Part 23 (2/2)

”Let 'em shoot, they can't see anything but the periscope and they'd have an awful time hitting that!” boasted Jimmie.

Scarcely had the lad spoken before the vessel was shaken by the force of a mighty concussion. A gigantic wave tossed the craft up and forward with a heave that threw the boys off their feet.

”What was that?” gasped Jimmie glancing at his companions with a terrified face. ”Has one of the fuel tanks blown up?”

”Nothing doing!” replied Harry. ”I think that cannon hit the mine we just pa.s.sed. I'm glad we were no closer!”

”We'll soon be out of their range!” stated Jimmie. ”Shut up your periscope and we'll go deeper. Give us a little more speed, Harry!”

In an hour Jimmie declared that they should be out of sight of the island altogether. The engines had been working at full speed ahead. Harry nursed the machinery constantly, knowing that it was new and would, therefore, require considerable care. Their urgent need for speed induced the lads to crowd the machinery to the limit, and Harry was gratified to note that every part responded properly to its task.

”Well, Mackinder,” stated Ned as the tension on their nerves began to relax with the increasing distance traveled, ”we're surely grateful to you for suggesting that we get away as you did!”

”My motive was largely a selfish one, I must confess,” returned Mackinder. ”I wanted very badly to get away from that island.”

”How did they ever get hold of you, anyhow?” questioned Jack.

”I left Amsterdam the same evening you did. After the Lena k.n.o.bloch went past us as she did I knew there was little use trying to delay you.

Therefore, my aide and myself left at once on a train for Rotterdam.

There we found a fis.h.i.+ng boat which we thought would answer our purpose.

We induced the captain to take us aboard, intending to cross to England.

After traveling some distance the storm overtook us. We were blown far out of our course. The vessel was badly battered. The crew left in a panic, leaving me on board. Just in time the German destroyer came along and took me off. That's it in a nutsh.e.l.l.”

”Yes, and then when you discovered us in our little boat you went and told the captain of the destroyer a lot of nonsense, didn't you?”

questioned Jimmie in a somewhat aggressive manner. ”Why did you do it?”

”I only told him that you had at one time a package that belonged to me.

I wanted the package badly. I thought he would a.s.sist me.”

”That wasn't a very nice way to go about it,” declared Jimmie with emphasis. ”After searching our baggage twice, and after we had told you how the package was in our kits without our knowledge, also that it had been stolen away from our possession, why didn't you believe us?”

”There is an old saying that all is fair in love and war!” replied Mackinder. ”You know that my country and Germany are at war. As an officer in the British army, it is my duty to do everything possible to a.s.sist my country. I believe that package contains information that my country could use. That is my justification for my acts, and I hope you boys are fair-minded enough to hold no resentment.”

”I'm just fair-minded enough to be neutral,” declared Jimmie, ”if I have to fight for the right to remain that way. I'm just a little sore at you for supposing that four boys who are citizens of a neutral country would be carrying information around for another country at war!”

”I'm sorry you feel that way,” said Mackinder. ”I a.s.sure you there was nothing personal in my acts. I simply tried to do my best!”

”Well, you did a lot, at that!” returned the lad.

”All right, folks, let's drop the subject,” spoke up Ned. ”I feel that the air in here is getting bad. Suppose we go to the surface.”

”Right you are,” agreed Harry. ”Let's rise and fill the tanks!”

Jimmie, in compliance with this wish, steered the craft upward.

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