Part 27 (1/2)

”I guess we're lucky, after all!” he stated presently. ”We're not taking in water, so I'm sure they didn't do very much damage.”

”It might have been more serious, though!” commented Jack.

”Maybe the shot just carried away some of the light work like railings and so on around the deck. I don't think the shot struck the hull, or we'd have heard more racket,” went on Ned.

”Let's keep below the surface for a while. Maybe we can get away from those fellows far enough to be out of their sight while we change air.

They're not the least bit sociable!”

”Full speed ahead, Harry!” cried Frank. ”Let's hurry on!”

”Better take it easy,” cautioned Jimmie. ”We may not be out of the woods yet. Let's just go along slowly for a while.”

”Aw, go on!” scorned Frank. ”What's there out here to bother?”

”Sure!” chimed in Jack. ”We're away out in the North Sea where we can find nothing but wars.h.i.+ps and sailing vessels and such!”

”Maybe we might run into the real 'U-13',” countered Jimmie. ”Then, what would you do if you should meet that fellow?”

”Why, put on steam and run away from him, of course!”

”All right, go ahead if you want to,” submitted Jimmie unwillingly, ”but I don't think it wise. It's taking considerable risk!”

Since the majority seemed to be in favor of more speed, the engines were again urged to greater effort. Suddenly all were startled by a cry from Jimmie. The boat swerved sharply to starboard, rolling until the deck was at an acute angle. Harry reached for the levers, prepared to stand by the engines for orders from the pilot.

Directly Jimmie rang a stop bell. The vessel came again to an even keel.

The boys were once more able to stand upright.

”What's the matter, Jimmie?” cried Ned, as he scrambled to his feet. ”Is it a whale, or did you nearly have a collision?”

”Collision is exactly the word!” declared the other. ”I saw the masts of a s.h.i.+p standing right in our path. I got this little craft turned just in time! That's what we get for blundering along so fast!”

”What kind of a s.h.i.+p is it?” asked Frank, peering from one porthole after another. ”Are you sure it was the mast of a vessel?”

”Why, certainly, I am sure!” was Jimmie's decisive answer. ”Don't I know a s.h.i.+p's masts? I surely do!” the lad answered his own question.

”Let's swing around and see what it was,” proposed Frank.

”All right, turn the deflecting rudders and down we go!”

Swinging in a broad circle, the submarine was directed downward to a level equal with that of the hull of the s.h.i.+p, whose masts had so nearly proven disastrous to the boys. As the craft sank deeper the crew watched with a great deal of curiosity from the thick gla.s.ses over the portholes.

Carefully they studied every detail of rig.

Although the suns.h.i.+ne penetrated to some distance below the surface, they found that at the depth where the hull lay a semi-twilight prevailed. The upper portions of the masts had been clearly visible, but the decks lay in a haze that prevented their seeing well.

”Looks like the s.h.i.+p is almost new!” stated Frank.

”Possibly it has been sunk only a short time,” ventured Jack.