CHAPTER XI
THE TIGER AT BAY
One day, about mid-afternoon, Bert was going through his duties in amore or less mechanical fashion, for the day had been warm, and he hadbeen on duty since early morning. For several days past, practically nonews of any interest had come in over the invisible aerial pathways, andas he had said to Dick only a short time before, "everything was deaderthan a door nail."
Suddenly, however, the sounder began to click in a most unusual fashion.The clicks were very erratic, quick, and short, and to Bert's experiencedear it was apparent that the person sending the message was in a state ofgreat excitement. He hastily adjusted the clamp that held the receiver tohis ear, and at the first few words of the message his heart leapt withexcitement.
"Tiger broken loose," came the message, in uneven spurts and dashes,"three of crew dead or dying--am shut up in wireless room--beast issniffing at door--help us if you can--" and then followed, latitude andlongitude of the unlucky vessel.
Bert's hand leaped to the sender, and the powerful spark went crashingout from the wires. "Will come at once--keep up courage," he sent, andthen snatched the apparatus off his head and rushed in mad haste to thedeck. Captain Manning was below deck, and Bert communicated the messagehe had just received to the commanding officer at the time.
"Good heavens," ejaculated the first officer, "there's only one thingfor us to do, and that's to go to their aid just as fast as this old tubwill take us."
This was no sooner said than done, and in a few minutes the course ofthe vessel was changed, and she was headed in the direction of thedistressed animal ship, for there could be little doubt that such wasthe nature of the cargo she had on board. It is not such an uncommonthing for a wild animal to break loose during a voyage, but generally itis recaptured with little trouble. Occasionally, however, an especiallyferocious animal will escape, and at the very outset kill or maim themen especially employed to take care of them. Once let this happen, andthe crew has little chance against such an enemy. Nothing much moreterrible could be imagined than such a situation, and such was theplight in which the crew of the animal ship found themselves. They hadmade several vain attempts to trap the big tiger, but at each attemptone of their number had been caught and killed by the ferocious beast,until in a panic they had retreated to the forecastle, taking with themthe first mate, who had been seriously injured by the murderous claws ofthe tiger as they were trying to cast a noose around his neck. Leftwithout management, their ship was at the mercy of wind and wave, withno living creature on deck save the big cat. He had vainly tried tobreak into the men's quarters, and failing in that, had laid siege tothe cabin of the wireless operator. The door of this was fragile,however, and although the desperate man within had piled every articleof furniture in the room against the door, there could be little doubtthat it was but a matter of time when the maddened tiger would make useof his vast strength and burst in the frail barrier.
Such was the situation on board when, as a last resource, the devotedoperator sent out the call for help that Bert had heard. The knowledgethat help was at least on the way gave heart to the imprisoned andalmost despairing man, and he waited for the rescuing ship to arrivewith all the fortitude he could muster.
Meanwhile, on Bert's ship, Captain Manning had been summoned to thebridge, and had immediately ordered full steam ahead. The ship quiveredand groaned as the steam rushed at high pressure into the cylinders,causing the great propellers to turn as though they had been but toys.Great clouds of black smoke poured from the funnel, and the ship forgedahead at a greater speed than her crew had ever supposed her capable ofmaking.
Fast as was their progress, however, it seemed but a crawl to theanxious group gathered on the bridge, and Bert went below to send anencouraging message to the unfortunate operator on the other ship.
Crash! crash! and the powerful current crackled and flashed from thewires.
"Keep up courage," was the message Bert sent, "keep up courage, and wewill get help to you soon. Are about ten knots from you now."
For a few minutes there was no reply, and, when the receiver finallyclicked, Bert could hardly catch the answer, so faint was it.
"The dynamo has stopped," it read, "and batteries are almost exhausted.Heard shouting from the crew's quarters a short time ago, and think thetiger is probably trying to break in there. A--few minutes--more--" buthere the sounder ceased, and Bert, in spite of his frantic efforts, wasunable to get another word, good or bad. Finally, giving the attempt upas hopeless, he made his way to the bridge, where Captain Manning andthe first officer were absorbed over a chart.
"We can't be very far from them now, sir," the latter was saying. "Atthe rate this old boat's going now we ought to sight them pretty soon,don't you think so, sir?"
"We surely should," replied the captain. "But I wonder if Wilson hasheard any more from them. As long as--ah, here you are, eh, Mr. Wilson?What's the latest news from the distressed vessel?"
"Pretty bad, sir," said Bert. "The crew seems to have becomepanic-stricken, including the engine-room force, and they've allowed thedynamo to stop. The wireless man didn't have enough current left fromthe batteries to finish the message he was sending. He did say, though,that the tiger was raising a rumpus up forward, and trying to break intothe men's quarters. I can only hope, sir, that we will not arrive toolate."
"I hope so, indeed," responded Captain Manning, gloomily, "but even ifwe get there before the beast has gotten at them, we'll have our workcut out for us. We have no adequate weapons on board, and we can't hopeto cope with a foe like that barehanded."
"That's very true," said the first officer, scratching his head. "Irather had a feeling that all we had to do was to get there and kill thetiger, but I must confess I hadn't figured out how. However," he added,"I've got a brace of pistols in my cabin, and I suppose you have, too,haven't you, sir?" addressing the captain.
"Oh, of course I have them," said the captain, impatiently, "but they'renot much good in an affair of this kind. What we need is a big gamerifle, and that's something we haven't got. However, I imagine we'll hiton some plan after we get there. Set your wits to work, Mr. Wilson, andsee if you can't figure out a scheme. You have always struck me as beingpretty ingenious."
"Well, I'll do my best, you may be sure of that, sir," replied Bert,"but meanwhile, I guess I'd better go below and see if by any chancethey have got their wireless working again."
"Aye, aye," said the captain, "see what you can do, and I'll see thatyou are informed when we get near the vessel."
Bert did as he had proposed, but could get no response from hisapparatus, and was just giving over the attempt as hopeless when he gota message from the captain that they were close up to the unfortunateship.
Hastily unfastening the "harness" from his head, Bert rushed on deck,and gave a quick look about him. Sure enough, they were close aboard arusty-looking steamer, that drifted aimlessly about, and at first glanceseemed to have no living soul aboard. The deck was untenanted and showedno signs of life, and the silence was unbroken save for an occasionalcry from the caged animals in the hold.
Of the tiger said to be loose on board there was no indication, however,but they soon made out a colored handkerchief waving from one of theportholes that afforded light and ventilation to the "fo'castle."Presently they heard someone shouting to them, but were unable to makeout what was said.
Captain Manning ordered a boat lowered, and carefully picked the menwhom he desired to go in it. When he had chosen almost his full crew,Bert hurried up to him, and said: "I beg your pardon, sir, but I wouldlike to ask you a favor. Do you think you could allow me and my friend,Mr. Trent, to go along? I think we could do our share of what's to bedone, and I feel that I ought to be among the party that goes in aid ofa fellow operator."
At first the captain would not hear of any such proposition, butfinally, by dint of much persuasion, Bert won a reluctant consent.
"All right," grumbled the captain. "If you must, you must, I supp
ose.But hurry up now. Step lively! All hands ready?"
"Aye, aye, sir," sang out the crew, and after a few parting instructionsfrom Captain Manning, the first officer, Mr. Collins, shouted the orderto give way.
The crew bent to their oars with a will, and the heavy boat fairlyleaped through the water at their sturdy strokes. In almost less timethan it takes to tell, the boat was under the porthole from which theyhad first seen the signals, and Mr. Collins was talking in a low voicewith a white-faced man who peered out of the circular opening.
"He almost had us a little time back," said the latter, "but we managedto make enough noise to scare him away for the time. We haven't heardanything of him for quite a while now, but he's hungry, and he'll soonbe back. Heaven help us, then, if you fellows can't do something forus."
"We'll get him, all right, never fear," said Mr. Collins, reassuringly,"but how do you stand now? How many did the beast get before you gotaway from him?"
"He killed the three animal keepers almost at one swipe," said the man,who proved to be the second mate. "Then the captain, as was a brave man,stood up to him with an old gun he used to keep in his cabin, and thebeast crushed his head in before he could get the old thing to work. Itmust have missed fire, I guess. Then the brute started creeping towardus as was on deck, and we made a rush for the fo'castle door. The firstofficer happened to be the last one in, and the tiger just caught hisarm with his claws and ripped it open to the bone. We managed to draghim in and slam the door in the beast's face, though, and then we piledeverything we could lay hand to against the door."
"What did he do then?" inquired Mr. Collins.
"Why, he went ragin' back and made a dive for one of the stokers thatwas up at the engine-room hatchway gettin' a bit of fresh air, and healmost nabbed him. The dago dived below, though, and had sense enough todrop a grating after him. That stopped the cursed brute, and then Idon't know what he did for a while. Just a little while ago, though, asI was tellin' ye, he came sniffin' and scratchin' around the door, andif he made a real hard try he'd get in, sure. Then it 'ud be good-nightfor us. Not one of us would get out of here alive."
"But now that he's left you for a time, why don't you make an attempt totrap or kill him?" inquired Mr. Collins, and there was a little contemptin his tone.
"What, us? Never in a hundred years," replied the man, in a scaredvoice. It was evident that the crew was completely unnerved, and Mr.Collins and his crew realized that if anything was to be done they mustdo it unaided.
"Well, here goes," said he. "We might as well get on that deck firstas last. We'll never get anywhere by sitting here and talking."Accordingly, they clambered up on deck, one by one, led by the firstmate. In a short time they were all safely on deck, and looked around,their hearts beating wildly, for any sign of the ferocious animal. Asfar as any evidences of his presence went, however, the nearest tigermight have been in Africa. There was a deathlike hush over the ship,broken at times by the muffled chattering of the monkeys confined incages below decks.
All the men were armed with the best weapons they were able to obtain,consisting chiefly of heavy iron bars requisitioned from the engine-room.Mr. Curtis, of course, had a pair of heavy revolvers, and both Bert andDick had each a serviceable .45-calibre Colt. These were likely to proveof little avail against such an opponent, however, and more than one ofthe crew wished he were safely back on the deck of his own ship.
Not so Bert and Dick, however, and their eyes danced and sparkled fromexcitement. "Say," whispered Dick in Bert's ear, "talk about theadventures of that fellow you and I were reading about a day or twoago. This promises to outdo anything that _I_ ever heard of."
"It sure does," said Bert, in the same suppressed voice. "I wonder wherethat beast can be hiding himself. This suspense is getting on mynerves."
All the rescuing party felt the same way, but the tiger obstinatelyrefused to put in an appearance. The men started on an exploringexpedition, beginning at the bow and working toward the stern. At everystep they took, the probability of their presently stumbling on theanimal became more imminent, and their nerves were keyed to the breakingpoint.
In this manner they traversed almost two-thirds of the deck, and wereabout to round the end of the long row of staterooms when suddenly,without a moment's warning, the tiger stood before them, not thirty feetaway.
At first he seemed to be surprised, but as the men watched him,fascinated, they could see his cruel yellow eyes gradually change toblack, and hear a low rumble issue from his throat. For a few secondsnot one of them seemed able to move a hand, but then Mr. Curtis yelled,"Now's your time, boys. Empty your revolvers into him, Wilson andCrawford," and suiting the action to the word, he opened fire on thegreat cat.
Bert and Dick did likewise, but in their excitement most of their shotswent wild, and only wounded the now thoroughly infuriated animal.
With a roar that fairly shook the ship the tiger leapt toward the hardygroup. "Back! Back!" shouted Mr. Collins, and they retreated hastily.The tiger just fell short of them, but quickly gathered himself foranother spring, and two of the more faint-hearted seamen started to runtoward the bow. Indeed, it was a situation to daunt the heart of thebravest man, but Bert and the others who retained their self-controlknew that it was now too late to retreat, and their only course,desperate as it seemed, was to stand their ground and subdue the ragingbeast if possible.
The tiger's rage was truly a terrible thing to see. As he stood facingthem, foam dripped from his jaws, and great rumblings issued from histhroat. His tail lashed back and forth viciously, and he began creepingalong the deck toward them.
But now Bert and Dick and the first mate had had a chance, in frantichaste, to load their revolvers, and they gripped the butts of theirweapons in a convulsive grasp. And they had need of all they couldmuster.
Soon the tiger judged he was near enough for a spring, and stopping,gathered his great muscles under him in tense knots. Then he sprangthrough the air like a bolt from a cross-bow, and this time they had nochance to retreat.
As the raging beast landed among them, the men scattered to left andright, and struck out with the heavy iron bars they had brought withthem. They dodged this way and that, evading the tiger's ripping clawsand snapping teeth as best they could, and landing a blow whenever theopportunity offered. They were not to escape unscathed from such anencounter, however, and again and again shouts of pain arose from thoseunable to avoid the raving beast. Bert and Dick waited until the tiger'sattention was concentrated on three of the men who were making aconcerted attack on him, and then, at almost point blank range, emptiedtheir revolvers into the beast's head. At almost the same moment thefirst mate followed suit, and the tiger stopped in his struggles, andstood stupidly wagging his head from side to side, while bloody foamslavered and dripped from his jaws. Then he gradually slumped downon the reddened deck, and finally lay still, with once or twice aconvulsive shiver running over him.
Quickly reloading their revolvers, Bert, Dick, and the first matedelivered another volley at the prostrate beast, so as to take nochances.
Every muscle in the animal's beautiful body relaxed, his great headrolled limply over on to the deck, and it was evident that he was dead.A cheer arose from the men, but their attention was quickly turned tothemselves, and with good reason. Not one of them had escaped a more orless painful wound from the great beast's tearing claws, one or two ofwhich threatened to become serious. Both Bert and Dick had deep, painfulscratches about the arms and shoulders, but they felt glad enough toescape with only these souvenirs of the desperate encounter.
"Well, men," said Mr. Collins, after they had bound up their woundstemporarily, and were limping back toward their boat, "I think we canthank our lucky stars that we got off as easily as we did. When thatfellow jumped for us the second time, I for one never expected to comeout of the mix-up alive."
"I, either," said Bert. "I like excitement about as well as anybody, Iguess, but this job of fighting tigers with nothing but a revolver is alittl
e too rich for me. The next time I try it I'll want to pack acannon along."
"Righto!" said Dick, with a laugh that was a trifle shaky. "But what arewe going to do now? I suppose the first thing is to let those low-livesout of the forecastle and tell 'em we've fixed their tiger for them."
"We might as well," acquiesced Mr. Collins, and they lost no time infollowing out Dick's suggestion. Before they reached the forecastlethey were joined by the two men who had run at the tiger's secondonslaught, and you may be sure they looked thoroughly ashamed ofthemselves. The men who had stood fast realized that reproaches would dono good, however, and they were so exhilarated over their victory, nowthat they began to realize just what they had accomplished, that theywere not inclined to indulge in recriminations. They could come later.
They were about to resume their march to the crew's quarters when Dickhappened to notice that Bert was missing. The men all started out insearch of him, but their anxiety was soon relieved by seeing Bertreturn accompanied by a man whom he presently introduced to them asthe wireless operator. The latter was profuse in his expressions ofgratitude, but Bert refused point blank to listen to him.
"It's no more than you would have done for us, if you had had thechance," he said, "therefore, thanks are entirely out of order."
"Not a bit of it," persisted the other, warmly. "It was a mighty finething for you fellows to do, and, believe me, I, for one, will neverforget it."
By now they were in front of the fo'castle, and shouted out to the menwithin that they could come out with safety. There was a great noise ofobjects within being pulled away from the door, and then the crew of theanimal ship emerged in a rather sheepish manner, for they realized thatthey had not played a very heroic part. However, they had had verylittle in the way of weapons, and perhaps their conduct might bepalliated by this fact.
Two of them immediately set to work skinning the tiger, and meantime thewounded first mate of the animal ship expressed his thanks and thatof the crew to Mr. Collins. Then the limping, smarting little bandclambered over the side and into their waiting boat. The row back to theship seemed to consume an age, but you may be sure that the two sailorswho had escaped the conflict were now forced to do most of the hardwork, and they did not even attempt to object, no doubt realizing thehopelessness of such a course.
They reached their ship at last, however, and were greeted with praisefrom the passengers on account of their bravery, and sympathy over theirmany and painful wounds.
After Mr. Collins had made his report to the captain, the latter shookhis head gravely. "Perhaps I did wrong in letting you undertake such atask," he said, "but I don't know what else we could have done. Heavenknows how long it would have taken any other vessel to get here, andafter they arrived they might not have had any greater facilities formeeting such a situation than we had. But I'm very glad we got out ofthe predicament without actual loss of life."
"We were very fortunate, indeed," agreed Mr. Collins, and here theydropped the subject, for among men who habitually followed a dangerouscalling even such an adventure as this does not seem such a very unusualoccurrence.
Bert was not so seriously wounded as to make it impossible to resume hisduties, however, and after a few days his wounds gave him no furthertrouble. Needless to say, the remembrance of the desperate adventurenever entirely left his mind to the end of his life, and for weeksafterward he would wake from a troubled sleep seeing again in hisimagination the infuriated tiger as it had looked when leaping at thedevoted group.
Bert Wilson, Wireless Operator Page 11