by Nell Speed
CHAPTER XIII.
THE "SIGNY."
"The orders of the Commander are for the Americans to disembark!"
A lieutenant clicked his heels in front of our friends and saluted.
"Bub u lul lul yack!" shouted Jim. "Where? When?"
"Immediately!"
The submarine was on the surface of the water, but Jim and Kent had beenushered below, evidently to give their mysterious fellow prisoners aturn at the deck. They were never allowed to see them, and to this dayare absolutely ignorant as to who they were or how many or of whatnationality.
It turned out that a Swedish vessel, the _Signy_, had been sightedthirteen miles off the Spanish port of Camarinas. She was signaled andordered to take aboard the Kentuckians and land them. Explicit commandswere given the captain of the _Signy_ that she was to land the young menimmediately.
Kent and Jim were too glad to get off the submarine to care where theywere being landed. They only hoped it was not in South America.
"Gug o o dud bub yack!" shouted Jim to the grinning crew of the Germanvessel.
The young lieutenant of the inquisitive mind made another note in hislittle book as the life boat from the Swedish ship bore the young menaway.
They were very cordially received on board the _Signy_ but not allowedto stay a moment longer than was necessary. The ship steamed to within afew miles of the Spanish port, all the time being followed up by thesubmarine, then the boats were lowered again and Kent and Jim rowed toshore. They were given a good meal in the interim, however, one thatthey were most pleased to get, too, as black bread and canned stew hadbegun to pall on these favored sons of Kentucky.
"Where in the thunder is Camarinas?" queried Kent. "I know it is Spain,but is it north, south, east or west?"
"Well, I reckon it isn't east and that's about all I know."
It proved to be in the northwest corner and after some mix-ups, a personwas found who could speak English. The American Consul was tracked,cablegrams were sent to Kentucky apprising their families of theirsafety, and at last our friends were on the train en route for Paris.
It was a long and circuitous journey, over and under and aroundmountains. They would have enjoyed it at any other time, but Kent wastoo uneasy about Judy to enjoy anything, and Jim was too eager to get inline to swat the Prussians, as he expressed it, to be interested inSpanish scenery. They traveled third class as they had no intention ofdrawing too recklessly on their hoarded gold.
After many hours of travel by day and night, they finally arrived inParis. It was eleven at night and our young men were weary, indeed. Thehard benches of the third class coaches had made their impression andthey longed for sheets and made-up beds.
"A shave! A shave! My kingdom for a shave!" exclaimed Kent, as theystretched their stiffened limbs after tumbling out of the coach in theGare de Sud.
"Don't forget I am a stranger in a strange land, so put me wise," beggedJim.
"I know a terribly cheap little hotel on Montparnasse and Raspail wherewe can put up, without even the comforts of a bum home, but we can makeout there and it is cheap. The _Haute Loire_ is its high sounding name,but it is not high, I can tell you."
"Well, let's do it. I hope there is some kind of a bath there."
"I trust so, but if there isn't, we can go to a public bath."
The Kentuckians were a very much dishevelled pair. They had purchasedthe necessary toilet articles at Camarinas, but sleeping for nights insuits in which they had already had quite a lengthy swim did not improvetheir appearance. The submariners had pressed their clothes after theirducking, but Jim's trousers had shrunk lengthways until he said he feltlike Buster Brown, and Kent's had dried up the other way, so that inwalking two splits had arrived across his knees.
"We look like tramps, but the _Haute Loire_ is used to our type. I don'tbelieve we could get into a good hotel."
"Are you going to look up your girl--excuse me, I mean Miss Kean, beforeyou replenish your wardrobe?"
"Why, yes, I must not wait a minute. I would like to do it to-night."
"To-night! Man, you are crazy! Get that alfalfa off your face first. Onenight can't get her into much trouble."
"Perhaps you are right. I am worn out, too, and a night's rest and ashave will do wonders for both of us."
Paris looked very changed to Kent. The streets were so dark andeverything looked so sad, very different from the gay city he had leftonly a few weeks before. The _Haute Loire_ had not changed, though. Itwas the same little hospitable fifth class joint. The madame receivedthe exceedingly doubtful looking guests with as much cordiality as shewould had they been the President of the Republic and General Joffre.
There were no baths that night, but tumbling into bed, our Kentuckianswere lost to the world until the next day. What if the Prussians did flyover the city, dropping bombs on helpless noncombatants? Two young menwho had been torpedoed; had floated around indefinitely in the AtlanticOcean; had been finally picked up by the submarine that had done thedamage; had remained in durance vile for several weeks on the submarine,resorting to Tutno to have any private conversation at all; and at lastbeen transferred to a Swedish vessel and dumped by them on the northwestcoast of Spain--those young men cared little whether school kept or not.The bombs that dropped that night were nothing more than pop crackers tothem. The excitement in the streets did not reach their tired ears.
Kent dreamed of Chatsworth and of taking Judy down to Aunt Mary's cabinso the old woman could see "that Judy gal" once more. Jim Castlemandreamed he swatted ten thousand Prussians, which was a sweet andpeaceful dream to one who considered swatting the Prussians aprivilege.