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Read Ebook: Motor Matt's Defiance; or Around the Horn by Matthews Stanley R
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Ebook has 860 lines and 34125 words, and 18 pages
"That is good, captain!"
"We shall!" and a look of grim determination crossed the captain's face as he moved hurriedly toward the door.
"Banzai, Nippon!" called Kaneko.
Captain Ichi, pausing a moment, pulled a flag of his island empire from his pocket and pressed it to his lips. Just outside the door of the wireless room he met the lieutenant, repeating to him what had taken place in the "station." The lieutenant slapped his hands ecstatically.
"We will call on these Americans who are taking the submarine to Mare Island," said the lieutenant. "It is a rare chance to accomplish our work, Captain Ichi!"
"There could not be a better chance! If possible, the submarine must be destroyed in these southern waters. That, you know, will give us an opportunity to change the color of our vessel and continue our peaceful cruising toward Europe! Our government will never know that we were the ones who destroyed this menace to our beloved Nippon!"
The lieutenant did not finish, but winced and shrugged his shoulders.
"We should be heavily punished. Even if the United States found it out, their government would demand that we be hung."
"Harikari before that!"
"Harikari? Yes--perhaps that may be best, anyway. We have but one life to give for Nippon."
Captain Ichi shook his head.
"She is below the cape?"
"So Punta Arenas reports."
The captain turned and made his way to the bridge. There were two lookouts at the masthead, each watching the surface of the ocean with powerful binoculars.
Captain Ichi gave the quartermaster his course and signaled the engine room for the best speed.
The steamer, flaunting her false colors, bore swiftly away to the southward and toward Cape Horn, bent upon an act of treachery which, to the misguided minds of officers and crew, seemed an act of the highest patriotism.
CLIPPING THE DRAGON'S CLAWS.
"Will it work, matey?"
"It ought to--providing there is anything for it to work with. When you talk by wireless, Dick, you know there has got to be a second instrument within reach of your Hertzian waves. Lucky we were able to pick up that wireless instrument in Buenos Ayres. Lucky, too, that Ensign Glennie knows how to use the key and to talk Spanish."
Wires issued from the conning-tower hatch of the craft, crossed the stretch of water, and climbed a high tree that had been stripped of its branches. From the top of the tree hung the a?rials. Below deck, in the periscope room, was the instrument, with John Henry Glennie, Ensign, U. S. N., waiting at the key.
Motor Matt and Dick Ferral were on deck.
"Are you sure, matey," went on Dick, "that that was the Jap steamer our lookout raised from the headland?"
"We can't be sure of anything where those Japs are concerned. The steamer was of about the same size, although differently painted. But, then, paint is cheap, and it sometimes makes a big difference in a boat's appearance. The suspicious circumstance is that, while she was passing the mouth of the Gallegos, she pulled down the cross of St. George and ran up the Chilian flag."
"And she had two wireless masts!" exclaimed Dick. "These Sons of the Rising Sun are wily chaps, but, seeing that we have come from Para, all down the eastern coast of South America without any trouble, I was beginning to think the Japs had given up, and that they were going to let us finish our long cruise without paying us any more attention."
"If there's a wireless machine on that steamer," observed Dick speculatively, "it doesn't seem to me that she can belong to the Japs."
"It was probably easier for the Japs to install a wireless apparatus than it was for us. Undoubtedly they had every part of the machine in the hold of their vessel when they left their own country. As for us, we had to pick up a second-hand instrument at Buenos Ayres. I don't know that wireless telegraphy is going to help us any; but there's a chance that it may, and we can't neglect any chance if we want to clip the claws of the dragon."
"Right-o, old ship! Brigham told us not to let any one know what ports we were to call at, or what course we were going to take. If that steamer belongs to the Japs, those aboard won't know whether we're going through Magellan Strait or around the Horn."
"Our orders," said Matt reflectively, "carry us around the Horn, but those orders were given when it was not known that the Sons of the Rising Sun were after us."
Dick was interrupted by a blue flash from the top of the tree.
"Strike me lucky!" he broke off, grabbing Matt's arm in a tense grip. "What does that mean?"
"It means," answered Matt excitedly, shaking off Dick's hand and hurrying toward the conning tower, "that Glennie is in communication with somebody. Stay here and watch, Dick, while I go below."
In the periscope room all was excitement. Clackett, Gaines, Carl, and Glennie were grouped about a table which, loaded with sending and receiving apparatus, completely filled one end of the chamber. Ensign Glennie, stripped to his shirt, was humped over the key, cramming the ear phone to the side of his head and listening breathlessly. Matt pushed close and looked on with deep interest.
"What is it?" he asked, as Glennie leaned back on his seat.
After a few moments he lifted his head.
"It must come from Punta Arenas, in the strait," averred Matt. "That's a Chilian settlement, and the station there is talking with the war ship."
"Or with that mysterious steamer that passed here a few hours ago," qualified Glennie.
"Hist!" warned Matt as Glennie began to take another message off the sounder.
"The supposed war ship answers," said Glennie, "'All right; anything else?'"
"Try and make out what follows, if you can," returned Matt.
The chronometer on the wall ticked off seven minutes.
"I guess that's the end of it, Matt," said Glennie.
"Our spark won't carry to the land station?" queried Matt.
"If theirs won't come here distinctly, ours won't be able to reach them."
The Spanish words ran crackling up the wires to the top of the tree and jumped off into space.
"The answer is 'Yes,' Matt," said Glennie.
Glennie stared in blank amazement.
"Vy, Matt, dot's a gifavay!" gasped Carl. "Prigham saidt dot ve vasn't to dell anypody vere ve're going."
"That's my notion, Matt," said Glennie.
"Send the message, Glennie," ordered Matt.
The perplexed ensign bent to his key.
"It's gone," he muttered, "and here's something else coming back."
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