Held tightly by Lieutenant Parry and two members of the engine-room crew, Guiseppi, who had made the murderous attempt on Ned, writhed and flung himself about with equal vehemence.
“I had hardly gotten them into the engine room,” explained the young officer, giving the recalcitrant Guiseppi’s arm a twist, “before they discovered it was all a trick. I suppose they knew, in a flash, the object of it, for before I could stop him, this ruffian here had darted through the door and sprang upon your back.”
“You were just in time, sir,” said Ned; “I could hear that knife whistle as he plunged it down. He fairly had me in chancery, too.”
“I fancy you were just in time, too, Ned,” said the young officer warmly.
He shuddered as he spoke. But now stateroom doors began to fly open, and heads were poked out. Presently, the entire naval board was hearing the story, while Midshipman Stark, at the wheel, strained his ears to hear what he could of it. For he had heard the disturbance, but, of course, could not leave his post. It was his duty to stick at the wheel, even if he had known that the submarine was about to be blown up.
“It seems to me,” said Captain McGill, when he had heard Lieutenant Parry’s story, “that these two lads are entitled to a great deal of credit for the part they played in this affair. They not only acted bravely, but with discretion, which is better than mere courage. You, too, Parry, did a clever thing. I think, gentlemen, that all three are to be congratulated for securing a pair of precious scoundrels.”
The two Italians were then, at Captain McGill’s orders, triced up to stanchions. Bound securely, they glowered at their captors furiously, but for some time refused to speak. At last, Ignacio, in response to Captain McGill’s questioning, confessed the whole plot.
They had been hired by Ferriss and Camberly—whose shipyard they had formerly worked in—to carry out the daring plan to wreck the Lockyer. Knowing that they could not get on board by any ordinary means, they had chartered the catboat and purposely capsized her, so that they would have to be taken on board. Their plan had then been to wait till she was in port and then set the machine among her engines, wrecking them hopelessly. Both men denied that they had intended to take any lives. But, in view of the amount of nitro-glycerine contained in their machine, it was practically certain that anyone who had the misfortune to be on board at the time it exploded, would have been, if not killed, seriously injured.
As soon as this confession had been extorted from the men it was set down in writing, and they were compelled to sign it. The submarine was then headed for the surface, and the nitro-glycerine gingerly carried on deck and dumped overboard.