Tom Swift and His Undersea Search; Or, the Treasure on the Floor of the Atlantic

by Victor Appleton

  CHAPTER IX

  READY TO START

  Characteristic it was of Tom Swift to act calmly in times of stress anddanger, and he ran true to form now. Only for an instant did he showany sign of perturbation. Then with calmness and deliberation the younginventor quickly did a number of things to the controls within hisreach.

  First of all he signaled to the engine room that he was going to takecharge of the boat. This meant that the navigator in the conning towerwas to keep his hands off the various levers and wheel-valves. It waspossible to operate the M. N. 1 from three positions, but Tom wanted notriplicate handling of his craft now.

  Almost the instant Tom signaled that he would take charge back cameflashing the electrical signal from the conning tower that his orderswere understood. The next thing that those aboard the craft becameaware of was a tremor that seemed to run through the whole under-seaship. The quiet had changed to a subdued humming, and the ominous lackof motion was succeeded by violent vibration.

  "Backing her up, Tom?" asked Ned, in a low voice.

  "Trying to," was the answer. "But I'm afraid her nose has gone inpretty deep. I've reversed the propellers."

  For perhaps a minute this vibration continued, showing that thepowerful electric motors were turning over the twin propellers at theblunt stern of the craft. But she did not change her position.

  With a touch of his hand, and still almost as cool as the proverbialcucumber (though why they should be cool it is hard to say), Tomstopped the motors. Once again the craft was quiet, but now, instead ofthe occupants being able to see clearly from the thick, glass windowsin the forward cabin, the water showed muddy and murky in the glare ofthe underwater searchlight.

  "Bless my postage stamps, Tom! what has happened?" exclaimed Mr. Damon."Has a giant squid attacked us, as one did some time ago, and is heroiling up the water?"

  "No, it isn't a squid, Mr. Damon," replied the young inventor easily;"though the water does look as if a squid had spilled a lot of his inkin it. This is just the effect of mud stirred up by our propellers.There may be more of it."

  Ned looked toward Mr. Hardley to see how he was taking it. The seekerafter gold apparently had good control of his nerves, or else he wasignorant of what was going on. For he asked, casually enough:

  "Have we stopped?"

  "We have," answered Tom. "I thought I'd give you a view of the scenery."

  Perhaps he spoke sarcastically, but, if he did, Mr. Damon's friend didnot seem to be aware of it. Coolly enough he replied:

  "Well, if this is a fair sample of underwater scenery I prefersomething up above, though I appreciate that this may be needful."

  "We'll soon be traveling along," announced Tom. "Koku," he added to thegiant, who had been calmly sitting during the excitement, "go to theengine room and help with the big levers."

  "Yes, Master," was the answer. Koku had implicit faith in Tom.

  Waiting a moment for his faithful servant to reach the post assigned tohim, Tom again signaled to his helpers and then quickly turned a wheelwhich produced startling results. For all within the submarine suddenlyslid forward across the cabin floor.

  "Bless my hammock hooks, Tom! are you standing her on her head?" criedMr. Damon.

  "That's exactly what I'm doing," was the answer. "I've started to emptyone of the after ballast tanks, and that, naturally, raises the sternwhile the nose is held down."

  The submarine was indeed in a peculiar position. She was on a slant inthe water, her nose held fast in the soft mud bank, and it was Tom'sidea that by making the stern buoyant it might help to pull her free.

  To this end he also gave what assistance the propellers were capable ofadding by starting the motors again, so that the craft once moretrembled and vibrated.

  But it all seemed to no purpose. Aside from the slanting position,there was no change in the M. N. 1. Ned, looking out into the murkywater, which had cleared slightly, saw that the craft was still heldfast. And then, for the first time, Mr. Hardley seemed to become awarethat something serious was the matter. Up to now he seemed to thinkthat all that had occurred was done for the purpose of testing thenewly outfitted underseas boat.

  "Is there anything wrong?" he asked sharply of Tom. "Why are we in thisposition, and why don't we go on out to the open ocean and make a testat considerable depth? We'll have to go down deeper than this if wefind the Pandora!"

  "I suppose so," agreed Tom. "But we have had an accident, and--"

  "An accident!" interrupted the gold-seeker, and then Ned saw him turnpale. "Do you mean to say this is not part of the test?"

  "We have run into a mud bank," said Tom. "The steersman must havebecome confused, or else, since we last used the submarine, there hasbeen a shift of the mud banks in this river and one exists where therewas none before. At any rate, we ran our nose deep into it, and here weare--stuck!"

  "Can't we get loose--go up to the surface?" demanded Mr. Hardley.

  "I'm trying to bring that about," announced Tom calmly. "So far herengines haven't been able to pull her loose."

  "But Great Scott, man, we can't stay here!" cried the now excitedadventurer. "We'll be drowned like rats in a trap! Let me out! Isn'tthere some way? I'll be shot through a torpedo tube, if necessary! Imust get out! I can't stay here to be drowned! I have too much atstake!"

  "Now wait a minute!" calmly advised Tom Swift. "You haven't any more atstake than the rest of us. None of us wants to be drowned, and there isonly a remote possibility that we shall be. I haven't played all mycards yet. We can live on this boat for a week, if need be."

  "You mean under water as we are now?" asked Mr. Hardley.

  "Yes. I always keep the boat provisioned and with plenty of air andwater for a long stay, if need be," replied Tom. "And I did notoverlook the fact that we might have an accident on the trial trip."

  "I don't see how you let an accident happen before we even gotstarted," complained the gold-seeker. "I should think your steersmanwould have been more careful."

  "He is very careful," explained Tom. "But we have not used the craftfor some time, and, meanwhile, there have been changes in the river,due, I suppose, to heavy tides. But we may get out of the grip of themud bank soon."

  "And if we don't, what then?" asked Mr. Hardley.

  "Then there is always the torpedo tube," said Tom calmly. "And we arenot very deep down. I think I can save you all."

  "I certainly hope so!" was the fretful comment of the adventurer. "Ihave too much at stake to be drowned like a rat in a trap! You mustsend me up first if it becomes necessary to use the tube."

  Tom did not answer. But as he looked out of the observation windows tosee if possible the conformation of the mud bank, the young inventorwhispered to Ned one word. And that word was:

  "Yellow!"

  "You said it!" was Ned's whispered rejoinder.

  Tom Swift arrived at a sudden determination. Once again the motors werestopped, and the boat gradually assumed an even keel.

  "What are you going to try, Tom?" asked Ned.

  "I'm going to shove her farther into the mud bank," announced the younginventor. "I think that's the only way to get her loose."

  "Bless my apple pie, Tom!" cried Mr. Damon, "doesn't that seem afoolish thing to do?"

  "It's the only thing to do, I believe," was the answer. "This mud is ofa peculiar sticky and holding kind. The sub's nose is in it like a pegin a hole. What I propose to do now is to enlarge the hole, and thenour nose will come loose--I hope."

  "But you haven't any right to shove our nose further in!" cried Mr.Hardley. "I won't allow it! I demand to be put on the surface! I won'tbe drowned down here before I get the gold that's coming to me--thegold and--"

  "Now look here!" suddenly cried Tom. "I'm in command of this boat, andyou'll do as I say. I'll gladly set you on the surface if I can, andthis is the only way it can be brought about--it's the only way to saveall of us. I'm going to enlarge the mud hole so we can pull out. Pleasekeep still!"

  Mr. Hardley stared at
the young inventor a moment, seemed about to saysomething, and then changed his mind.

  "Hold fast, everybody!" suddenly called Tom. The next moment the M. N.1 began behaving in a most peculiar manner.

  She appeared to be acting like a corkscrew. While her bow wascomparatively steady, her stern described a circle in the water whichwas churned to mud by the two propellers, each being revolved in adifferent direction.

  "I'm trying to make the hole bigger just as an amateur carpenter makesa nail hole bigger, so he can pull out the nail, by twisting itaround," explained Tom. "The motion may be a bit unpleasant, but it isneedful."

  And indeed the motion was unpleasant. Tom, veteran airman and sailorthat he was, began to feel a trifle seasick, and Mr. Hardley was invery evident distress.

  Suddenly, however, something happened. The M. N. 1 gave a lurch to oneside and then shot upward so quickly that Ned and Mr. Damon lost theirbalance and slumped over on the bench that ran around three sides ofthe room.

  "Are we free?" cried Mr. Hardley.

  "We have come loose from the mud bank," said Tom quietly. "By boringinto it the hole was enlarged sufficiently to enable us to pull loose.There is no more danger!"

  His announcement was received in momentary silence, and then Nedexclaimed:

  "Hurray!"

  "Bless my accident policy!" voiced Mr. Damon.

  Mr. Hardley appeared dazed, and then, as the submarine was again movingthrough the water, seemingly none the worse for the accident, the goldseeker approached Tom Swift.

  "I want to apologize, Mr. Swift, for my actions and words," said Mr.Hardley frankly. "I admit that I lost my head. But it's my first tripin a submarine."

  "I realize that," said Tom, equally frank, "and we'll forget all aboutit. It was a strain on you--on all of us--though there really was novery great danger. Now, are you game enough to continue the trip?"

  "Try me!" exclaimed the adventurer. "You won't find me acting so like ababy again."

  Nor did he, even when the craft reached the open ocean and went down toa considerable depth, where, had any accident occurred, there wouldhave been grave danger to all. But Mr. Hardley seemed to enjoy it.

  "Maybe I've misjudged him," Tom said to Ned, when they were gettingready to go back.

  "It's possible," agreed the financial manager. This trial, which sonearly ended disastrously, was only one of several. No damage resultedfrom the collision with the river mud bank, and that trip and the onesfollowing gave Tom some new ideas in interior construction which hefollowed out.

  About a month later all was ready for the trip to the West Indies tolook for the ill-fated Pandora. Tom's affairs were put in shape, thesubmarine was laden with stores and provisions, the new diving bell andother wonderful apparatus were put aboard, and the crew and officerspicked. Ned, Mr. Damon, Koku, and Tom were, of course, together, andthough Mr. Hardley was a stranger, he seemed to become more friendly asthe days passed.

  "Well, we start in the morning," said Tom to Ned one evening. "I'mgoing over to tell Mary goodbye."

  "Give her my regards," requested Ned, and Tom said he would.