Fighting Byng: A Novel of Mystery, Intrigue and Adventure

by A. Stone

  CHAPTER XXV

  When I got in touch with Washington I was told that the matter I hadin hand became unexpectedly, stupendously important, in fact, so vitalI was urged to use the utmost care, but to rush as fast as possible.The importance of the Canby girl as a witness was realized and she wasguarded every moment by one of unquestioned loyalty and discretion,and plenty of khaki that seemed accidental.

  This pleased me immensely, for more than one reason. But the otherinformation was not so reassuring. Ramund and the manager had beenadmitted to bail in the sum of a hundred thousand dollars each. Rashand risky conduct could be looked for on the part of the Boches and Imust not underestimate their resourcefulness. Though yet unpublished,it was known that Bernstorff had deflorated and daily ravisheddiplomatic virginity in a most brutal and conscienceless manner sotruly Hun.

  I informed them a private party had hold of the wreck, that throughhim I had in my possession twenty-four bodies, together with a mass ofevidence and asked for some kind of an armed vessel to protectHoward's ambitious efforts to float and bring in intact. They saidthey would do the best they could, every available vessel having beensent to fight submarines.

  I returned to the wrecking operations at the Tortugas doubtful ofimmediate protection.

  Howard was on watch and very glad to see me, and delighted that theGovernment, too, was watching little Jim.

  "Have you been up all night?" he asked anxiously.

  "Yes."

  "I'll have Don get breakfast; then you sleep. We will get everythingready. I want to go down to make one more careful examination of thewreck in order to finally decide on a plan of action, but I believe Ihave figured it out during the night."

  "Breakfast, yes. Sleep I can do without until to-night." I did nottell him about the necessity of haste.

  After breakfast he went down and remained two hours. He had scarcelydiscarded his diving suit before I saw he was jubilant.

  "Wood,--I believe now it's only a case of making pump connections tothe freight hold and get the water out of there first. I stillbelieve, if we pump out the submerging tanks after that, she has gotto come to the top even if the engine-room and crew's quarters aft areinjured," he said enthusiastically.

  "How do you know the submerging tanks are intact and water tight?"

  "Can't find a trace of anything wrong I cannot fix with littletrouble."

  I knew it was not an amateur talking. He had been able to do anythingwith machinery of a hydraulic nature, his paper-mill experience beinglargely along that line. Besides, he had spent the last fifteen yearsin and about the water with practical knowledge of marine machineryand pumps.

  He rested a short while and went down, this time with tools he thoughthe needed, and in another two hours the full engine force of the_Anti-Kaiser_ was drawing the water out of the freight hold. Howarddescended repeatedly to see that it continued to work properly.

  Scotty stood watch continuously during the day, scanning every sail orsmoke that came within range of his glasses. We all prayed for goodweather. A storm such as they have in the Gulf occasionally would bevery bad, but that was a risk we had to take.

  Howard induced a big sponger, a friend of his, to bring supplies ofall sorts. After twenty-four hours of steady pumping the hold wascleared. Howard said the wreck had righted itself slightly.

  During this time Don and I disposed of the Hun bodies a long way fromthe scene of our operations, for obvious reasons.

  Then came the more delicate work of pumping out the submerging tanksof the wreck. If this could not be done our work would fail, butHoward was confident and labored almost like a superman. He said hewas now as familiar with the engine-room of the sunken sub as the manwho made it, and was certain. It took six hours to get satisfactoryconnections and again the pumps were started.

  After pumping three hours on the submerging tanks, Howard dived again,tremendously anxious. He remained below some time before coming up,clearly disappointed. The pumping so far had failed to show theslightest results.

  "It's got to come, Wood; it's got to come; but, damn it, it don'tcome," he fumed, speeding up the pumps to the last ounce of the_Anti-Kaiser's_ powerful engines.

  "Hit it for three hours more, then you can tell better. We may expectresults too soon," seeing the canker of doubt at work. He realizedfully what a failure meant, stupendous service to his country, hisfortune and the opportunity to resume the name of Howard Byng, andplace little Jim right before the world, all hung in the balance. Whocould have stood such a strain and retained power of judgment or evensanity.

  I watched him closely the next three hours. The pangs of hell couldhave gripped no man harder. He stood by the pumps and enginescompelling by sheer force of will the last atom of effort in thecombination of steel, brass and fuel.

  Then he donned the diving suit somewhat as a man going to hisexecution, but hoping for a reprieve at the last moment, though withmagnificent will he continued to lash the straining pumps, and theyseemed to actually speed up under the fierce compelling gaze, as hewent over the side to go down to pronounce his own doom.

  He had been on the bottom but a short time when he signaled to "haulup." I will agree while we were doing so were anxious moments; we werenot to remain in doubt long. Even before he could get his suit off hewaved his arms, and I knew he was again Howard Byng, resourceful,successful, exultant.

  He almost tore off the diving suit after I unfastened it. Scotty andDon sensed excitement and all crowded about him.

  "She's coming--she's coming," he shouted; "her bow is now three feetfrom the bottom and her stern is almost clear. She's ours! She's ours!She must have a heavier line fastened to her bow or the tide willcarry her away enough to break our pump connections," he addedbreathlessly. "She is ours, boys; the Hun is ours! The world is ours!"he again shouted, the strain ending in delirious joy. Then, running tothe bow of the _Anti-Kaiser_, he grabbed the end of a two-inch hawser,scorned the diving suit, and went over the side like a porpoise or asea-lion into its natural element.

  I paid out the line to him. In a moment more he had made it fast tothe bow of the Boche sub, and was coming rapidly up the line hand overhand, like an orang-outang.