The Stolen Cruiser

by Percy F. Westerman

  CHAPTER XXIII

  FORESTALLED

  "STEADY on your helm!" exclaimed Drake. "There's a man in thewater--two, by Jove!"

  The _Mosquito_ was moving slowly under the action of her aerialpropeller towards the scene of the catastrophe. The lieutenantdecided to make a search for any possible survivors, then take theboats of the _Cerberus_ back to their parent. Should there be anymembers of the pirate crew still alive they might be able to givevaluable information respecting the fate of Fielding and Cardyke--and here they were: two scorched and blackened men, clinging in ahalf-dazed manner to a fragment of wreckage.

  "Steady on your helm," repeated Drake. "Stand by with a boathook,there. Well done, Jenkins!"

  HE STRUGGLED DESPERATELY TO THROW HIMSELF ONCE MOREINTO THE SEA. [_Page_ 267]

  Jenkins by a dexterous movement succeeded in lifting one of thesurvivors on board--a man almost destitute of clothing, and withouthair left on his head. It was Da Silva.

  The Spaniard was just able to realise that he was in the hands of hisfoes. He struggled desperately to throw himself once more into thesea. The effort was too much for his weakened energies, and, utteringa malediction, he expired in the arms of his rescuer.

  The second pirate was one of the ordinary seamen, a massive-framedCatalonian, who, having an inkling of Cervillo's desperate resolve,had jumped overboard a few seconds before the explosion took place.Ere he regained the surface the worst of the disaster was past, butthe concussion temporarily deprived him of his senses. At length,practically blind and deaf, he struck out feebly until his handsencountered the piece of floating wreckage. Here he clung tillrescued by the crew of the _Mosquito_.

  In vain Drake cruised over the fatal scene in search of moresurvivors. There were none. "Easy ahead," he ordered, and the littlecraft headed towards the boats, whose crews, now recovering from theeffects of the terrible detonation, were proceeding to pull back tothe _Cerberus_.

  "Any casualties?" asked Drake, anxiously.

  "None, thank Heaven," replied Lieutenant Thompson, who was in chargeof the expedition. "All pretty well shaken up though, by Jove!"

  "Stand by for a tow," continued Drake, and a minute later the boatswere sedately following the _Mosquito_.

  "One survivor, sir," replied Drake as he came alongside the scout."He's pretty bad; but we can question him later. He's only fit forthe sick-bay at present."

  "That rascal Cervillo has saved us a nasty job," remarked thecaptain. "But what's become of the _Impregnable_, I wonder?"

  "We'll find out later, sir," replied Drake, confidently. "This rascalwill be glad to save his hide."

  The _Mosquito_ was soon hoisted on board. Signals of recall were sentto the other aero-hydroplanes, and within half-an-hour the littlecraft were snugly housed on the deck of their parent ship. For thepresent there was nothing to be done; everything depended upon theinformation that might be forthcoming from the rescued pirate. Untilthis was obtained the captain of the _Cerberus_ refrained fromannouncing by wireless the destruction of Cervillo and his rascallycompanions, otherwise there might be an unwelcome order to rejoin thecommodore, or else return to port.

  At length the pirate recovered sufficiently to be questioned. Forsome time he stubbornly refused to speak, until it was pointed out tohim that it would be a decided point in his favour at the trial thatwas bound to ensue should he give all the information in his power.Then it was that he related the circumstances of the abandoning ofthe pirate-cruiser with the greater portion of the crew and thehostages still on board.

  The Spaniard was quite unable to give the position of the cruiserwhen the _Serena_ steamed away. All he could give was the number ofdays that had elapsed and the yacht's rate of speed.

  Promptly the _Cerberus_ headed northwards on the look-out for thestolen cruiser, and Drake obtained his commanding officer'spermission to take out the four aero-hydroplanes for reconnoitringpurposes at day break on the following morning.

  "I've had permission, Thompson!" he exclaimed, gleefully. "I feelconfident that I'll pick up Fielding and young Cardyke before anothertwelve hours are up. If I don't capture the old _Impregnable_ I'lleat my----"

  "Steady, old man," remonstrated Thompson. "Remember you're alreadypledged to eat one. Don't forget the cricket match."

  Long before the bos'un's mate's whistle piped "Clear lower deck" thefour aerial craft were spreading fanwise in a northerly direction insearch of the elusive _Impregnable_; but although a wide "field" waskept under the closest observation, and constant messages wereexchanged between the _Mosquito_ and her consorts, the operationswere futile. Shortly after midday the aero-hydroplanes were recalledin order to recharge accumulators and replenish petrol tanks, andalso to give the wearied though enthusiastic men a well-earned rest.

  But Drake and slumber were not good messmates when work was to bedone. Something kept on prompting him to persevere with his quest;the self-confidence that was so characteristic of his personalityurged him on--to him was to be the honour of solving the mystery ofthe missing cruiser.

  In answer to Drake's earnest representations the captain of the_Cerberus_ consented to another flight with the aero-hydroplanes thatevening, on the understanding that volunteers only should be taken tocomprise the crews of the aerial scouts.

  "I can rely upon enough men to make one crew at least, sir," repliedDrake; but to his astonishment and immense satisfaction not only didevery member of the complements of the four aero-hydroplanes signifytheir willingness to forgo their "stand-easy," but every seaman onboard qualified as airmen literally clamoured to take part in thesearch.

  Just before three bells in the second dog-watch (7.30 p.m.) the_Mosquito_ was hoisted out; the _Gnat_, _Tse-tse_, and _Flea_followed in quick succession, and, rising gracefully from thesurface, glided on their renewed quest.

  Anxiously Drake scanned the horizon. Nothing except a waste of greywater, flicked here and there by white foam, was to be seen. The sun,low in the heavens, shone from a cloudless sky. There was everyindication of a spell of fine but cold weather.

  Five miles on the _Mosquito's_ port hand the _Gnat_ was flyingsteadily at an immense height, the other two aerial craft being aconsiderable distance on the _Mosquito's_ starboard quarter. Ifanything, Drake's craft was well in advance of the rest of the littleflotilla. With monotonous regularity the wireless reported "Nothingin sight" till the sun was on the point of setting.

  "There she is, by Jove!" exclaimed Drake suddenly, pointing to a meredot on the horizon.

  "You're right, sir," replied the chief petty officer. "Leastways 'tisa lump of a ship, and we don't look to see big craft in these parts."Ordering the rest of the flotilla to concentrate and follow the_Mosquito_, Drake headed "all out" towards the distant vessel, andbefore another quarter of an hour had passed he was able to announcethat it was the _Impregnable_, and that she was steaming slowly sternforemost, evidently badly damaged.

  In obedience to signals the three aero-hydroplanes followed themovements of their leader, and came to rest on the surface of thesea. Bearings were taken of the position of the oncoming cruiser, andthe four amphibians lay close till darkness set in.

  Under ordinary circumstances Drake ought to have immediately reportedthe discovery of the _Impregnable_ to his commanding officer, andwait till the _Cerberus_ came up to take possession of thepirate-cruiser. But Drake had confidence in his ability to achievehis object. Each of the aero-hydroplanes carried ten men. Allowingtwo to remain on board there were thirty-two available for the taskof capturing the much-sought-after prize. Drake realised that thebusiness would be a comparatively simple matter, since only a smallpercentage of the original crew of the cruiser remained, and thatthey were without officers and greatly demoralised by the hardshipsand perils they had undergone.

  As soon as darkness set in, the four vessels, with their air-planessecurely folded alongside, formed up in line-ahead, and stolecautiously towards the oncoming ship. To Drake's surprise, the_Imp
regnable_ was showing steaming-lights, a circumstance quitecontrary to the procedure hitherto followed by the modern buccaneer.

  Turning hard-a-port the flotilla eased down, and waited for the giantcruiser to pass.

  "Looks like a bloomin' ghost, sir," remarked Jenkins to his superior."Not doin' more'n six knots at the very outside, and as quiet as acorpse."

  "We'll liven her up in due course," replied Drake. "Now, lads, nocheering or unnecessary noise. No shot to be fired till I give theword. Then a good old British cheer, and drive the rascals downbelow. Easy ahead, there!"

  Without a sound, save the muffled pulsations of the motors and therhythmical swish of the waves against the vessel's knife-like sterns,the four craft followed the huge cruiser, like a shoal of threshersafter a whale. Not a light was visible on the _Impregnable_, not asound of a human voice came from her decks. It was like a mountain offloating steel ploughing its way aimlessly through the waste ofnight-enshrouded sea.

  Satisfied that there was no watch kept in the foremost part of thevessel, Drake ordered speed to be increased till the _Mosquito_ layalongside the cruiser's port bow, with the _Tse-tse_ just astern. The_Flea_ and the _Gnat_ made fast to the _Impregnable's_ starboard bow.There was just enough of the _Tse-tse's_ and the _Gnat's_ after endsprojecting beyond the cruiser's stem to establish communicationbetween the different aero-hydroplanes, while the cruiser's"overhang" for'ard prevented any possibility of their being seen fromthe _Impregnable's_ fo'c'sle.

  Drake gave the signal, and, revolver ready for instant use, led theway, clambering agilely up the steep steel sides by means of one ofthe torpedo-net booms. Unseen and unheard he gained the deck,followed by the rest of the boarders, till the thirty-two men formedup silently under the lee of the foremost barbette.

  Going aft to reconnoitre Drake discovered a light on theafter-bridge, for, since the cruiser was going stern foremost, shewas being navigated from that position instead of from thefore-bridge.

  A hasty examination of the fo'c'sle revealed two men stationed overthe hatchway. These were sternly summoned to surrender, but notcomplying with sufficient alacrity to satisfy Drake, they werepromptly thrown to the deck, gagged and secured.

  This done, the lieutenant led his men aft. Twenty were detailed tosecure the hatchways and companions; the rest, headed by Drakehimself, made a sudden rush for the after-bridge.

  There was now no need for silence. With a lusty cheer the Britishbluejackets tore up the steep ladder. The commotion brought two orthree muffled figures from the shelter of the wheel-house.

  "Surrender in the King's name!" shouted Drake.

  "I beg your pardon, sir?" replied Cardyke's well-known voice.

  CHAPTER XXIV

  THE COCKED HAT

  TO say that Lieutenant Douglas Drake was flabbergasted would not dojustice to the state of his mind. In the very hour of his triumph,when the credit of recapturing the stolen cruiser seemed absolutelyassured, the fruits of victory were snatched from his grasp by amidshipman. It was humiliating, but Drake was a true sportsman, and,stifling his feelings of disappointment, was genuinely hearty in hiscongratulations to his junior.

  "Where's Fielding?" he asked, as soon as Cardyke had brieflyexplained the situation.

  "Down below. He's had a nasty time of it, sir; but he's doingwonderfully well."

  "I'll go and see him. By the bye, we knocked over a couple of fellowsjust now. Who were they?"

  "A couple of watchmen from the tug _Hekla_," replied the mid. "It'srough luck on them. I stationed them to keep an eye on the prisoners.They can't speak English, so they're wondering what has happened?"

  "I'll see that they are released," replied Drake. "Now I'll go belowand pay Fielding a visit. I mustn't stop long, or the _Cerberus_ willbe getting anxious. We'll report you by wireless, and stand by tilldaybreak, if you wish."

  "Aren't you taking command, sir?" asked Cardyke.

  "Taking command? Why, no, my boy; you've done excellently up to thepresent. This is your business, and you rightly deserve the credit. Ienvy you, Cardyke; 'pon my word I do."

  "Better take command, sir," replied the midshipman, wearily. "I'veonly had three hours' sleep the last forty-eight hours, and there'sonly enough fuel to last a day and a half. If it weren't for youturning up we'd soon have been in an awkward fix."

  "All right, then, Mr. Cardyke," assented Drake. "I'll relieve you atyour request. Mr. Domer," he continued, addressing the senior, "willyou please take sufficient hands to man the boats, and return to the_Cerberus_? I am keeping the rest of the men on board the_Impregnable_. I will hand you a written report for Captain Dexterbefore we part company."

  * * * * *

  When Cardyke turned out after a solid sixteen hours' sleep he foundthat the _Impregnable_, once more under the White Ensign, was in towof the _Cerberus_, en route for Halifax. The trials and tribulationsof Juan Cervillo's hostages were over. Already the momentous news ofthe fate of the notorious pirate and the recapture of the terror ofthe Atlantic had been flashed abroad, and once again peacefulmerchantmen might pursue their way without an ever-present fear ofcapture by a daring and unscrupulous modern buccaneer.

  * * * * *

  Two months later the long-postponed dinner given by the FifthDivision to their successful rivals of the Sixth took place at apopular Portsmouth hotel.

  Lieutenant Player was amongst the first to arrive.

  "Well, you fellows," he exclaimed, as he laid a cocked-hat case on achair. "Drake's not turned up yet?"

  "No," replied Cosham, of the Kestrel. "Going on with the business,Player? It's rubbing it in a bit thick, isn't it?"

  "I don't know about that," replied Player. "This has nothing to dowith Drake's disappointment. If it had I for one would not take arise out of him."

  "He's taking it very well," remarked Cosham. "Blessed if I can quiteunderstand it--and a fellow with influence behind him, too."

  "He deserves promotion in any case, influence or no influence,"'added Peel. "Fielding's promoted--lucky beggar--and has beenspecially commended for gallantry. Young Cardyke is made sub., andDrake gets nothing. I really don't think we ought to----"

  "Good evening!" exclaimed Thompson, putting his head inside the door."Heard the news? Of course you haven't."

  "Fire away!" replied the group of officers.

  "Drake's away on leave. Coming in by motor for this little function.He told me to open any wires, and forward any letters that might besent to him. Acting under instructions I opened a telegram, and whatdo you think it was?"

  "Can't say," replied Player. "Has he scratched for to-night?"

  "No. A wire from young Tregarthen--he's at the Admiralty, you know.The secretary told him that Drake is appointed commander, andreceives the D.S.O."

  "Good luck to him!"

  "Now you can carry on with your little joke, Player," said Thompson.

  "I will. But, I say, Drake will see his promotion in the eveningpaper. Can't we prevent him, and spring it as a surprise?"

  "You'll have to look pretty sharp. Let the others know, and give themthe tip. Here's Fielding."

  Lieutenant Fielding, who had practically recovered from his wound,came up at this moment, followed by his shipmate, Sub-LieutenantCardyke. Both were cordially greeted, for this was the firstopportunity the majority of the officers present had to welcome theircomrades on their return to England.

  "I am glad to hear the news about Drake--I thought he was beingtreated a bit shabbily. If it hadn't been for him we shouldn't havehad a leg-up," said Fielding, when Thompson informed him of hischief's promotion.

  "Stand by, here's Drake," exclaimed someone.

  Drake was low-spirited. The iron of disappointment had eaten into hissoul. But with praiseworthy self-restraint he concealed his feelings.It seemed hard that with the opportunities offered him he should havefailed to make his mark, and doubly hard that his subordinates shouldbe signalled out for promotion, while he, as far as he knew, wasslightingly passed over. Nevertheless he offered his sincerecongra
tulations to Fielding and Cardyke. He was not a man to repinewhen others deserved and received advancement.

  At length the company sat down. Amongst the guests were General Oki,and Hokosuka, and Mukyima, who had purposely journeyed down fromLondon for the festive occasion; and the Japanese, who had playedsuch a prominent part in the unlawful commission of the_Impregnable_, came in for no small share of attention.

  After the customary toasts had been duly honoured, the head waiterappeared bearing a covered silver dish. A tense silence fell upon thejovial company. Those who knew what was about to happen seemed toexercise a magnetic influence over those who did not.

  Then the string band burst forth into the strains of an old popularrefrain, "Where did you get that hat?"

  Simultaneously the waiter whisked off the cover, and on the dishreposed a naval officer's cocked hat.

  A roar of hearty laughter greeted its appearance. Thompson, Fielding,Cardyke, and one or two others looked grave, wondering how Drakewould take it; but to their relief the victim of the practical joke,flushing slightly under his bronzed skin, rose to his feet, and, witha reassuring smile, raised his hand to command silence.

  "Gentlemen," he began, "I will not attempt a speech. If I did Ishould say what I didn't mean to say, and leave unsaid what I meantto say. But I see you have not forgotten to remind me of that littlefailing of mine on the occasion of the match which this gathering iscelebrating in its customary manner. It will not be said that a Drakeis not a man of his word. I promised to eat my hat; I will do so.Will you kindly pass the article round to show that there is nodeception?"

  The practical jokers began to look unduly anxious. They neverexpected Drake would have taken the matter so calmly. Perhaps he hadbeen warned, and had prepared a counter-plot? He had. Producing asmall parcel, Drake cut the string, and unwrapped the paper. Withinwas a small replica of a lieutenant's cocked hat, faithfully executedin confectionery. Inside were written the words, "My hat!"

  Having passed the edible model round for inspection, Drake, amid theapplause of his comrades, gravely proceeded to eat it.

  As soon as Drake had completed his meal, Thompson stood up.

  "Gentlemen!" he exclaimed. "I think it only right that we shouldsignify our satisfaction at the way in which a Drake keeps his word,by giving him a little certificate of his--er--his conduct. Allow me,sir, to present you with this."

  And leaning over the table Thompson handed the newly appointedcommander the momentous telegram.

  Drake took it, hesitatingly, as if suspecting another joke at hisexpense, looked at it casually, then again intently.

  He tried to speak, but no words came from his agitated lips. He satdown.

  "Gentlemen!" shouted Thompson, in stentorian zones. "A toast:Commander Douglas Drake, D.S.O., and the heroes of 'The StolenCruiser.'"

  THE END

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  {Transcriber's Notes:

  The following misprint has been corrected:

  {The shock of the collison} -> {The shock of the collision}

  Obvious punctuation/spelling errors were corrected without note. }