Chapter 3

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.

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.

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.

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.