<SPAN name="chap03"></SPAN>
<h3> Chapter 3 </h3>
<p>Those were anxious days, during which I had but little opportunity to
associate with Lys. I had given her the commander's room, Bradley and
I taking that of the deck-officer, while Olson and two of our best men
occupied the room ordinarily allotted to petty officers. I made Nobs'
bed down in Lys' room, for I knew she would feel less alone.</p>
<p>Nothing of much moment occurred for a while after we left British
waters behind us. We ran steadily along upon the surface, making good
time. The first two boats we sighted made off as fast as they could
go; and the third, a huge freighter, fired on us, forcing us to
submerge. It was after this that our troubles commenced. One of the
Diesel engines broke down in the morning, and while we were working on
it, the forward port diving-tank commenced to fill. I was on deck at
the time and noted the gradual list. Guessing at once what was
happening, I leaped for the hatch and slamming it closed above my head,
dropped to the centrale. By this time the craft was going down by the
head with a most unpleasant list to port, and I didn't wait to transmit
orders to some one else but ran as fast as I could for the valve that
let the sea into the forward port diving-tank. It was wide open. To
close it and to have the pump started that would empty it were the work
of but a minute; but we had had a close call.</p>
<p>I knew that the valve had never opened itself. Some one had opened
it—some one who was willing to die himself if he might at the same
time encompass the death of all of us.</p>
<p>After that I kept a guard pacing the length of the narrow craft. We
worked upon the engine all that day and night and half the following
day. Most of the time we drifted idly upon the surface, but toward
noon we sighted smoke due west, and having found that only enemies
inhabited the world for us, I ordered that the other engine be started
so that we could move out of the path of the oncoming steamer. The
moment the engine started to turn, however, there was a grinding sound
of tortured steel, and when it had been stopped, we found that some one
had placed a cold-chisel in one of the gears.</p>
<p>It was another two days before we were ready to limp along, half
repaired. The night before the repairs were completed, the sentry came
to my room and awoke me. He was rather an intelligent fellow of the
English middle class, in whom I had much confidence.</p>
<p>"Well, Wilson," I asked. "What's the matter now?"</p>
<p>He raised his finger to his lips and came closer to me. "I think I've
found out who's doin' the mischief," he whispered, and nodded his head
toward the girl's room. "I seen her sneakin' from the crew's room just
now," he went on. "She'd been in gassin' wit' the boche commander.
Benson seen her in there las' night, too, but he never said nothin'
till I goes on watch tonight. Benson's sorter slow in the head, an' he
never puts two an' two together till some one else has made four out of
it."</p>
<p>If the man had come in and struck me suddenly in the face, I could have
been no more surprised.</p>
<p>"Say nothing of this to anyone," I ordered. "Keep your eyes and ears
open and report every suspicious thing you see or hear."</p>
<p>The man saluted and left me; but for an hour or more I tossed,
restless, upon my hard bunk in an agony of jealousy and fear. Finally I
fell into a troubled sleep. It was daylight when I awoke. We were
steaming along slowly upon the surface, my orders having been to
proceed at half speed until we could take an observation and determine
our position. The sky had been overcast all the previous day and all
night; but as I stepped into the centrale that morning I was delighted
to see that the sun was again shining. The spirits of the men seemed
improved; everything seemed propitious. I forgot at once the cruel
misgivings of the past night as I set to work to take my observations.</p>
<p>What a blow awaited me! The sextant and chronometer had both been
broken beyond repair, and they had been broken just this very night.
They had been broken upon the night that Lys had been seen talking with
von Schoenvorts. I think that it was this last thought which hurt me
the worst. I could look the other disaster in the face with
equanimity; but the bald fact that Lys might be a traitor appalled me.</p>
<p>I called Bradley and Olson on deck and told them what had happened, but
for the life of me I couldn't bring myself to repeat what Wilson had
reported to me the previous night. In fact, as I had given the matter
thought, it seemed incredible that the girl could have passed through
my room, in which Bradley and I slept, and then carried on a
conversation in the crew's room, in which Von Schoenvorts was kept,
without having been seen by more than a single man.</p>
<p>Bradley shook his head. "I can't make it out," he said. "One of those
boches must be pretty clever to come it over us all like this; but they
haven't harmed us as much as they think; there are still the extra
instruments."</p>
<p>It was my turn now to shake a doleful head. "There are no extra
instruments," I told them. "They too have disappeared as did the
wireless apparatus."</p>
<p>Both men looked at me in amazement. "We still have the compass and the
sun," said Olson. "They may be after getting the compass some night;
but they's too many of us around in the daytime fer 'em to get the sun."</p>
<p>It was then that one of the men stuck his head up through the hatchway
and seeing me, asked permission to come on deck and get a breath of
fresh air. I recognized him as Benson, the man who, Wilson had said,
reported having seen Lys with von Schoenvorts two nights before. I
motioned him on deck and then called him to one side, asking if he had
seen anything out of the way or unusual during his trick on watch the
night before. The fellow scratched his head a moment and said, "No,"
and then as though it was an afterthought, he told me that he had seen
the girl in the crew's room about midnight talking with the German
commander, but as there hadn't seemed to him to be any harm in that, he
hadn't said anything about it. Telling him never to fail to report to
me anything in the slightest out of the ordinary routine of the ship, I
dismissed him.</p>
<p>Several of the other men now asked permission to come on deck, and soon
all but those actually engaged in some necessary duty were standing
around smoking and talking, all in the best of spirits. I took
advantage of the absence of the men upon the deck to go below for my
breakfast, which the cook was already preparing upon the electric
stove. Lys, followed by Nobs, appeared as I entered the centrale. She
met me with a pleasant "Good morning!" which I am afraid I replied to
in a tone that was rather constrained and surly.</p>
<p>"Will you breakfast with me?" I suddenly asked the girl, determined to
commence a probe of my own along the lines which duty demanded.</p>
<p>She nodded a sweet acceptance of my invitation, and together we sat
down at the little table of the officers' mess.</p>
<p>"You slept well last night?" I asked.</p>
<p>"All night," she replied. "I am a splendid sleeper."</p>
<p>Her manner was so straightforward and honest that I could not bring
myself to believe in her duplicity; yet—Thinking to surprise her into
a betrayal of her guilt, I blurted out: "The chronometer and sextant
were both destroyed last night; there is a traitor among us." But she
never turned a hair by way of evidencing guilty knowledge of the
catastrophe.</p>
<p>"Who could it have been?" she cried. "The Germans would be crazy to do
it, for their lives are as much at stake as ours."</p>
<p>"Men are often glad to die for an ideal—an ideal of patriotism,
perhaps," I replied; "and a willingness to martyr themselves includes a
willingness to sacrifice others, even those who love them. Women are
much the same, except that they will go even further than most
men—they will sacrifice everything, even honor, for love."</p>
<p>I watched her face carefully as I spoke, and I thought that I detected
a very faint flush mounting her cheek. Seeing an opening and an
advantage, I sought to follow it up.</p>
<p>"Take von Schoenvorts, for instance," I continued: "he would doubtless
be glad to die and take us all with him, could he prevent in no other
way the falling of his vessel into enemy hands. He would sacrifice
anyone, even you; and if you still love him, you might be his ready
tool. Do you understand me?"</p>
<p>She looked at me in wide-eyed consternation for a moment, and then she
went very white and rose from her seat. "I do," she replied, and
turning her back upon me, she walked quickly toward her room. I
started to follow, for even believing what I did, I was sorry that I
had hurt her. I reached the door to the crew's room just behind her
and in time to see von Schoenvorts lean forward and whisper something
to her as she passed; but she must have guessed that she might be
watched, for she passed on.</p>
<p>That afternoon it clouded over; the wind mounted to a gale, and the sea
rose until the craft was wallowing and rolling frightfully. Nearly
everyone aboard was sick; the air became foul and oppressive. For
twenty-four hours I did not leave my post in the conning tower, as both
Olson and Bradley were sick. Finally I found that I must get a little
rest, and so I looked about for some one to relieve me. Benson
volunteered. He had not been sick, and assured me that he was a former
R.N. man and had been detailed for submarine duty for over two years.
I was glad that it was he, for I had considerable confidence in his
loyalty, and so it was with a feeling of security that I went below and
lay down.</p>
<p>I slept twelve hours straight, and when I awoke and discovered what I
had done, I lost no time in getting to the conning tower. There sat
Benson as wide awake as could be, and the compass showed that we were
heading straight into the west. The storm was still raging; nor did it
abate its fury until the fourth day. We were all pretty well done up
and looked forward to the time when we could go on deck and fill our
lungs with fresh air. During the whole four days I had not seen the
girl, as she evidently kept closely to her room; and during this time
no untoward incident had occurred aboard the boat—a fact which seemed
to strengthen the web of circumstantial evidence about her.</p>
<p>For six more days after the storm lessened we still had fairly rough
weather; nor did the sun once show himself during all that time. For
the season—it was now the middle of June—the storm was unusual; but
being from southern California, I was accustomed to unusual weather.
In fact, I have discovered that the world over, unusual weather
prevails at all times of the year.</p>
<p>We kept steadily to our westward course, and as the <i>U-33</i> was one of the
fastest submersibles we had ever turned out, I knew that we must be
pretty close to the North American coast. What puzzled me most was the
fact that for six days we had not sighted a single ship. It seemed
remarkable that we could cross the Atlantic almost to the coast of the
American continent without glimpsing smoke or sail, and at last I came
to the conclusion that we were way off our course, but whether to the
north or to the south of it I could not determine.</p>
<p>On the seventh day the sea lay comparatively calm at early dawn. There
was a slight haze upon the ocean which had cut off our view of the
stars; but conditions all pointed toward a clear morrow, and I was on
deck anxiously awaiting the rising of the sun. My eyes were glued upon
the impenetrable mist astern, for there in the east I should see the
first glow of the rising sun that would assure me we were still upon
the right course. Gradually the heavens lightened; but astern I could
see no intenser glow that would indicate the rising sun behind the
mist. Bradley was standing at my side. Presently he touched my arm.</p>
<p>"Look, captain," he said, and pointed south.</p>
<p>I looked and gasped, for there directly to port I saw outlined through
the haze the red top of the rising sun. Hurrying to the tower, I
looked at the compass. It showed that we were holding steadily upon
our westward course. Either the sun was rising in the south, or the
compass had been tampered with. The conclusion was obvious.</p>
<p>I went back to Bradley and told him what I had discovered. "And," I
concluded, "we can't make another five hundred knots without oil; our
provisions are running low and so is our water. God only knows how far
south we have run."</p>
<p>"There is nothing to do," he replied, "other than to alter our course
once more toward the west; we must raise land soon or we shall all be
lost."</p>
<p>I told him to do so; and then I set to work improvising a crude sextant
with which we finally took our bearings in a rough and most
unsatisfactory manner; for when the work was done, we did not know how
far from the truth the result might be. It showed us to be about 20°
north and 30° west—nearly twenty-five hundred miles off our course.
In short, if our reading was anywhere near correct, we must have been
traveling due south for six days. Bradley now relieved Benson, for we
had arranged our shifts so that the latter and Olson now divided the
nights, while Bradley and I alternated with one another during the days.</p>
<p>I questioned both Olson and Benson closely in the matter of the
compass; but each stoutly maintained that no one had tampered with it
during his tour of duty. Benson gave me a knowing smile, as much as to
say: "Well, you and I know who did this." Yet I could not believe
that it was the girl.</p>
<p>We kept to our westerly course for several hours when the lookout's cry
announced a sail. I ordered the <i>U-33</i>'s course altered, and we bore
down upon the stranger, for I had come to a decision which was the
result of necessity. We could not lie there in the middle of the
Atlantic and starve to death if there was any way out of it. The
sailing ship saw us while we were still a long way off, as was
evidenced by her efforts to escape. There was scarcely any wind,
however, and her case was hopeless; so when we drew near and signaled
her to stop, she came into the wind and lay there with her sails
flapping idly. We moved in quite close to her. She was the Balmen of
Halmstad, Sweden, with a general cargo from Brazil for Spain.</p>
<p>I explained our circumstances to her skipper and asked for food, water
and oil; but when he found that we were not German, he became very
angry and abusive and started to draw away from us; but I was in no
mood for any such business. Turning toward Bradley, who was in the
conning-tower, I snapped out: "Gun-service on deck! To the diving
stations!" We had no opportunity for drill; but every man had been
posted as to his duties, and the German members of the crew understood
that it was obedience or death for them, as each was accompanied by a
man with a pistol. Most of them, though, were only too glad to obey me.</p>
<p>Bradley passed the order down into the ship and a moment later the
gun-crew clambered up the narrow ladder and at my direction trained
their piece upon the slow-moving Swede. "Fire a shot across her bow,"
I instructed the gun-captain.</p>
<p>Accept it from me, it didn't take that Swede long to see the error of
his way and get the red and white pennant signifying "I understand" to
the masthead. Once again the sails flapped idly, and then I ordered
him to lower a boat and come after me. With Olson and a couple of the
Englishmen I boarded the ship, and from her cargo selected what we
needed—oil, provisions and water. I gave the master of the Balmen a
receipt for what we took, together with an affidavit signed by Bradley,
Olson, and myself, stating briefly how we had come into possession of
the <i>U-33</i> and the urgency of our need for what we took. We addressed
both to any British agent with the request that the owners of the
Balmen be reimbursed; but whether or not they were, I do not know.[1]</p>
<p>With water, food, and oil aboard, we felt that we had obtained a new
lease of life. Now, too, we knew definitely where we were, and I
determined to make for Georgetown, British Guiana—but I was destined
to again suffer bitter disappointment.</p>
<p>Six of us of the loyal crew had come on deck either to serve the gun or
board the Swede during our set-to with her; and now, one by one, we
descended the ladder into the centrale. I was the last to come, and
when I reached the bottom, I found myself looking into the muzzle of a
pistol in the hands of Baron Friedrich von Schoenvorts—I saw all my
men lined up at one side with the remaining eight Germans standing
guard over them.</p>
<br/>
<p>I couldn't imagine how it had happened; but it had. Later I learned
that they had first overpowered Benson, who was asleep in his bunk, and
taken his pistol from him, and then had found it an easy matter to
disarm the cook and the remaining two Englishmen below. After that it
had been comparatively simple to stand at the foot of the ladder and
arrest each individual as he descended.</p>
<p>The first thing von Schoenvorts did was to send for me and announce
that as a pirate I was to be shot early the next morning. Then he
explained that the <i>U-33</i> would cruise in these waters for a time,
sinking neutral and enemy shipping indiscriminately, and looking for
one of the German raiders that was supposed to be in these parts.</p>
<p>He didn't shoot me the next morning as he had promised, and it has
never been clear to me why he postponed the execution of my sentence.
Instead he kept me ironed just as he had been; then he kicked Bradley
out of my room and took it all to himself.</p>
<p>We cruised for a long time, sinking many vessels, all but one by
gunfire, but we did not come across a German raider. I was surprised
to note that von Schoenvorts often permitted Benson to take command;
but I reconciled this by the fact that Benson appeared to know more of
the duties of a submarine commander than did any of the stupid Germans.</p>
<p>Once or twice Lys passed me; but for the most part she kept to her
room. The first time she hesitated as though she wished to speak to
me; but I did not raise my head, and finally she passed on. Then one
day came the word that we were about to round the Horn and that von
Schoenvorts had taken it into his fool head to cruise up along the
Pacific coast of North America and prey upon all sorts and conditions
of merchantmen.</p>
<p>"I'll put the fear of God and the Kaiser into them," he said.</p>
<p>The very first day we entered the South Pacific we had an adventure. It
turned out to be quite the most exciting adventure I had ever
encountered. It fell about this way. About eight bells of the
forenoon watch I heard a hail from the deck, and presently the
footsteps of the entire ship's company, from the amount of noise I
heard at the ladder. Some one yelled back to those who had not yet
reached the level of the deck: "It's the raider, the German raider
<i>Geier</i>!"</p>
<p>I saw that we had reached the end of our rope. Below all was
quiet—not a man remained. A door opened at the end of the narrow
hull, and presently Nobs came trotting up to me. He licked my face and
rolled over on his back, reaching for me with his big, awkward paws.
Then other footsteps sounded, approaching me. I knew whose they were,
and I looked straight down at the flooring. The girl was coming almost
at a run—she was at my side immediately. "Here!" she cried. "Quick!"
And she slipped something into my hand. It was a key—the key to my
irons. At my side she also laid a pistol, and then she went on into
the centrale. As she passed me, I saw that she carried another pistol
for herself. It did not take me long to liberate myself, and then I
was at her side. "How can I thank you?" I started; but she shut me up
with a word.</p>
<p>"Do not thank me," she said coldly. "I do not care to hear your thanks
or any other expression from you. Do not stand there looking at me. I
have given you a chance to do something—now do it!" The last was a
peremptory command that made me jump.</p>
<p>Glancing up, I saw that the tower was empty, and I lost no time in
clambering up, looking about me. About a hundred yards off lay a
small, swift cruiser-raider, and above her floated the German
man-of-war's flag. A boat had just been lowered, and I could see it
moving toward us filled with officers and men. The cruiser lay dead
ahead. "My," I thought, "what a wonderful targ—" I stopped even
thinking, so surprised and shocked was I by the boldness of my imagery.
The girl was just below me. I looked down on her wistfully. Could I
trust her? Why had she released me at this moment? I must! I must!
There was no other way. I dropped back below. "Ask Olson to step down
here, please," I requested; "and don't let anyone see you ask him."</p>
<p>She looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face for the barest
fraction of a second, and then she turned and went up the ladder. A
moment later Olson returned, and the girl followed him. "Quick!" I
whispered to the big Irishman, and made for the bow compartment where
the torpedo-tubes are built into the boat; here, too, were the
torpedoes. The girl accompanied us, and when she saw the thing I had
in mind, she stepped forward and lent a hand to the swinging of the
great cylinder of death and destruction into the mouth of its tube.
With oil and main strength we shoved the torpedo home and shut the
tube; then I ran back to the conning-tower, praying in my heart of
hearts that the <i>U-33</i> had not swung her bow away from the prey. No,
thank God!</p>
<p>Never could aim have been truer. I signaled back to Olson: "Let 'er
go!" The <i>U-33</i> trembled from stem to stern as the torpedo shot from its
tube. I saw the white wake leap from her bow straight toward the enemy
cruiser. A chorus of hoarse yells arose from the deck of our own
craft: I saw the officers stand suddenly erect in the boat that was
approaching us, and I heard loud cries and curses from the raider.
Then I turned my attention to my own business. Most of the men on the
submarine's deck were standing in paralyzed fascination, staring at the
torpedo. Bradley happened to be looking toward the conning-tower and
saw me. I sprang on deck and ran toward him. "Quick!" I whispered.
"While they are stunned, we must overcome them."</p>
<p>A German was standing near Bradley—just in front of him. The
Englishman struck the fellow a frantic blow upon the neck and at the
same time snatched his pistol from its holster. Von Schoenvorts had
recovered from his first surprise quickly and had turned toward the
main hatch to investigate. I covered him with my revolver, and at the
same instant the torpedo struck the raider, the terrific explosion
drowning the German's command to his men.</p>
<p>Bradley was now running from one to another of our men, and though some
of the Germans saw and heard him, they seemed too stunned for action.</p>
<p>Olson was below, so that there were only nine of us against eight
Germans, for the man Bradley had struck still lay upon the deck. Only
two of us were armed; but the heart seemed to have gone out of the
boches, and they put up but half-hearted resistance. Von Schoenvorts
was the worst—he was fairly frenzied with rage and chagrin, and he
came charging for me like a mad bull, and as he came he discharged his
pistol. If he'd stopped long enough to take aim, he might have gotten
me; but his pace made him wild, so that not a shot touched me, and then
we clinched and went to the deck. This left two pistols, which two of
my own men were quick to appropriate. The Baron was no match for me in
a hand-to-hand encounter, and I soon had him pinned to the deck and the
life almost choked out of him.</p>
<p>A half-hour later things had quieted down, and all was much the same as
before the prisoners had revolted—only we kept a much closer watch on
von Schoenvorts. The <i>Geier</i> had sunk while we were still battling upon
our deck, and afterward we had drawn away toward the north, leaving the
survivors to the attention of the single boat which had been making its
way toward us when Olson launched the torpedo. I suppose the poor
devils never reached land, and if they did, they most probably perished
on that cold and unhospitable shore; but I couldn't permit them aboard
the <i>U-33</i>. We had all the Germans we could take care of.</p>
<p>That evening the girl asked permission to go on deck. She said that
she felt the effects of long confinement below, and I readily granted
her request. I could not understand her, and I craved an opportunity
to talk with her again in an effort to fathom her and her intentions,
and so I made it a point to follow her up the ladder. It was a clear,
cold, beautiful night. The sea was calm except for the white water at
our bows and the two long radiating swells running far off into the
distance upon either hand astern, forming a great V which our
propellers filled with choppy waves. Benson was in the tower, we were
bound for San Diego and all looked well.</p>
<p>Lys stood with a heavy blanket wrapped around her slender figure, and
as I approached her, she half turned toward me to see who it was. When
she recognized me, she immediately turned away.</p>
<p>"I want to thank you," I said, "for your bravery and loyalty—you were
magnificent. I am sorry that you had reason before to think that I
doubted you."</p>
<p>"You did doubt me," she replied in a level voice. "You practically
accused me of aiding Baron von Schoenvorts. I can never forgive you."</p>
<p>There was a great deal of finality in both her words and tone.</p>
<p>"I could not believe it," I said; "and yet two of my men reported
having seen you in conversation with von Schoenvorts late at night upon
two separate occasions—after each of which some great damage was found
done us in the morning. I didn't want to doubt you; but I carried all
the responsibility of the lives of these men, of the safety of the
ship, of your life and mine. I had to watch you, and I had to put you
on your guard against a repetition of your madness."</p>
<p>She was looking at me now with those great eyes of hers, very wide and
round.</p>
<p>"Who told you that I spoke with Baron von Schoenvorts at night, or any
other time?" she asked.</p>
<p>"I cannot tell you, Lys," I replied, "but it came to me from two
different sources."</p>
<p>"Then two men have lied," she asserted without heat. "I have not
spoken to Baron von Schoenvorts other than in your presence when first
we came aboard the <i>U-33</i>. And please, when you address me, remember
that to others than my intimates I am Miss La Rue."</p>
<p>Did you ever get slapped in the face when you least expected it? No?
Well, then you do not know how I felt at that moment. I could feel the
hot, red flush surging up my neck, across my cheeks, over my ears,
clear to my scalp. And it made me love her all the more; it made me
swear inwardly a thousand solemn oaths that I would win her.</p>
<br/>
<P CLASS="footnote">
[1] Late in July, 1916, an item in the shipping news mentioned a
Swedish sailing vessel, Balmen, Rio de Janeiro to Barcelona, sunk by a
German raider sometime in June. A single survivor in an open boat was
picked up off the Cape Verde Islands, in a dying condition. He expired
without giving any details.</p>
<br/><br/><br/>
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