Part 26 (1/2)

”Of course, they've seen it, but if we show a white flag they won't do anything to us. They'll let us ask questions!”

In answer to this statement, a shot echoed across the water. A ball striking the crest of a wave sent a cloud of spray over the ”U-13.”

CHAPTER XVI

A STRANGE DISCOVERY

”Get down that hatchway!” ordered Ned, wiping the spray from his face.

”Those fellows see the name 'U-13'!”

”Won't they observe the white flag if we put it up?” asked Jack.

”I don't believe they will!” Ned stated. ”Better get below!”

As if to emphasize the boy's opinion another report echoed over the s.p.a.ce of water separating the battles.h.i.+p from the new ”U-13.”

This time the sh.e.l.l had been aimed a trifle too high. It went directly over the lads on the diminutive deck. Instinctively they all ducked their heads as the missile screamed wickedly in its useless flight.

If anything was needed to decide the matter, this last offering seemed to serve the purpose. All three lads hastened down the ladder without further parley. Ned lingered a moment to close the hatch.

”Hang onto your hats!” cried Jimmie the next instant.

”Let's get down quick!” urged Jack. ”Those fellows up there seem to mean business. My stars!” he added breathlessly, ”that last one was certainly a beauty! They are getting the range, too!”

Already Harry had started the pumps, filling the ballast tanks with water to a.s.sist the ”U-13” in the evolution of the dive. The rudders were deflected to their extreme range. With decks inclined to an alarming angle, the submarine fled toward the bottom like a hunted creature. Until the gauges showed a depth of twelve fathoms, Jimmie held the levers in position. Then he brought the craft to an even keel.

”It's plain to be seen that we'll not get much help from any s.h.i.+p on the North Sea!” declared Jack at length, as the ballast tanks were found to trim the vessel. ”They're scared of us, I believe!”

”They haven't any reason to be scared of us!” stoutly protested Jimmie.

”We have never done a thing to them. We're absolutely neutral!”

”It seems to be one thing to be neutral,” laughed Ned, ”and quite another thing to convince other folks of the fact!”

”They might at least have given us a chance to explain!” grumbled Jimmie.

”We had a white flag flying for them to see!”

”Yes,” argued Ned, ”but did you stop to think that we were showing ourselves in a bad light? Remember the newspaper accounts of all the damage done by a submarine? I'm not surprised they ran away.”

”And then we come along in a submarine! Of course, we couldn't expect them to wait for a German undersea craft to come popping out of the ocean and waltz up alongside so they could say: 'Good morning, Mr. Dutchman!

Won't you please accept this fine s.h.i.+p?'” added Jack.

”Well, I'm it!” declared Jimmie, joining in the laugh that followed Jack's facetious remark. ”The joke's on me, all right! If I hadn't painted that figure 'three' in the name, we would have been on our way to England by this time! Oh, well,” the boy added, ”we'll get to England before long, anyhow, so I should worry!”

”It all shows, boys,” spoke up Ned, ”that we've got to be mighty careful about our appearance and the company we keep. We have gotten into this sc.r.a.pe largely because we were found in possession of goods we had no business to have. This last incident came about because we pretended to be something we were not!”

”I think that ought to be a good lesson to us,” stated Jimmie. ”It will be for me, I know! I'm sure I'll take it to heart!”