CHAPTER XV: ANOTHER TURN AT HARD LUCK
When he could trust himself to speak Hal Hastings addressed the naval officer.
“I think Mr. Benson and myself understand, sir, how it happened that this damage was done. There are extra parts in the repair kit. In twenty minutes, sir, I think we can have the engines running smoothly once more.”
The naval officer was wise enough not to press the questioning further just then. Instead, he went on deck.
Working like beavers, and with the assistance of others standing about, Jack and Hal had the piston replaced and all the other parts in place within fifteen minutes. Then, once more, Hal turned on the gasoline, set the ignition, and watched.
The engine ran as smoothly as ever.
“There won't be any more trouble, unless someone is turned loose here with files and a blast lamp,” pronounced Hal. Then he and [pg 152] his chum sought the deck, to report to the officer in charge.
“You think we're in running order, now?” asked that officer.
“If you give the speed-ahead signal, sir, I think you'll feel as though you had a live engine under your deck,” Hal assured him.
The signal was given, the “Pollard” immediately responding. She cut a wide circle, at good speed, returning to her former position, where the propellers were stopped.
“You suspect your own machinist, who was aboard?” asked the naval officer, in a low tone, of the submarine boys.
“If you'll pardon our not answering directly, sir,” Captain Jack replied, “we want to have more than suspicions before we make a very energetic report on this strange accident. But we shall not be asleep, sir, in the matter of finding out. Then we shall make a full report to Mr. Mayhew.”
“Success to you—and vigilance!” muttered the naval officer.
The gunboat's cutter came alongside, transferring Jack and Hal back to the “Farnum.”
Hal went directly below to the engine room.
“You fixed the trouble with the 'Pollard'?” demanded Eph Somers, eagerly.
“Yes,” Hal admitted.
“Why, I don't know as I'd want to commit myself in too offhand a way,” replied Hal, slowly, as though thinking.
“What appeared to be at the bottom of the trouble?”
“Why, it may have been that one of the naval machinists, not understanding our engines any too well, allowed one of the pistons to get overheated, and then resorted to filing,” Hal replied.
“What? Overheat a piston, and then try to correct it with a file?” cried young Somers, disgustedly. “The crazy blacksmith! He ought to be set to shoeing snails—that's all he's fit for.”
“It looks that way,” Hal assented, smiling.
Artful, clever Hal! He had carried it all off so coolly and naturally that Sam Truax, who had been closely studying Hastings's face from the background, was wholly deceived.
“This fellow, Hastings, isn't as smart as I had thought him,” muttered Truax, to himself.
The interrupted cruise now proceeded, the parent vessel signaling for a temporary speed of sixteen knots in order to make up for lost time.
Twenty minutes later came the signal from the “Hudson:”
“At the command, the submarines will dash [pg 154] ahead at full speed, each making its best time. During this trial, which will end at the firing of a gun from the parent vessel, all cadets will be on deck.”
Word was immediately passed below, and all the cadets of the engineer division came tumbling up.
To these, who had been in the engine room constantly for hours, the cool wind blowing across the deck was highly agreeable.
For the speed dash Captain Jack Benson had again taken command. He passed word below to Eph Somers to take the wheel in the conning tower.
Eph, therefore, came up with the last of the cadets from below. In the excitement of the pending race it had not been noticed by any of the submarine boys that Williamson was already on deck, aft. That left Sam Truax below in sole possession of the boat's engine quarters.
The gunboat now fell a little behind, leaving the two submarines some four hundred yards apart, but as nearly as possible on a line.
“Look at the crowd over on the 'Pollard's' decks,” muttered Hal. “They're all Navy folks over there.”
“And they mean to beat such plain 'dubs' as they must consider us,” laughed Captain Jack, in an undertone.
[pg 155] “Will they beat us, though?” grinned Hal Hastings. “You and I, Jack, happen to know that the 'Farnum' is a bit the faster boat by rights.”
Suddenly the signal broke out from the gunboat.
“Race her, Eph!” shouted Captain Jack.
“Aye, aye, sir!”
Eph Somers's right hand caught at the speed signals beside the wheel. He called for all speed, the bell jangling merrily in the engine room.
A little cheer of excitement went up from the cadets aboard the “Farnum” as that craft shot ahead over the waters. The cadets were catching the thrill of what was virtually a race. At the same time, though, these midshipmen could not help feeling a good deal of interest in the success of the “Pollard,” which was manned wholly by representatives of the Navy.
In the first three minutes the “Farnum” stole gradually, though slowly, ahead of the “Pollard.” Then, to the disgust of all three of the submarine boys, the other craft was seen to be gaining. Before long the “Pollard” had the lead, and looked likely to increase it. Already gleeful cheers were rising from the all-Navy crowd on the deck of the other submarine.
Behind the racers sped the “Hudson,” keeping [pg 156] just far enough behind to be able to observe everything without interfering with either torpedo craft.
From looking at the “Pollard” Captain Jack glanced down at the water. His own boat's bows seemed to be cutting the water at a fast gait. The young skipper, knowing what he knew about both boats, could not understand this losing to the other craft.
“The Navy men must know a few tricks with engines that we haven't guessed,” he observed, anxiously, to young Hastings.
“I don't know what it can be, then,” murmured Hal, uneasily. “There aren't so confusingly many parts to a six-cylinder gasoline motor. They aren't hard engines to run. More depends on the engine itself than on the engineer.”
“But look over there,” returned Captain Jack Benson. “You see the 'Pollard' taking the wind out of our teeth, don't you?”
“Yes,” Hal admitted, looking more puzzled.
“Do you think our engines are doing the top-notch of their best?” asked Benson.
“Yes; for Williamson is a crackerjack machinist. He knows our engines as well as any man alive could do.”
“Do you think it would do any good for you to go below, Hal?”
[pg 157] “I will, if you say so,” offered Hastings. “Yet there's another side to it.”
“What?”
“Williamson might get it into his head that I went below because I thought he was making a muddle of the speed. As a matter of fact, he knows every blessed thing I do about our motors, and Williamson is loyal to the core.”
“I know,” nodded Captain Jack. “I'd hate to hurt a fine fellow's feelings. Yet—confound it, I do want to win this burst of speed. It means, perhaps, the quick sale of this boat to the Navy. If we're beaten it means, to the Secretary of the Navy, that he already has our best boat, and he might not see the need of buying the 'Farnum' at all.”
“Give Williamson two or three minutes more,” begged Hal. “You might tell Eph, though, to repeat, and repeat, the signal for top speed. That'll show Williamson we're losing.”
Jack Benson walked to the conning tower, instructing Eph Somers in a low tone.
“I've signaled twice, since the first time,” Eph replied. “But here goes some more.”
“I wonder what's going wrong with our engines, then,” muttered Captain Jack, uneasily.
“It ain't in careless steering, anyway,” grumbled Eph. “I'm going as straight as a chalk line.”
[pg 158] “I noticed that,” Captain Jack admitted.
He continued to look worried, for, by this time, the “Pollard” was at least a good two hundred and fifty yards to the good in the lead.
“I'm afraid,” muttered Hal, rejoining Benson, “that I'll simply have to go below.”
“I'm afraid so,” nodded Jack. “We simply can't afford to lose this or any other race to the 'Pollard.'”
“Williamson knows that fully as well as we do, though,” Hal Hastings went on. “And Williamson—”
Of a sudden Hal stopped short. He half staggered, clutching at a rail, while his eyes stared and his lips twitched.
“Why—why—there's Williamson—aft on the deck!” muttered Hastings.
“What!”
Jack, too, wheeled like a flash. Back there in a crowd of cadets stood the machinist upon whom the submarine boys were depending for the best showing that the “Farnum” could make.
“Williamson up here!” gasped Hal. “And—”
“That fellow, Truax, all alone with the motors!” hissed Captain Jack. Then, after a second or two of startled silence:
“Come on, Hal!”
[pg 159] The naval cadets were too much absorbed in watching the race to have overheard anything. Williamson, too, standing at the rail, looking out over the water, had not yet discovered that Hal Hastings was up from the engine room.
Jack Benson stole below on tip-toe, though with the machinery running so much stealth was not necessary. Right behind him followed Hal.
As the two gained the doorway of the engine room Sam Truax had his back turned to them, and so did not note the sudden watchers.
There was a smile of malicious triumph on Truax's face as he turned a lever a little way over, thus decreasing the ignition power of the motors.
Both Jack and Hal could see that the gasoline flow had been turned on nearly to the full capacity. It was the poor ignition work that was making the motors respond so badly. A little less, and a little less, of the electric spark that burned the gasoline and air mixture—that was the secret of the gradually decreasing speed, while all the time it looked as though the “Farnum” was doing her level best to win the race.
Whistling, as he bent over, Sam Truax caught up a long, slender steel bar. With this he stepped forward, intent upon his next wicked step.
[pg 160] “Gracious! The scoundrel is going to run that bar in between the moving parts of the engine and bring about a break-down!” quivered Hal.
Sam Truax stood watching for his chance to thrust the steel bar in just where it would inflict the most damage. Then raising the bar quickly, he poised for the blow.
“Stop that, you infernal sneak!” roared Jack Benson, bounding into the engine room.