his head.
“Oi, oi!” cried Ikey. “You know you are not looking for a rest, Torry.”
“Seems to me,” Belding said, “that it will be rather nice to walk on the streets once more.”
“Bet we’ll all be land-sick when we get ashore,” grinned Frenchy Donahue. “How ’bout it, Whistler?”
Whistler said, thoughtfully: “But wouldn’t it be nice if we could have had our leave ashore at Bahia, with the girls?”
“Wow, wow!” shouted the Irish lad.
“He’s hopeless,” groaned Ikey Rosenmeyer. “He is even worse than Frenchy ever was. Why, he can’t keep his mind off those girls at all!”
But the older lad only grinned. It was small matter to Whistler Morgan whether they tried to worry him or not. Lilian Belding was certainly a pretty girl!
THE END
Navy Boys Series
By HALSEY DAVIDSON
12mo, cloth, illustrated and with colored jacket
The true story of the American Jackies of to-day—clean-cut, brave and always on the alert. The boys join the navy, do a lot of training, and are then assigned to regular service. They aid in sinking a number of submarines, help to capture a notorious German sea raider, and do their share during the taking over of the enemy’s navy. A splendid picture of the American navy of to-day.
NAVY BOYS AFTER A SUBMARINE
Or Protecting the Giant Convoy
NAVY BOYS CHASING A SEA RAIDER
Or Landing a Million Dollar Prize
NAVY BOYS BEHIND THE BIG GUNS
Or Sinking the German U-Boats
NAVY BOYS TO THE RESCUE
Or Answering the Wireless Call for Help
NAVY BOYS AT THE BIG SURRENDER
Or Rounding Up the German Fleet
GEORGE SULLY & COMPANY
Publishers New York
Army Boys Series
By HOMER RANDALL
12mo, cloth, illustrated and with colored jacket
Here we have true-to-life pictures of what our brave soldier boys did, in the training camps, aboard the transport, and on the battlefields of France. How they went over the top and had thrilling hand-to-hand encounters with the Huns, is told in a manner to interest all. Many side lights are given of how the soldiers enjoyed themselves during the off hours. A series which ought to be on every bookshelf in the land.
ARMY BOYS IN FRANCE
Or From Training Camp to Trenches
ARMY BOYS IN THE FRENCH TRENCHES
Or Hand to Hand Fights With the Enemy
ARMY BOYS ON THE FIRING LINE
Or Holding Back the German Drive
ARMY BOYS IN THE BIG DRIVE
Or Smashing Forward to Victory
ARMY BOYS MARCHING INTO GERMANY
Or Over the Rhine with the Stars and Stripes
GEORGE SULLY & COMPANY
Publishers New York
Air Service Boys Series
By CHARLES AMORY BEACH
12mo, cloth, illustrated and with colored jacket
Two chums join the air service in this country and then go to France and enter the Lafayette Escadrille. After doing their duty to our sister republic they re-enter the American service and are put to the most severe tests as airmen. They manage to locate a long-range German cannon which is doing terrific damage, and are present at the bombing of the last Hun stronghold. A series by one who knows all about army aviation.
AIR SERVICE BOYS FLYING FOR FRANCE
Or The Young Heroes of the Lafayette Escadrille
AIR SERVICE BOYS OVER THE ENEMY’S LINES
Or The German Spy’s Secret
AIR SERVICE BOYS OVER THE RHINE
Or Fighting Above the Clouds
AIR SERVICE BOYS IN THE BIG BATTLE
Or Silencing the Big Guns
AIR SERVICE BOYS FLYING FOR VICTORY
Or Bombing the Last German Stronghold
GEORGE SULLY & COMPANY
Publishers New York
Joe Strong Series
12mo, cloth, colored jacket and illustrated
Vance Barnum is a real treasure when it comes to telling about how magicians do their weird tricks, how the circus acrobats pull off their various stunts, how the “fishman” remains under water so long, how the mid-air performers loop the loop and how the slack-wire fellow keeps from tumbling. He has been through it all and he writes freely for the boys from his vast experience. They are real stories bound to hold their audiences breathlessly.
JOE STRONG, THE BOY WIZARD
Or Mysteries of Magic Exposed
JOE STRONG ON THE TRAPEZE
Or The Daring Feats of a Young Circus Performer
JOE STRONG, THE BOY FISH
Or Marvellous Doings in a Big Tank
JOE STRONG ON THE HIGH WIRE
Or A Motorcycle of the Air
JOE STRONG AND HIS WINGS OF STEEL
Or A Young Acrobat in the Clouds
JOE STRONG AND HIS BOX OF MYSTERY
Or The Ten Thousand Dollar Prize Trick
JOE STRONG, THE BOY FIRE-EATER
Or The Most Dangerous Performance on Record
GEORGE SULLY & COMPANY
Publishers New York