He got no answer through the dark from his brother. He called anxiously.
‘Hal, are you there?’
Hal, who had been bruised when flung against the gunwales, replied rather weakly, ‘Yes, I’m here. But I came near leaving you for good.’
‘Tie up again,’ warned Dr Dan. ‘There’s more to come.’
The following waves were smaller but just as hot. They scalded the skin and made the men choke and gasp for breath.
Then something solid struck Roger in the face. He grabbed it. It-lay limp in his hands.
‘Now they’re throwing fishes at us,’ he called.
‘Yes,’ answered Dr Dan. ‘I’ve had several of them. Hang on to them. We’ll cook them for breakfast.’
‘But why are they coming aboard?’
‘They’re paralysed by the heat. It makes them float to the surface. This would be a wonderful place for a fleet of fishing schooners just now. They could get thousands of tons of fish with no trouble at all. Do you hear the birds?’
The air was full of the scream of gulls and terns as they wheeled about over the dark waters.
‘They’ve come to pick up the fish. But it’s a dangerous place for birds, too. I think they are going to be sorry that they were so greedy.’
The sky was turning from black to blue. As the dawn came a strange scene was revealed to the men on the Lively Lady. The giant of steam, gas, smoke and flying lava towered to the sky. It was made up of rolling billows and puffy pillows like a thunder cloud, but whoever saw a thunder cloud standing on the water and rising two miles high? Its hair was braided with snaky shafts of lightning and thunder rolled down its sides.
The sea was not made of waves as the sea should be. It was humping and jumping, sending up hills of water with sharp peaks. Steam drifted from the peaks. The whole sea was bubbling with the escape of gases-from beneath. Geysers of gas and steam shot up here and there.
Not far away a big whirlpool swept round and round. A wall of water circled it and at its centre was a deep hole. If a ship as small as the Lively Lady got caught in that whirl it would go straight down to Davy Jones’ Locker.
‘I never saw so many fish in my life,’ exclaimed Roger. On every side were the upturned white bellies of fish that had given up their fight for life in the scalding water. Most of them were small, a foot or two in length.
‘The small ones feel it first,’ said Dr Dan. ‘The big fellows can stand it a while longer. There’s one now.’
A great shark that must have been twenty feet long raced through the water gulping down dozens of fish. Presently the boys sighted another shark, and then another. Their huge jaws opened and their teeth as big as spearheads crunched a dozen fish, at a time. Blood stained the water, attracting more sharks.
‘I hope we don’t get dumped into that sea,’ said Hal fervently. ‘I’m willing to let the sharks have It all to themselves.’
But the sharks were not left to enjoy their breakfast alone. Thousands of birds sought to seize the fish before the sharks could get them. Petrels, terns, gannets, gulls, kittiwakes, wheeled and screamed and boldly plucked their breakfast, even from the open jaws of sharks. They were all wildly excited.
Very calm by contrast was a great albatross with a wing span of seven feet that glided smoothly down, plucked up a fish in its great curved beak, and soared up again without bothering to flap its wings. The smaller birds scattered quickly out of its way. ‘And what’s that big black one?’ Roger asked. ‘A man-of-war bird,’ said Dr Dan. ‘Isn’t he a whopper? He must be ten feet across. See what he’s doing!’
The man-of-war bird did not bother to go to the sea for his breakfast. He snatched it from the beaks of the smaller birds. He went around like a tax collector demanding payment from every bird that came near him with a fish in its mouth. The gulls scolded and the petrels whined, but it did no good.
One saucy tern hung on to its fish tightly when the man-of-war tried to tear it from its beak. The big bird had an answer for that one and calmly gulped down both the fish and the tern.
The man-of-war had another strange trick. He seized a gannet that had already swallowed its fish and squeezed the smaller bird so hard that the fish popped out. Then he made a swift lunge and caught the fish before it reached the water. Then with a flirt of his tail he pursued a petrel. But it
was a thin petrel and the big bird evidently decided that it contained no fish; he turned away and chased a plump kittiwake, caught and squeezed it, and got another fish.
‘How mean can you get!’ said Roger.
The sun came up like a red ball of fire in the smoky sky. Dr Dan was using his binoculars.
‘The Kaiyo Maru!’ he said.
Within an hour the Japanese ship had arrived. She did not draw close to the Lively Lady, for the tossing sea might have crashed the two ships together. But there were friendly waves and shouts between the two vessels, then the Kaiyo Maru steamed closer to the eruption.
‘What are they going to do?’ asked Roger.
‘Make a survey. You see, that ship belongs to the Hydrographic Office in Tokyo. You understand what that means?’
‘Not quite,’ admitted Roger.
‘ ‘Hydro’ means water and ‘graphic’ means to write. It’s the business of a hydrographic office to write down information concerning the waters - oceans, lakes, rivers. The charts Captain Ike is using were made by the U.S. Hydrographic Office. The Japanese make similar charts and when a new island appears they have to send out scientists to measure it. They find out how long it is, how wide it is, how high it is, how deep the sea is around it and so forth. All this information will appear on the next chart that is printed. Ships’ captains wouldn’t dare sail without these charts - so you see how important the work of the hydrographers is.’
‘I don’t see any new island.’
It’s hard to see because of the smoke. Take these binoculars and look Just at the foot of the cloud. Now can you make it out?’
‘Oh, that big black thing! I thought that was a cloud. Why, it must be a mile or two long. And a couple hundred feet high.’
‘And growing every minute,’ put in Dr Dan. ‘And a week ago there wasn’t anything there but water. Captain, suppose we sail around the island.’
‘Okay,’ said Captain Ike, ‘provided we keep at a respectable distance. I’m not hankerin’ to lose my ship.’
It was a strange passage as the Lively Lady sailed through a sea of floating fish and the clouds of screaming birds.
Most spectacular were the leaps of the makos. The mako is the greatest jumper of all sharks. Catching sight of fish on the surface, they would come up from the deeps at terrific speed, snatch their food and, unable to stop, would shoot ten or fifteen feet into the air. Then they would come down with a heavy splash and disappear.
One shot up so close to the ship that when he fell he nearly struck Roger who was standing at the rail. Roger jumped back just in time. The big shark smashed the rail to smithereens, then fell into the sea.
Hundreds of birds, too full to swallow anything more, perched on the masts and rigging and on the upper edges of the sails and whined mournfully at the sight of so much food that they were unable to eat.
A changing wind made the gigantic column lean over the ship. Ashes and cinders began to shower down upon
the deck. Many of them were burning hot and started small fires which the men quickly put out.
Captain Ike came back to speak to Dr Dan. The captain’s face was drawn and anxious.
‘Doc, how soon can we get out of here? I don’t like this a bit.’
Dr Dan looked up from his instruments and notes. ‘I’d like to watch this a while longer. It’s very interesting.’
‘Interesting my hat!’ grumbled Captain Ike as he went forward. He could not understand the scientific man’s passion for acquiring knowledge about the strange forces of nature.
The wind carried the smoke over the ship and the sun was obscured. It grew as dark as evening although i
t was not yet noon. The gases that were mixed in with the smoke and steam made the men choke and cough. The birds flying above were overcome by the gas and began to fall in showers upon the deck.
Through the half-dark could be seen the Kaiyo Maru sailing close to the volcanic island. Then a cloud of steam and smoke hid it from view.
Suddenly the sea began to shake violently and the ship trembled and bounced.
‘Earthquake,’ said Dr Dan. There was a rumbling sound that steadily grew louder. It was like the roll of drums in a great orchestra. It became deafening and Roger clapped his hands over his ears.
Up it seemed to come from the centre of the earth, up, up, rolling louder and louder, until it ended in a gigantic crash that seemed as if it must be enough to blow the world apart.
A monstrous fountain of fire burst up out of the sea and climbed up into the cloud. A blast of hot air struck the ship and heeled her so far over that her starboard rail was under water. The men clung like monkeys to the rigging. The ship righted herself with difficulty.
‘Point her up!’ Dr Dan shouted to the captain. ‘Tidal wave coming.’
Such an eruption was bound to start a tremendous wave. It would have to be faced head-on. The Kaiyo Maru, closer to the volcano, would feel it first.
Dr Dan strained his eyes to catch sight of the other ship. Billows of steam rolled aside and he saw it, wallowing in a bad sea. The ship was broadside to the volcano. She was evidently trying to come around to point in, but would she have time to make it before the big wave arrived?
‘I’m afraid that ship is in for trouble,’ Dr Dan said. ‘There comes the wave.’
Even without binoculars Hal and Roger could see it -a towering bank of solid water rushing from the eruption towards the Kaiyo Maru. It buried the ship completely out of sight, then came tearing on to do the same for the Lively Lady.
But by the time it arrived it had lost part of its power and the little ship had turned and was ready to take it head-on. The men had lashed themselves fast. They took a long breath as the water thundered down upon them, for it was the last breathing they would be able to do for awhile. They were under twenty feet of water. This was deep-sea diving without any of its pleasures. They felt the water tearing past them, trying to wrench them from their fastenings.
Dead birds that had been lying on the deck were picked up by the flood and flung in their faces.
It was the longest sixty seconds they had ever known before the little ship came up like a submarine and rode on the surface once more.
Dr Dan’s first thought was for the Kaiyo Maru.
‘There she is!’ he cried. ‘Bottom up. Captain…’
But Captain Ike did not need to be told to go to the rescue. He had already had the Lively Lady moving towards the wreck. Only the upside-down keel of the Kaiyo Maru could be seen. As they came nearer they could see bits of wreckage floating in the water with a few men clinging to them.
But only a few. Where were all the rest? There had been a crew of twenty-two, and nine in the scientific staff. Most of them must be imprisoned inside the ship.
Another big wave, smaller than the first, rolled in. When it had gone by there were still fewer men clinging to wreckage. Would the Lively Lady be in time to save anyone?
The great blast of fire had started hurricane winds. They came straight for the Lively Lady as if determined to prevent her work of rescue.
The Japanese ship was settling lower and lower. Finally it disappeared beneath the waves carrying its prisoners with it.
Now only one man could be seen, clinging to a spar.
The tumbling waves dashed him here and there, but he hung on. The Lively Lady hauled in close to him. A line was flung, but failed to reach.
Before it could be thrown again, the wind picked up the Lively Lady and tossed her back on her haunches, then spun her round and carried her swiftly out to sea. So lightly did it spin her along that she might have been a chip instead of a ship. In vain did Captain Ike try to bring the helm around. Nothing that man could do was equal to the strength of the hurricane.
Not till they were far out to sea did the wind suddenly drop; then a dead calm succeeded it.
‘Shall we go back after that man?’ Hal asked.
‘No use,’ said Dr Dan. ‘I saw him go under just as the wind struck.’
The tragedy weighed heavily upon their hearts. How sadly the news would be received in Tokyo. But a message must be sent, and Dr Dan sent it.
From Tokyo it was relayed to the hydrographic offices of other nations. So it happened that some weeks later the following notice appeared in the U.S. Hydrographic Bulletin:
KAIYO MARU
The Hydrographer notes with deep regret the sinking of the Japanese Hydrographic Office survey vessel Kaiyo Maru, with the loss of all on board.
The Kaiyo Maru had been dispatched to survey the newly-discovered Myojin Reef which had appeared as a result of a volcanic explosion. In addition to her regular complement of twenty-two,
under the command of Capt Harukichi, she carried nine scientists, including Dr Risaburo Tayama, Chief of the Surveying Section; Mr Terutoshi Nak-amiya, Chief of the Oceanographic Section; Mr Minoru Tsuchiya, Assistant Chief of the Surveying Section; and Dr Kiyosuke Kawada, Assistant Professor of Tokyo Education University. Aside from a few pieces of wreckage, no trace of the vessel has been found. It is presumed that volcanic action contributed to the loss of the ship.
The Hydrographer expresses the condolence of the United States Navy Hydrographic Office to the Japanese Hydrographic Office and the families of the men who gave their lives in the advancement of science and marine safety. In this disaster, the maritime world has suffered a severe loss.
The notice was boxed within a heavy black line. That black border meant sympathy, the sympathy one man has for another, no matter whether they be of the same nationality or the same race. For men of science the world around know only one race - the race to learn the facts of the universe, and they will let no danger stop them in their quest for truth.
Chapter 11
Diving to the lost island
‘Who would have thought there could be so many volcanoes under the ocean?’
Hal was perched in the crow’s-nest with Dr Dan. From this point high up the foremast of the Lively Lady they could see spurts of steam rising from the sea. They looked like the spoutings of whales but really came from underwater craters. There was a constant rumbling sound and the smell of sulphur. Rocky islands dotted the ocean.
They are called the Volcano Islands,’ Dr Dan said. ‘You can’t see some of them because they are under the surface. We are sailing over an island right now.’
‘Sailing over an island!’
‘Yes. It poked its head above the waves in November 1904. It was a rocky island with a circumference of two miles and had a fine pumice-stone beach. These islands were Japanese at that time and Japan was very proud of her new island. But it lasted for only two years, then
sank out of sight.’
‘See that smoke on the horizon ahead? Perhaps it’s a steamer.’
‘No, I think it’s another volcano. Its name is Uracas. While some islands are sinking, that one is rising. It’s already more than a thousand feet high and still growing.’
They did not reach Uracas until late at night. The boys tumbled out of their bunks and came on deck to look at it.
Ashes were showering down on the deck. The ship was trembling from the shock of the explosions. Uracas was a thousand feet of fire, topped by a column of smoke that went up several thousand feet more.
The mountain wore a white-hot coat of flowing lava that sizzled and roared as it struck the sea. The illuminated mountain lit up the sea for miles.
The volcano was shaped just as one would imagine a volcano should be, tapering steeply up to the crater. Its perfect toboggan-slopes were kept smooth and straight by the frequent flow of lava and ashes.
Roger was puzzled. ‘What’s that at the top - snow?’
&
nbsp; It did look as if the volcano were wearing a cap of snow. ‘White sulphur,’ said Dr Dan.
The streams of blazing lava ran down over the white cap and then over the coal-black cinder slopes to the sea. The steam that rose when the lava struck the water glowed with the light from the blazing stream so that the whole volcano seemed to be floating on a bed of fire.
The glowing column of smoke turned and twisted like the tongue of a great dragon licking the night sky. Every few minutes another explosion came, throwing up fiery gobs of lava and burning ashes into the cloud.
‘Sea captains call it the lighthouse of the Pacific,’ Dr Dan said. ‘They use it to check their bearings. It can be seen more than a hundred miles away - its column of smoke by day and its pillar of fire by night. Have you ever heard of Stromboli? It’s called the lighthouse of the Mediterranean. It stands in the sea near Naples and throws up blazing lava every ten minutes. Ships find it very useful to guide them to the port of Naples. Uracas is just like it.’
Again, a few days later, Dr Dan announced that the ship was sailing over a sunken island.
‘it was called Victoria Island,’ he said, ‘in honour of Queen Victoria. It became part of the British Empire. A man named Marsters landed on the island with a gang of men to gather guano, bird droppings, valuable as fertilizer. They went away with a heavily loaded ship. A year later they came back but they couldn’t find their island. They sailed right over the position of the island as we are doing now. They thought something must be the matter with their reckoning, so they searched the sea in
every direction for a hundred miles. It was no use. Mr Marsters was very sad about it because the guano on that island was worth thousands of pounds. Perhaps some day it will come up again and the first man to get there may make a fortune.’
‘I’d like to go down and take a look at a sunken island,’ said Hal.
‘Well, that’s just what we’re going to do tomorrow morning, when we get to Jack-in-the-Box.’
‘Why do they call it Jack-in-the-Box?’
‘Because it pops up and down. Its proper name is Falcon Island because it was discovered by the British warship Falcon in 1865. A lively volcano kept spouting lava and rocks until it had formed an island three miles long. Since it was near the Tonga Islands the King of Tonga claimed it and the Tongans danced all night in honour of the new island that the god of the sea had given them. Soon after that it disappeared.’
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