“Oh, hang the luck!” cried Rawlins flinging down his cap. “Why didn’t I shoot a bit lower and disable ’em!”
“Why, man, you saved us!” cried Mr. Pauling, grasping Rawlins’ hand and patting him on the shoulder. “You made a wonderful hit! Absolutely marvelous! Aren’t you satisfied with that?”
“We owe you our lives,” put in Mr. Henderson. “It was the finest thing I’ve ever seen—wonderful marksmanship, Rawlins.”
Rawlins flushed. “Oh, shucks!” he exclaimed. “Didn’t I save my own hide too? More luck than anything else. A fellow has to depend a heap on luck in my business, you know.”
“Well all the luck in the world without a clear head, quick mind, steady hands and a true eye wouldn’t have helped in that case,” declared Mr. Pauling. “I certainly thank Heaven for our escape—whether through luck or expert gunnery, my boy.”
“Yes, but we might have got those dirty Huns at the same time,” lamented Rawlins. “If I hadn’t been so all-fired afraid of sinking them and had shot a mite lower.”
“Don’t you suppose you did sink them?” asked Mr. Henderson. “I shouldn’t think they could maneuver with their superstructure and conning tower smashed.”
“No, they got away all right,” replied Rawlins. “Didn’t we just hear them—and they’re beating us even with a shell through their upper works, As long as the hatches and bulkheads weren’t hit they’d be all right, of course they’re running blind, my shot carried away their periscope—that is, unless they’ve got another one—but as long as it’s open sea and they know their course that’s safe enough. Of course they’ll come up pretty soon—as soon as they’re well out of range of our gun; but I’ll bet we don’t sight them again. Guess we might as well go up to the top. No use ambling along down here. We’d better hike it to Trade Wind Cay.”
As Rawlins had foreseen, they did not catch a glimpse of the other submarine and very soon the faint whir of her screws was lost. It was evident that even in her partly disabled condition she was a much faster craft than their own and Rawlins declared that he believed her one of the very latest types that were launched just before the close of the war and very few of which actually left German harbors.
“Funny she didn’t carry a gun,” commented Mr. Henderson, “and lucky she didn’t for us.”